The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-04-27

had violated the laws should be pun ished
and the issue should be met right here
and now.
Senator Wolcott of Colorado next
handled the subject and he breaches
true Americanism in way that would
have made Senator Aliens ears tingle il
that gentleman had not been SO carried
away by this Populistic craze. Wolcott
comes from a State where at present
Populisln is rampant, but true to his
principles and his manhood he scored
this insane and illegal movement and
handled the subject without gloves. 1t
is but an outgrowth of the Socialistic
movement, which has grown so
tremendously in this country during the
past decade.
II the newspaper accounts were true,
he said, those persons were coming to
Washington, some peaceably on foot,
some by stolen railroad trains, some by
begging, some by means furnished by
others, and all OF them for no useful
purpose. Attention had been given to
these bands by State Governors. His
own State of Colorado was suffering
from Governor whose vagaries and
antics had brought discredit and dis
honor on the commonwealth.
Senator Wolcott went on to discuss
the case on broad lines. He admitted
that many of the men were undoubtedly
honest but they are misled by leaders
who are either cranks, insane or vicious.
He is right in treating it as craze in
which advantage has been taken of the
distress which has prevailed owing to
the hard times, and which has been
encouraged by the thousands upon
thousands If idle men now congregated
in large cities and well settled COM
munities, who are ready to embrace
almost any movement that promises
three square meals day, without con-
sidering the consequences or the direc-
tion the movement is leading to, and his
words in rebuking the present tendency
to Socialism are significant, as indicating
that the time has actually arrived in
this land of the free when the highest
legislative body is compelled to stop
III its legitimate work of carrying
on the government to deal with
problem that intimates disorder and
lawlessness. The country owes its
thanks TO Mr.. Wolcott for his prompt
recognition of his duty and for the
manly words in which he denounced the
movement towards Socialism.
81 believe. he said, "that the time has
come when those of us who are in public
lite ought to begin 10 cultivate more
regard for the perpetuity of Republican
and to pander less to that
iniscalled portion of the labor vote
whose labor is with their throats and
never with their hands. 1t is time that
we stood for the rights of American
for the right OF man to work
if he wants to--if it takes the whole army
or the country to sustain him in doing it,;
for the right of every man to equal liber-
ties with other men. 1t is time that we
had the courage to stand together
against this Socialism aud Populism and
paternafism which is running riot in
this country and which must end, if not
checked, in the destruction of the liber-
ties which the laws and constitution
give us, liberties which should be dearer
to us than life ITSELF
The movement now that it has adopted
of violence can he more easily
than when it remained to be
dealt with by moral suasion. The stern
hand of the law is more effective in re-
pressing disorder than the voice of adj
and the next outbreak of law
essness should be met by such efficacious
remedies as would prevent repetition.
The laboring people of this country are
not in sympathy with this movement Of
,ums and cranks. 1t threatens labor
'ully as much as capital and in her name
commits crimes that honest labor bushes
or and condemns, The idea of giving
nto such lawless mobs and pandering
o leaders whose rawlings are but as the
die wind, would be absurd if it were
lot dangerous.