The sun., 1894-08-20

Ine bnam lnvesti&atiOn NJ ShlCaRo.
The leaders and abetters Of the anar-
chistic DEBs insurrection who have testified
before the national Commission, which Is in
vestigating the matter at Chicago, agree in
favoring Government ownership Of the rail
roads ss the only practicable way Of pre-
venting such savagery.
One Of these witnesses, examined on Fri
day, was a Methodist minister at Pull
man, named CARwARDINE, who has
lately published book justifying the
strikers there. Another was a director
of DEBss Railway Union, who went even
further and instructed the Commission that
the Government should own all machin-
cry Of a labor-saving nature and control the
product Of labor in common" and that all
labor and enterprise should be national
ized." When still another witness Of SINH
lar opinion was asked how the Government
could manage the business satisfactorily to
the laborers, he responded by saying "un-
der the civil service reform rules" So far
this Is the only notable counsel the Commits
sion has received from the insurrectionists,
and it is not likely to get anything more
valuable from them.
all labor and enterprise were 'nationalized, !"
the only practicable plan Of organization and
administration would be military in its
character. The operatives would have to be
enlisted like soldiers and held under strict
military discipline and subordination. They
would have to give up their liberty Of move
ment, after the manner of soldiers, and to be
under an iron rule which would be substan-
TALLY military. Then there would be in
verify an industrial army" compelled to
render strict obedience, with no will of its
own which it could exercise during its term
of enlistment, and subject to commands
from Washington.
That Is, these fellows are advocating the
establishment Of military despotism, under
which the last vestige of their liberty would
be destroyed. They are begging that chains
be forged to shackle labor, so that 1t cannot
escape from despotic control. But they
have been preparing laborers for this abso-
lutte and Anal surrender of their freedom, by
organizing them into unions in which they
voluntarily subject themselves to arbitrary
authority. Many thousands of them blind
ly and slavishly obeyed the decree of
the crack-brained DEBs that they throw
up their places and their wages at q time
when a great part Of labor was already
unemployed because of the deficiency of
employment, though they had no grievances
of their own which should induce them
to pursue such course. They threw away
their means Of making living simply be-
cause he and their immediate union leaders
told them to do 1t. They had voluntarily
forfeited their right to govern their own
conduct. Under the scheme Of their organ
ization they pledged and bound themselves
to be slaves. They gave up their freedom
and put themselves in subjection to an IRE
sponsible despot More than that, they in
suited, browbeat, and assailed other work
men who refused to accept such slavery and
insisted on retaining the freedom to which
they were born, and in which they are
protected by law and our republican
institutions.
1t is not surprising that the tyrants of
labor who have testified before the Commis-
sion sitting at Chicago are seeking to have
their despotic power confirmed and assured
by legal enactment investing them with 1t
under State ownership Of labor; but it is
lamentable, 1t is distressing sign Of deca-
dence, that so many of the laborers them
selves have lost their spirit Of Independence
SO far ~ TO consent TO such efforts for their
complete and permanent enslayement
The most discreditable manifestation in
modern society is the willingness Of SO large u
part fthe labOrers to surrender their liberty
and put themselves under despotic author
ity. The permanenee of free institutions de
pends on that vastly greater number who will
render submission to no tyrant, whether he
be labor leader or political despOt.