Evening star., 1897-02-17
A Revolutionary Circular.


"Insurrections, like great confiagrations.
start with spark and are quenched only
with deluge. One reason in favor of ill.,
surrection to idle, starving and debt-bur-
dened people is more potent in exciting war
than a thousand reasons against insurrec-
tion are in preserving peace. For that rea-
DalZell at this time is a dangerous
writer. He may not know what the secret
revolutionary societies are doing. For his
benefit l quote the following from the pre-
lude of a secret circular now being dis
tributed by one of the revolutionary So
cieties above mentioned.
Comrades: There comes a time in the
affairs of men and nations when deSpera-
ton compels the human mind to pause and
bring to its aid that element of reason so
long discarded. We nave reached such a
crisis in the destinies of this American re-
public. One hundred years of national ex-
istence has demonstrated that the political
fabric of our government contains within
its warp and woof the elements of its own
destruction. Today are confronted
with the fact that the ballot has proven a
most lamentable failure as a safeguard of
free institutions. In the closing hour of
the nineteenth century we see a class
despotism establishing itself upon the ruins
of the republican oligarchy is now in
power and already the hideous phantom of
Imperialism overshadows us, as embodied
in the autocratic claims of the federal
court, and the act of unbridled military
despotiSm characteristic of the federal gov
ernment of today. What is to be done?
We have appealed in vain to the ballot.
Every trial of strength in the political
arena has resulted i'm victory for the un-
scrupLlous money power. There is nothing
surprising in this. The ballot is a weapon
best welded by the hand of cunning ana
craft. History records no nation that freed
itself by voting. No king was ever made
to feel the peoples power through the bal
lot. No! Let US be frank. The hour has
come for men to lay aside the mask and
look each other i'm the face. Felow-re-
formers, would you be free? Would you
see The regime of corporate power and class
despotism at an end? Would you see the
shackles stricken forever from the limbs
of humanity and behold the emancipation,
the rebirth, of that nation which jefferson
revered that Paine wrote and wrought to
establish? Do You believe that this can
come through the ballot? No. You do not,
Have not the reformers spent their lives
their fortunes and their energies i'm the
cause of political reform through the bal
lot box? And what has been the result?
Have they not seen the cunning and un-
scrupulous always victorious emerging
from every campaign master of the spoils?
Have you any hopes that this will be
changed In the future? BY the past we
alone can judge the future. The past is
one long protest against the ballot as an
instrument of reformation.
Scarcely day passes tlat / do not re-
ceive one or more appeals to join one or
being formed in this country, and offers of
money and arms frequently received il
l will give my efforts to the cause of reyo-
luton. Thus far 1 have persistently de-
clined to give aid or encouragement to such
movement But If. through the writings of
such men as Private Dalzell revolution
comes, I'm spite OF all efforts to prevent
1t. l will not be found among the cow
ards nor on the side of the olutocratic
classes.
Some one personally acquainted with
Private Dalzell should urge him to de-
sist from recommending war as a means
of relief to our people. One word in IA
vor Of war with a foreign country will
multiply ten-fold into a desire for revo-
luton at home. The general unrest of the
people is not caused by their hatred of
foreign nations but because of robbery i'm
posed on them by class legislation of our
own government, and II melted to war as a
means of relief they will direct their attack
against the source OF their oppression and
not against a foreign nation that did not
possess the administrative power to i'm
pose the conditions from which they suf-
fer These facts should be fully consid-
cred by Private Dalzell before invoking
heaven to hasten war with another coun-
try"
MIR. Martin IndOrses Those Views.
Mr.. H. B. Martin OF the general execu-
tive board of the knights of Labor said
today to Star reporter in reference to Mr.
Sovereign's address:
II entirely agree with Mr.. Sovereign's
views Of the situation, and you would i,e
surprised II you knew how many more men
there are In the country who agree with
those same views.
Men in all walks OF life, not confined ex-
clusively to workingmen and farmers, but
many hussness men. professional men aai