The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-04-24

ty years (1S45-67) severe laws against
the coalition of workmen, and against
the social-democratic press. So long
as the workmen allow the laws of the
state to be manufactured and forced
upon them by those who live by using
up the workmen, so long will the laws
be u%nfavorable to the toiling masses,
and favorable to the masters only.
When did a monarch ever make laws
in the interest of his people and against
the interest of his dynasty? First
comes himself, his interest, his dynas-
ty, and then the welfare of the tools
who support him in working the COM
mcnwealth for his own benefit; and it
is only at last, when all these worthless
have had their fill, that the much
squeezed people are thought of at all,
and then too often stones are offered
to them instead of bread. There are,
indeed, so-called Christian monarchs,
who, like good-natured riders, stroke
or pat the neck of the creature painting
under their weight; but that the heavi-
ly-burdened animals, ridden to sore
ness, would best be helped if the mas
ter and all his train would dismount
is a thing which never occurs to the
n above until the one below throws
him off.
In the same manner, an aristocracy
can make excellent laws for them
selves, but not for the people. Has the
aristocracy Of England, perhaps the
cleverest body of it's kind in existence,
ever done anything in the interests Of
the workingman? No! If they have
retained their position until now, it is
only because they have lot shown
over-much obstinacy in strenuously
opposing reforms that had become alb
solutely necessary. But. again, the
legislators Of the representative state,
although elected by the people, are not
capable Of making good laws for the
working classes, but yet are able to
make excellent laws for their own
class, the middle class. And why?
Because, as experience teaches us, the
majority Of every representative body
S"SAoS VI Sdp1IQlAoIo III LlclI Ci0d-
lures, and members Of the middle
classes, hostile to social progress. And
even as the Shareholder is, by his very
nature, incapable of making laws in
the interest Of his slaves, so the rep
resentative, being a capitalist, Is In
capable of ever framing laws in the
interest Of the workman. Representa-
tive democracy, though it be, compare
lively speaking, a far better form of
government than a monarchy or an
aristocracy, is therefore not that DO
litical form within which the world
OF workers can attain its proper place
and social questions can be solved. 1t
might be more so if working men. and
especially the peasantry, were always
to g to the representative houses
the most intelligent of their W class
only; but, unfortunately, the expert
is done only in exceptional cases. AS
a rule, the people elect only members
of the so-called higher orders, because
the pernicious prejudice, an outgrowth
Of monarchial periods, leads men to be-
lieye that intellect alone can produce
good laws. and consequently highly
educated people are all that is wanted,
while, in reality, interest is the deter
mining cause in matters of legislation.
Add to this, that the salary of a mem
Der Of a legislative body, and the tray-
cling expenses paid to him, are syste-
matically fixed so low that for a mem
Der Of the working classes it Is eco
nomically impossible to fulfill the func-
lions of a representative.