Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1898-07-08

IT know quite we'll that many organ
lied workmen are opposed to Joining
the national guard because 1t has been
claimed that the guards we're, or had
been used to protect the capitalists and
down organized labor. The truth OF tho
matter is trades unionists do not want
to destroy property. They want to
reserve it, and the peace, too. The con-
duct of miners during the last strike
will prove that"
In an interview with Mr.. Dolan 1t
was suggested to him that the new
guard would be subject to orders and
would be required to obey them, re-
gardless Of what their own personal
feelings were. In this way 1t would
not matter whether the guardsmen
were union men or not, as orders would
have to be obeyed just the same. In
reply to this Mr.. Dolan said he had al
ready provided for that, as the soldiers
would elect their own officers. These
would be union men, too. He believed
the organization of the new national
guard on the lines embodied in his sug-
gestion would be benefit to labor and
capital alike.
Mr.. Dolan evidently has the right
idea. To assume, as appears to nave
been done, possibly unconsciously, by
the interviewing party in the para
graph preceding, that unionists in the
guard would have to do things not COM
patible with their duty or inclination as
unionists, is a gross misconception OF
what unionism is. Unionism Is pre-
eminently lawabiding; it is simply a
joint exercise of legal rights In a man
ner that experience has shown to bring
about greatest and most nearly perma-
nent results. Whenever an organlza-
ton goes beyond this 1t Is not Dody
animated by unionism, but confeder-
acy to promote the temporary good OF
its members at the expense of invading
rights of others. In other words, 1t Is
a wrong thing, and can not endure.
1t is more to the point to assume that
Mr.. Dolan means exactly what he says
And the merit of his suggestion is at
once manifest. 1t shows that he recog-
nizes the fact that guard, is necessary
in Pennsylvania; that when necessity
demands the services of that guard, 1t
is highly desirable that the armed
power that compels obedience to law
and stands to prevent destruction OF
property and other invasion OF rights
shall be power among whose units
are to be found men as closely as pos
sible bound in interest and fellowship
with those whom they may perchance
be called to restrain; that such relation
must go far to obliterate the Illusion
that the guard is a club that the
money power" holds over the heads OF
toilers, and finally, that a guard, so
constituted, would be less liable to pro-
woke resistance than one whose mem
bers were, rightfully or wrongfully, re-
garded as being Indifferent to the rights
of those whom they are to restrain
from unlawful acts.
There is no reason why unioIist
should not be found in the national
guard of Pennsylvania; there Is no
reason to suppose that he would not
as fully live up to his oath of loyalty
to the state as any other man; and
there is much reason that he should
be found in line, il for nothing else
than that his presence there would be
evidence of the best kind that the main
tenance of law and order is the concern
of organized labor equally with all
other interests of the state.
Any proper action is to be welcomed
that goes to wipe out the idea that In
this country there are Glasses" and
masses" and that the former lie
awake O. nights devising ways ands
means to still further Cypress the lat
ter and shoot them into subsection II
they murmur. That there are Unequal
tiles and wrongs, no one can deny; but
they are being redressed by legal and
peaceful means in the hands Of those
who suffer, and other citizens. Once
admit that the few have established in
this country or this state institutions
whereby they coerce the many, and
take from them the power Of righting
wrongs by lawful means, and you admit
that government by the people Is fail
ure in this country or state.
But government by the people has
not been failure, either in this coun-
try or state. And II enlistment Of
unionists in the national guard will
open the eyes of some to this fact, who
now believe differently, it might be a
good thing to make membership in a
trades union a necessary prerequisite
to membership in the national guard,
lust for its value as an object lesson.
And for the peace of mind of those
who may profess to see grave danger"
in the enlistment of great number OF
unionists in the national guard, 1t may
be added that such grave danger"
does not. exist, even on the preposter-
GUS presumption that enlisted union
lists would not obey orders to the let
ter. When there is necessity for gov
ernor to summon military aid, he calls
out the national guard of his state; If
that guard cannot or will not suppress