The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-10-15
z 3 WRITES HOME.

and Inspiring Sentiments OF One
Whose Love for His Fellow
men and Devotion to the
Cause of Justice Can
not be Diminished
by Persecution.
Labor day was celebrated at Terre
Haute, Ind, this year by a large pa
rade and exercises at the fair grounds.
There were 10, 900 persons present dur
ing the speaking Newspaper reports
of the proceedings referred to the
speech of Senator Voorhees, and to a
letter from Elgene V. Debs. which was
read from the platform. Short extracts
from the letter have been printed to
some extent, but little idea of it's
beauty and grandeur, as a whole, could
be obtained from them. This letter
should be read by every workingman
and every lover of freedom in the land.
1t is here reproduced in full:
In responding to your request l am
disposed to recite a page of what all
Christendom proclaims sacred his
tory"
There existed some 2 500 years ago a
king clothed with absolute power
known as Darius, who ruled over the
Modes and Persians. He was not a
usurper like William A. WOODS, the
United States Circuit Judge. Darius
was royal spawn. All the people IN
Darius empire were slaves. The Will
of the king was absolute. What the
king said was law, just as we find In
the United States OF America that
what a United States Judge says is law.
Darius, the Persian despOt, could I'M
prison at will. The same is true of
Woods the despot. There is absolutely
no difference. Do l hear an exceptions
Allow me to support my Indictment
by authority that passes current
throughout the republic. Only a few
days ago the venerable Judge Trum
bull, one of the most eminent jurlsts
and statesmen America has ever pro
ducei, wrote these burning world:
The doctrine announced by the court
in the Debs case, carried to its logical
conclusion, places every citizen at the
mercy of any prejldiced or malicious
judge who may think proper to i'm
prison him
Tais states the case Of the off of
the American Railway Union in a nut
shell. They violated no law, they com
mitted no crime, they have not been
charged nor indicted nor tried, and yet
they have been arbitrarily sentenced
aud thrust in jail, and what has hap
pened to them will happento others
who dare protest against such nhu
mainly as tie monster Pullman prac
tied upon his employees and their
families.
More than 2, 500 years have passed to
join the unnumbered centuries since
Darius lived and reigned, and now in
the United States we have ab-ut four
score Darius despots, each one of whom
may 1T his will, whim or pleasure i'm
prison an American citizen-and this
grim truth is up for discussion on Labor
day.
It will be remembered that during
the reign of Darius there was a gentle
man Of the name of Daniel whom the
king delighted to honor. Toe only
faul5 that could be found with Daniel
vas that he would o worship the
Persian gods, but would, three times
a day, go to his window, looking to-
ward Jerusalem, and pray. This vas
his crime. IL was enough. The Per
slams had q religion of their own. They
had their gods of gold, brass, clay,
stone, wOod, anything from a mouse to
a mountain, and they would not tole-
ate any other god. They had, in mod
ern ,,srIance, an established church,
and as Daniel, like Christ, would not
conform to the Persian religion the
presiGents Of the kingdom, the govern
ors and the princes, the counselIors and
the captains, or, as in these latter days,
the corp rations, the trusts, the eyndi
Gates and the combines, concluded to
get rid of Daniel, and they persuaded
Darius to issue an injunction that no
man should TASK a petition of any god
or man for 80 days save of thee, O
king" and the king, a Ia Woods, issued
the decree. But D 4uiel. who was
made of res sting stuff, disregarded the
Injunction and still prayed as before to
his God. Daniel was a hero. In the
desert of despotism he S ands forever
As some tall cliff that lifts its awful form
SweIls from the vale ana midway leaves the
Though round its breast the rolling clouds are
Eternai sunshine settles on i ; head.
But the bigots trlumphed for q time