The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-12-11

q
friend Of the people, and was crucitied
as the first preacher of Democracy.
Washington and Jefferson had so
much contempt of court that they
would have been hanged could they
have Eeen caught. In the history Of
progress tyranny has always been the
turnkey, liberty always the convict.
''Truth," said Lowell. "forever on the
scaffold, wrong forever on the throne"
Applause.
Let us grant for argument that per-
haps Debs made mistakes. He would
be the last man to claim infallibility.
Perhaps the American Railway Union
is not composed altogether of Arch
angels. There are two sides to every
question, people say, and then climb
up on the fence. Which was the right
side in the Pullman strike? Which is
the right side in every labor dispute?
Our fore ia theirs in the revolution did
many illegal things, but as against
George Ill, theirs was always the
right side. The workingmen often
do wrong, but theirs is always the
right side. 1t is the side Of the disin-
herited, the wronged, of the victims
of power, Of the many, of the hun
dreds of millions who go to bed hun
cry every night on this fruitful earth
of ours. The workingman's side is
the side which carries the principle of
civiliZatOn-the rule Of the people
which is that all must live for all, one
step farther. making it the rule Of in
dustry, as it now is Of patriotism. 1t
will enlarge the splendid flag of the
republic into the more glorious ban
ner of the cooperative common
wealth. The workingmens side is al
ways the right side, and the more mis-
takes they make tine more will all
those who love their fellow men and
who have faith in the future give
them aid. comfort and affection.
[CheerS.
Some years ago the street railway
men Of Glasgow struck for shorter
hours and longer wages and lost.
When they found that the indus trial
strike failed they tried the political
strike. They began an agitation by
which today Glasgow owns and runs
it's own street railway. II the million
ganiZe strike that will get down the
roots Of the cause of all these injunc-
tions and Gatling guns, these insur-
rections against the people by the
judges and the army and the presi-
dent, let them strike to make them
selves and their fellow citizens own
ers of the railways and telegraphS and
telephones and good many other
things.
The common people of the last CEN
tury demanded that since govern
ment exists only by the labors of all
it should exist only by the voice of all.
1t is time for the common people of
this country to make another declara
tion and constitution and demand
that since industry and wealth are
possible only by the labors Of all they
shall be administered only by the
voice and by the consent of all.
When in any industry the working
men find that their employers have
become possessed of such overgrown
power that they are able to treat
their committees as rebels, when they
can starve them into submission by
lockouts, because they know there is
no other work for them; when they
can play the tyrant by telling them
that the price at which they must
sell themselves is only the employe rs
"business," not theirs, and threaten
to shoot them if they dictate" bout
this "businesS" by asking for arbi ira
ton -[continued cheers when in
any industry the people find that they
must pay whatever price the seller de-
mands for coal, sugar, oil. meat or
what not. and must accept whatever
quality they are given. then there. is
an industry ripe for ballot strike, a
sympathetic strike, by the people, con-
sumers and workingmen alike, for in
dustrial Democracy.
BULLETS GREW INTO BALLOTS.
How did Washington deliver Amer
ica? HE saved his money and bought
a gum" But he planted bullets be-
cause he knew how to make them
grow into ballots. He fought that
we, his heirs, need not fight. Ma
poleon on his way to his grave at ST.
Helena said: 81 was not conquered
by the arms of the allies. l was beat
en- by the ideas Of liberty" Hamil-
ton. Adams, Franklin, if they we're
here today would not need the musket
to free their people. They would say