Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-24
The True Position of the Working
man.
WHAT A MINNESOTA MAN THINKS
Workers of His State Are Inclined
to Protection.
G r E AT ADV NCEMENT

THE workingmen of the west and north
west will take very active interest in
politics this year" today said Mr.. George
w. Meyer of Minneapolis, president of the
Jorrneymen Stone Cutters Associa ton of
America, to a Star reporter. This will
notably be the case in Minnesota. We
| tried our hand at II two years ago and
succeeded In electing governor Mr.. ID.
NJ Clough, self-made man and thorough
| friend of the laboring people, and we in
tend to re-elect him this fall IL is a
| mistaken idea entertained by many persons
mat the majority of the working people
or the west and northwest are in favor
| OF free silver. In Minnesota, Iowa and
Nebraska, especially, there is very
| earnest feeling which is shared by much
| more than majority even of those who
| heretofore have been democrats that the
currency question is not the greatest issue
| before the country, and if we would again
| be prosperous as a people we must get
| back TO protection.
For these reasons the people to whom
have referred are overwhelmingly in
favor of Mckinley, not because they want
NC hlnley especially to fill the presidential
once, but because he stands for protec-
| ton to American industries in the fullest
sense OF the word. Their idea is that We
| ought first to get the wheels of industry in
| motion and let the matter of the currency
| come IN as secondary consideration.
The State of Labor
In my opinion. the real reason why labor
aces not advance more rapidly In the effort
| 10 secure an honest share OF the wealth IL
creates, and enjoy such conditions as our
| advancing civilization should afford every
human being, is because the effort is and
| always has been a superficial one This Ia
not strange, because up to the present time
| labor has done little more than organize
itself into small independent Rroups of men
| drawn together by the instinct of self
| preservation. The impulse has been to
| hastily resist the immediate forces which
| have been pushing us downward rather
than search for The remote causes whiSa
produce the distressing condition. But
when We remember that il is but FIVE CEN
turtles since the labor of the world was in
absolute slavery; that during the reign Of
| Edward Ill an English laborer could not
| cross the boundary lines of the country In
| which he was born without being impris-
oned and branded upon the forehead; that
IL any laborer was found idle he was sold
| into slavery for two years, and if he at
tempted to escape was to have the letter
IS branded upon his cheek, and become q
save for life; that as late the century
before our own the wages of labor were
| fixed by the Justices and whoever refused
| to work for them thrown back into
| prison; that all meetings of workingmen
were prohibited, under sterner penalties
| than the black slaves of the United States
were forbidden to improve intellectually.
and that during the present century la
| borers were transported to the British
penal colonies for administering to each
other such oaths sometimes
taken by every man who joins labor
ganization. When we reflect upon these
| things and compare the present with the
| past. there Is no reason to wonder that the
| labor of today has got no farther than the
| first rude and undiscplined stage of Or
| ganizatIon. Having by the>process of evo-
/ Inf he don ing off rai ms and ha
| quickening of conscences secured from the
| public some shadow of Justice and the
| liberty to think and act for itself, labor has
hut begun the work of placing itself in q
| position to receive absolute justice. Thus
| far there has been but little time TO study
causes, and those among our critics who
complain that we do the wrong or unTea-
sonable thing simply quarrel with nature.
Wonderful Progress.
Labor is now in the position of ar es-
| capped slave, who feels the first thrill Of
|.manly independence born of freedom, and
| enthusiasm is naturally stronger than rea-
son. Considering the time that has elapsed
since public sentiment became favorable
| enough to allow laboring people TO think
| for themselves and act together for mutual
| advancement, the progress has been Won
derful 1t is impossible, under the circum-
| stances, that the physical labor of the
| world should possess, at this date, the
| broad mental grasp necessary to the speedy
| abolition of the unjust conditions which
| surround il. That must come by political
| action, and it comes labor begins TO look
| below the surface and advance accordingly.
The strike is blind resistance. Laborers
| suffer until they can no longer endure, and
| then they revolt, only to find themselves
confronted by the law; only to tind that
Judge has issued injunction restraining
| them from either quitting or using honor
| able means to prevent others from taking
their places; only to find that the power Of
| tat hehird ha
| ditions which give rise to the causes hich
| compelled the strike. Labor must look
deeper lt.nnst go into the craftsmanship
of the Industrial question.
| There is but one way to remove unjust
conditions. and that is by law. Labor must
| take hand in politics. and thus have a
| voice in establishing and abolishing condi-
| tons. 1 think 1t would be good time for
| any laboring man who wishes to say any,
| thing for the cause and advancement Of
| labor to do so with voice and vote. Our
| vote Is our power. If the present PARTY
| VIII not give us our rights, we have the
power with our votes to put a party into
power that Will. The antiquatei no.ion
that labor must keep out of politics TO
prevent disSension in the ranks has out
| lived Its usefulness. The laboring people
are past the point where devotion 10 silly
superstitions can divide them. They are
| beginning to see that capital enjoys its
present advantages because ii has not
| scorned to enter politics. Labor must meet
cunning with wisdom
NenoeH fnllilps, the great reformer,
once said to the workingmen of this coun-
try: My advice to workingmen is this II
you want power in this country If Won
want to make yourselves felt, II you do not
want your children to wait long before
| they have the bread on the table they
| ought to have, if you don't want TO wait
yourselves for the leisure you ought TO
| have. the opportunities you ought to have
| write on your banner so that every polI-
| tician. no matter how short-sighted he NAV
be, can read 1T, 1--WE Never Forget"
|