The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-02-01
THE WORKINGMEN MOVING.
Trouble Ahead lii England.
recent letter from England saws:


The trades unions have replied to- the
challenge of the employers in forming a
league for protection against strikes by a
meeting at Manchester of the representa-
tives Of many branches of labor who Or
ganized central federation almost on tae
lines OF the employers league. If the plan
proves successful and all the great unions
enlist in it Great Britain may yet witness
gigantic war of capital against labor. in
which the organized employers will con-
front the organized workrnen. There was
strong opposition to the plan from the
labor leaders, who believed in maintaining
the autonomy of the unions But the CEN
tralization scheme must find a large ma jor-
ity. 1t is estimated that this consolidat red
union starts with membership of 600, GOO
and an annual revenue of $4,000 pounds
Many Of the newspapers fear that the
great power which such an organizatO
Will give the WOrkmen may tempt them to
strike more readily than ever, particularly
since they will be assured Of money back
ing. However, the speakers at the Man
chester congress all deprecated strikes and
took the view that the control of the11 by
a strong central committee would prove an
effective brake on petty strikes, while CIV
ing the men the most powerful weapon tor
the protection of their real rights.
Great inventions come from America
Great reforms do not Our people are
the bravest and most abject in the
world. The newspaper is greater ma
chine to keep the oppressed in subjec-
ton than the Calling gun. England is
advancing towards republic more rap
idly than we are advancing towards a
despotism. The reason is, that every
man here has a newspaper in his pocket
in fov ic h,e
lightened.
The bulk of the news published in the
daily press is sickening lot of trivial
ties-forgotten as soon as read. Who
can repeat the news items he toiled
through week ago?
A movement of 100000 workmen, with
a fund Of 100000 annually, is a ire
mendous power, and will be able to
overthrow multitude of evils, and ad-
vance the human family at rapid rate
We cannot believe that God intended
that nine-tenths of his children should
labor, almost increasingly, from the era
die to the grave, and then live only one
half as long, on the average, as the fav-
ored few. Surely he can carry forward
his civilization without such gross in
justice as this.
When the great English race accom-
plishes the reform of these conditions.
the great American race will halt after
them approvingly, and swear they did
it all themselves.
We have taken the reform of the bal
lot box from the Australians. and the
Torrens land system from the New Zaa-
1anders. We have borrowed our Ian
guage and literature, and our laws and
customs and even our bigotries, from
John Bull. We had to be kicked into
revolution in 1776, and a great many Of
us would like to creep under Queen Vic
toria's apron again.
1t one of us originates a new idea we
walt to see If England approves Of it,
and II she does not we jump on the un-
fortunate wretch with hoofs spread and
tail erect. Intellectually we are still a
province of Great Britain. When Eng
ioiiu dppICNeu OI our scrap With Spain
when the result was a foregone conclu-
sion) we were tickled enough to iumn
out of our hides.
We hope the English workmen will
succeed for the cause of reform is almost
hopeless in the country. Nothing but
the Peoples Party can save it.
They say that in Germany a tax of a.
penny gallon on beer would breed a
revolution and overthrow the dynasty.
Here we have seen the values Of our real
property reduced one-half to two-thirds
IN ten years, and the foreclosed-upon
victims put on badges and march, to the
banging of brass bands, to the ballot box
to vote for the continuance of the policy
that has made them "tramps"
Oh, We are set of daisies. Darwin
was wrong. We have not evoluted out
OF monkeys; we are gravitating into
them. m
THE GRAIN GROWERS ASSOCTATJON