The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-28

ties, but now and then comes a time when
men must make a choice between strike
and degradation, and when that time
comes / favor the strike. Patrick Henry
said, Resistance to tyranny Is obedience TO
God Every star In the flag of our Union
stands for n strike. What was tho great
war of tho Revolution itself but a strike?
Every battle was a strike. Washington,
Franklin, Paine, jefferson, all were agi-
tators.
~ lay no claim to infallibility as ia la
Dor organizations. Their actions somo-
times are rash, impetuous N i'll advised.
But / believe that the condition of the
workers of this country has been infinitely
Improved because OF organized labor. And
in organizing, the Norkmen simply emu
late tho example of their employers. This
latter class combine TO further their ends,
and IL Is called a conference. Laborers
combine TO resist oppression, and IL Is
called a conspiracy. The difference Is only
tho difference between a railroad president
and a section hand. III employers of labor
and corporations have the right TO CONF
bine, laborers have precisely the same
right. 1t is more than a right, IL is n
duty, falling in which, the laborers will
be ground TO atoms.
1.-The United States supreme court has
been invaded by money. 1t is not merely
myself who says this, for l will no called
q wild eyed anarchist, or a labor agitator,
but only the other day Senator Vest Of
Missouri made the broad intimation that
the United States supreme court had sur
rendered to the money power. Take tho
decision of this court on tho income tax
law, which decision it has been said is a
usurpation Of the powers of congress. If
that law had placed the 500, 900, 600 tax on
the shoulders of the poor, the law would
not have been declared unconstitutional
1.-THE worEingmen ought not to suppli-
cate longer, but take their rights, not by
lawlessness or disorder, but by united bal
lot. And shall not labor come into its
own? Who shall doubt itp
"Wo can't hive goytenment of the peo-
pie, for the people and by the people as
dong as the best half of the population Is
denied tho right TO vote. Whether woman
wants TO vote is for her to decide. Dep
r~ivation of tho suffrage places Frances
Willard on tho Lowell with our idiots, Grim
inals, paupers and Indians. Many evils
Of the day never will DO eradicated until
woman is given the ballot. AS a general
proposition, woman has moro honor and
integrity than man. You couldn't buy a
woman's vote with O drink of whisky. 1t
Is said every magnificent man has a mag
nifccnt mother, and most any one would
do for a father.
"Workingincn are not boing true TO
themselves. Tho questions for US to solve
are largely those OF education and intolli-
gence. 1t Is better to buy books than
beer. I've tried both. No man ever went
to the penitentiary who spent his leisure
with his wife and children.
II believe the wage system, which Is
only another name for the feudal system,
must disappear. Machines arc displacing
men. There Is only one r~emedy-that Is
for each man TO work Tower hours and
give the rest "a chance. II four hours
work q day will clothe and feed the world,
let four hours be a days work. Some
changes must DO made. Some munopolies
must DO taken by tho people. The United
States Is the only civilized country that
docs not own its telographs. What is
true Of the telegraph Is true Of tho tole-
phone. 1t is true of the railroads. The
people should own Thorn, or thoy will
OWL the government. They asked me In
Chicago II l believed In government own
ership Of railroads. l replied that / pre-
fcrred IL 10 railroad ownership OF govern
nlcnt. Ali these changes will come with
education. That Is the lover that will lift
up oil into the light. The middle classes
In this country are fast disappearing.
Soon there will be but two-the extremely
few, who arc the extremely rich, and the
extremely many, who are the extremely
poor.
Eve lost the respect Of many persons,
but I've managed to keep my own. Peo-
pie say ! ought 20 b0inhuenccd by public
opinion, but when / reflect that IL was
public opinion that kept alive tho institu-
ton OF slavery I'd rather be excused. Pub
lie opinion has sanctioned every great out
rage. The minority Il usually right. I
propose to keep ON good terms with myself.
"Every great reformer has been under
che ban Of pubic opinion. Washington IN
has day was called a u~cina~ogue. Today
be n n dcmigod. The difference between
q demagogue and "a dcmigod Is only one II
-timo-usnally about n century. Christ,
who taught the redccming doctrine VI mu-