The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-18

j. r. Sovereign of the Knights of Labor
is one of those agitators who find it neces-
sary to get their names into the papers
in connection with sensational statements
quite often. Without notoriety through
the papers they would quickly relapse
into obscurity; hence they are always in
the way of an interviewer and when an
obliging reporter does not show up quickly
enough, they write letters to the news
papers. Sovereign is out in a letter to a
Colorado paper, in which he talks ex-
Dectantly and wishfully of a war; not
with Great Britain, or Spain, but a
war among the people of the United
States He works in a lot of rot about
the millions of enforced unemployed"
in the United States, of their wrongs. of
the futility Of hoping to right wrongs at
the ballot box, of the "plutocracy planted
upon the ruins of the republic" ana
other stuff of the kind He tells of revo-
lutionary societies being formed gin all
sections of this country" of their impor-
tunities to him to become a member Of
one of them. and of offers of arms and
money with which to prosecute revolu-
ton. In conclusion he intimates that he
is quite ready to see revolution, and to
take part in it,
II Sovereign were not at the head of a
somewhat important labor organization.
his silly croaking would be unworthy of
attention. But he has some influence
over number of Industrious and we'll
intentioned persons, who might possibly
be led into excuses if his wild talk were
passed by. 1t is worthy of notice. lust
here, that the Knights of Labor under
Sovereign seems to be a gradually declin-
ing organization. Under Powderly, in
1898, the order claimed a membership of
about 100000, and was a power. In 1896
under Sovereign, il could claim a mem
bership of only 100000. The ill-considered
utterances of Sovereign may be RESPONSE
BILE for great part of this loss of popu-
larity and strength by the order.
But, whom does Sovereign propose that
the people-"the populace," as he SAYS
shall fight? Shall they rend themselves
in their madness? The whole system of
government is in the hands of the peopGe
and their right to control is hedged about
with so many safeguards that 1t would
be impossible for a plutocracy to get
possession of the government without the
consent of a majority of the governed
That consent could never be secured by
plutocracy There cannot be a reasonable
doubt that the forthcoming admnis.ra-
ton will go into power with the consent
of majority Of the people. II it were
not so. the election would long ago have
been upset. Some OF the brightest minds
in the country are always to be found
in the party of the seeming minority. on
the alert to take advantage of any naw
in the correctness OF election returns.
Our system of government may not be
perfect. There are details that mightjbe
much better, probably. But Il is the best
known system of government upon tho
face of the earth. And the majority
the vast majority-of the people are aware
Of the fact. and would defend their gov
ornment with their lives They are not
going to take any stock in sovoreign's
calamity bowling and war talk, ana at
the same time would not put up with any
nonsensical action OF the part OF sover-
eign or any of his alleged revolutionary
societies. The sooner all parties concern
ed realize and appreciate this fact, the
better II will be for them.