New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1898-12-24
JUDGE MAGUIRE ON THE CAMPAIGN
IN CALIFORNIA.

much broader than the money question
or the railroad question or any of The
specific purposes for which we stood
They are but the phases of the contes
against privilege and in favor of equa
rights.
This fight once intelligentIy begun OF
principles as it has been, must 90 on {,
ultimate success. Every fight for free
dom has ultimately triumphed. and sc
will this. This is II struggle for industrial
freedom, for equality. and not of wealth
but of opportunity. for the overthrow OF
the unnatural power which some men have
to control and limit the opportunities OF
others, and by the mere assertion of priyi
| lege, to command the services of others
without giving an equivalent in return.
The establishment of political equality
required a struggle of centuries. The
abolition of chattel slavery was the ulti-
mate result of a long and often hopeless
struggle conducted by men who had no di-
rect interest in the result and who could
hope for no assistance from tho helpless
creatures for whose natural rights they
strove and sacrificed. but never for an
hour was ultimate success doubted by
those who believed in liberty and had
struggle for industrial freedom, while we
have political equality established and
those who suffer most from the in ustice
which we would overthrow are armed
with the means of Immediately and
finally establishing their own rights, we
find very large proportion of them using
their suffrage to defeat their own enamel
patton.
This is due to many causes against
which we must patiently contend. The
first is that men in society must and do
adjust their interests to the existing in
dustrial system whether it be good or bad,
and they naturally fear a disturbance of
that adjustment until they can be certain
that the changes proposed will in fact as
well as in appearance be better for them.
They therefore vote against change lest
they might make their conditions worse
while trying to improve them The trite
arguments "Let well enough alone and
"Half a loaf is better than no Bread
either consciously or unconsciously move
the minds of the poor, to whom the fear
of want, caused by the conditions against
which we fight, is lifelong nightmare.
Again, the present monopoly system,
by which all industry is controlled, de
grades large proportion of the laboring
classes to point at which they feel no
interest in the country or its institutions,
and are led to sell their votes and ser
vices to the very monopolists by whom
they know they are to be oppressed.
Again the shrewd and designing repre-
sentatives of privileged interests avail
themselves of racial and religious preiu
dices, by skillfully fomenting which the
laboring classes may be divided into bit
terly hostile political forces, and even by
deception, as in the last election, may all
be rallied to the support of the monopoly
interest. Again, insidious bribes to To-
calities and classes, which great monop-
olies can offer, substantially strengthen
their support.
We did not underestimate these forces
in the last campaign. We allowed for
them and expected to win in spite of
them. But we underestimated an
other force, namely the popular senti
ment in favor of congratulating national
under which a successful
war had been fought, by supporting the |
party representing the administration.
The people unwisely but very naturally
allowed this sentiment too largely to con
interests and rights. Another
cause with which our movement must
reckon for the next four years is the reac-
ton from depression to industrial activity |
which is now going on, and which will in
my opinion continue for the next four
years. Whether or not that temporary
improvement in industrial conditions will
be strong enough to counteract the in
crease of knowledge among the working
classes concerning their own interests and
right remains to be seen
After 1902 look for the decennial pc
riod of industrial depression which never
failed to come to our country Oh time
during the last hundred years. These
periods of industrial depression are the pc
RODS of social and political evolution for
which the forces of progress should always
be prepared by thorough organization.
In my opinion the absolute and unrevers-
ble triumph of our principles may be
looked for not later than 1904 if it does
not come to us earlier.
These suggestions are not in the nature
Of prophecy, but are based upon the reas
,nable expectation that the alienation of
periods of prosperity and depression
which have followed each other during the
ast century with the regularity of changes
n the moons phases will continue for
'ome time in the future.
As to the issues which will be para
mount in the next three elections, can
)ut surmise. In my opinion the money
question will be the paramount issue of
he campaign of 1900 and may cut an inn
,ortant figure in the State campaign of
902. The land question in some form
will, think, be one of the prominent is
ues, If not the paramount issue, in the
of 1904. Whether it will take
he form Of struggle for the adoption of
he single tax or otherwise, | do not at
empt to predict, but it will be o move
nent intended to attach the people of our
ountry to the soil of our country as hold
rs and owners of independent homes to
urn back the tide of rural population now
ongesting the labor markets of our cities,
estore the individual independence of
ur citizens which for the last thirty years
as been steadily undermined, and ele
ate American labor to plane of indus
rial freedom and freedom of opportunity
ever before enjoyed in the history of the
,orld That in my opinion is the destiny
nd the early destiny of our nation. The
10 tuc ldtl Vi EtpuDhC, uot
trough revolution nor by invasion, but
trough the destruction of liberty by mo-
opoly.
During the depression from which we
re just emerging saw newspaper pub
shed in one of the Middle Western
tates which contained II pages of fore '
losure notices embracing about 80 notices
D the page. Every one of those notices
,eant the reduction Of an American fam
y from the independent position of oc-
upying ownership to the homeless and
elpless struggles for existence in the la
or market. This tendency must be ar !
ested, and it will be in my opinion. The {
ingle tax is our proposition to that end /
better remedy for land monopoly is [
No. sted which will be at the same time I
tactical, just and constitutional, | for !
ne will readily accept it in place of the t
ngle tax for the single tax is to me but I
means Of the accomplishment of the {
nd, namely, the universal attachment of |
ar people to the soil of our country as the
ccupying owners of Independent homes. q
The single tax was not a political issue q
! the late campaign in California, be- !
luse no party had declared for it. do q
OF know whether or not it will be politi- r
sl issue in this State in the near future, but
is an issue in modern civilization, and q
ust some day and I trust af an early | I