The labor world., 1899-05-20
Don't BE a Fool
; Let Us Not Curse Men
; Who Have Broken the Law
; in a Fight for Bread.
NH the howls that have gone uf

; ing the strike of the street ear en-
plo.ycs. And they have been sorry all
the time that lie leprcdations haven't
been worse so they could say more
and howl louder. Thomas Carlyle, in
one Of those characteristic apostro-
Plies Of his. says, ''Dear reader, don't
he IA fool" Now, in studying this
phase OF the labor question the stu
drnt should constantly conjurc him
self not to be ? fool. 1t is so easy to
be a fool at this stage of the inquiry.
The faults Of organized labor lie on
! the surface. When labor breaks the
law everybody Knows it, from one end
Of the country to the other, and
| knows it at cnce. Simple, ignorant
men have but open and primitive
ways Of laWleSsness. When the hard
handed toilers attack good order the
hoarse voice Of riot assaults every ear.
The glare Of conflagration paints the
midnight sky with crimson. The pub
lie arrangements are upset. The mail
does not GET in. The street cars do
not run. Travel is interrupted. Bus
mess is impeded. The dear pubic's
comforts arc. interfered with. 1t
shouts frantically for the police and
the militia. Climbs and bayonets sweep
the streets. Men die in the cutters.
The strike is over and labor steals
away down back streets and alleys,
and retires to the contemplation of (,
comforrless home and children with
out bread. Its too bad,' says many
a good citizen with Spartan firmness,
''but they must learn to keep the law
and they must respect person and
property" Reader, "don't be fool,'
and don't blame the rioters as the only
or the worst enemies of law. Just
sit down and ask yourself how many
laws divine and human the street car
company and every other great cor
poration have violated, and further
more. ask yourself if these yiOlaters
of law are not essential links in the
chain Of cause and effect which leads
up to strikes. IT You are going to
condemn organized labor for it's lack
of respect for law, what are you going
to do to organized capital? How
many laws does a great railroad
which runs through many states evade
and violate every day of it's existence?
1t tramples daily on rights of person
and rights of property. How does the
rioter, who destroys property or
stones the police, compare in respect
for law with the corporation which
buys governors, legislatures, courts
and city councils? These people who
buy and sell law have about the same
respect for it as they have for any
| other article of commerce. It is
sacred to them when it is theirs.
Again, you sticklers for law, do you
not know that while labor is break
ing the peace only a few days out Of
the year, capital is busy all days and
all hours in secret infringement on
the constitution and the laws?
The fact is that labor's assault on
law and order are made in open day.
We see and hear all about it as it is
done. But capital is silent and secret
us the grave in its nefarious practices.
| How smoothly does everything move
when capital is contemplating some
rare stroke of grand larceny or some
felonious assault On public rights.
The deaths head is covered with a
mask. The iron hand is 9loved in
velvet. No harsher sound is heard
than the music of soft orchestras. the
popping Of champagne corks, or the
rplng laughter of fair women. The
comfort of the public is not immedi-
atelv disturbed, and the dread sword
Of public opinion rusts in its Scabbard,
until the theft is completed, the SpOll
Snugly slowed away and the thief
safe under cover. If you are going
to write history Of how labor broke
the law. Your first chapters must
treat of the crimes Of capital.
And because riot is noisy and trou-
blesome the dear. thick-wit1ed public,
impressed only by the evidence of its
senses, is more anxious that riot be
prevented and punished than that the
silent crimes Of capital, which are a
thousand times more dangerous,
should be detected and lashed into
submission.
Let us not abandon the cause of
labor because it has been badgered