The Washington times., 1894-07-15
DORMANT VOTING POWER.

The distress Of wage-earners is not duo TO
tributed to misplaced faith in the promises OF
politicians. The resources of our country
are as abundant as ever The demand for
our products is restricted to nothing but hard
times, and were the cause for the present
state of affairs removed there would be
neither lack of money nor work for every in
dustrious, intelligent person.
First of all, this country cannot prosper e1-
cept when wage-earners are contented we'll
paid and in constant employment. Eight
tenths Of the money circulated and used in
general trade by merchants, farmers and pro-
fe.sional men is the earnings of the working
people. 1t is paid out by them for living,
rent and other purposes to their creditors,
from whose hands it goes to the banks, to be
paid out on loans or from deposits to employ
ers. who again set it afloat in the form Of
wages. Therefore the better wages and more
constant employment wage-earners receive
the more money and better times the country
viii enjoy. The money used in the wholesale
trade and by banks and others for remittances
and transfers of property is represented by
checks. drafts and other evidences of credit,
and but little actual cash or currency is used
to perfect this class of transactions. In short,
the prosperity of our industrial interests
means the prosperity o. the country, for farm
ers depend largely upon wage-earners for
the sale of their products, and merchants,
professional men and even corporate interests
look upon them as their principal and most
profitable patrons.
Except in rural districts wage-earners are
the promoters of political power. It is their
votes that carry elections and fill public
offices, and they are the spoils over which
politicians wrangle, pledge promise. and
prevaricate in order TO get their hands in the
public treasury. If wage-earners would unite
In their own interests they could fill three
fourths of the public offices with candidates
Of their own selection, but they would have to
adopt some fundamental principle OF their
own and stand by it, both in nominating con-
ventions and at the polls.
With two such great responsibilities in their
keeping as the prosperity of the country and
the purity of public office, wage-earners
y
this power. But they can do nothing, abso-
lutely nothing, either for the country or
themselves unless they stop quarreing over
politics and unite in self interest Politics to
them has been sham, fraud. 1t has been
a cloak to hide the schemes of designing
men. High tariff, low tariff, coin, fiat money,
and other political principles have been
&alt ad tla
fiimsiest threadbare without bringing wage
earners the slightest benefit. No political
party has yet redeemed its promises except in
the interests of cooperative power, nor will
waga-earners ever be benefited until they
unite in promoting their own welfare.
Labor organizations would do well to make
use of their meetings to discuss the possbili-
ties that might be accomplished in controlling
the nomination and election to public office
of well known friends to labor With per-
feet organization they might reject politicians
who have made wage-earners their TOOLS and
place men in Office who would not enact laws
to extend cooperative power. The power to
change existing conditions is with wage-earn-
ers, and their opportunity to bring prosperity
to themselves lies in united and vigorous ac-
ton in purifying public Office.
They must remember one fact. Most men
who seek nomination to office have some other
object than the good of the public. The
office should in every instance seek the man,
and no mistakes will then be made in candi-
dates. With honest friends OF the people in
ONCE the public will never suffer, for to them
politics, other than for public good, has little
or no significance. 1t is demagogues and po-
htical blatherskites who predict public calam-