The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-07-13

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BE- trusted with aiBsfgt bf4noellEr.
i The nation that STRIKES at tKs~liber
ties Of another nation commits nationa
suicide. No people can be free save BY
standing for the freedom Of all people
The liberty of no citizen is secure sc
long as there remains single oppres.
sed or enslaved citizen in any nation
Militarism and conquest cannot co-exist
with liberty and self-government. Il
we suffer our American government to
destroy in other and struggling peoples
that most sacred of things that comes
from God to the common life, namely
the right of men to create their own in
stitutions and choose to organize their
own national and individual lives, then
we place in the hands of our rulers the
power and weapons with which to de-
stroy our liberties, our self-government,
opportunities and functions, and our
rights to the free life of noble and aspir-
ing citizenship.
We cannot to greatly emphasize the
fact that the militarism that seeks con-
quest abroad has for it's ultimate pur-
pose the destruction of organized labor
at home and the defense of government
by 1njunctions of the federal courts,
which have usurped the functions of
legislation and set aside the laws of
the land. The fact is manifested not
only in the increase and use of military
force by private corporations, trade
unions and labor organizations in set
Element of questions of wages and
strikes. 1t is manifested by the fact
that we are already living under what is
practically secret military dictator
ship; that we are engaged in an illegal
war, unauthorized by congress, which
alone has the authority of the constitu-
ton to declare war; that constitutional
government is set aside by military
usurpation which menaces the freedom
OF speech and of press, and which fore
IDLY and lawlessly retains our young
men in military service, for which they
have not volunteered, upon which serv-
ice the nation did not send them.
We therefore appeal to the people to
join with us in the demand that our
own liberties be saved and that our ma
tional dishonor be explained in. the
granting of the liberties which we
pledged to the Philippines, and in the
restoration of our own constitutional
rights and government
But we would urgently emphasize our
belief that the militarism which men
aces us as people is but the offspring
and incident of the greater menace of
plutocracy, which has established MO-
NOPOLY GOVERNMENT in the place
of GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE.
Monopoly rule is intrenched in every
branch of national, state and municipal
government. BY ECONOMIC FORCE,
BASED UPON SPECIAL PRIVILEGES
IN LAW AND NATURAL RE-
SOURCES, UPON INDIRECT TAXA
TON AND CONSEQUENT POLITICAL
CORRUPTION, MONOPOLY is CEN
TRALLIZING THE WEALTH OF THE
NATION IN THE HANDS OF ENOR-
NOUS TRUSTS WHICH ARE BECOM-
ING AN IRRESPONSIBLE ECONOMIC
DESPOTISM; WHICH ARE USING
LEGISLATION, THE JUDICIARY AND
ALL THE FUNCTIONS OF GOVERN
MENT as the mere instruments of pri-
vate profit which are reducing the en-
tire people to economic serfdom or en-
forcing wage slavery.
Political liberty is mockery with
out economic liberty. No man is in
any sense free, either in politics, relig-
ion or science, so long as he is in en-
forced dependence upon some other man
for the opportunity to earn his liveli-
hood. No individual or political rights
are secured without security and equal
ity of economic opportunities. EQUAL
ITY BEFORE LAW AND INSTITU- |
TONS MUST BE BASED UPON |
EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND
ACCESS TO THE RESOURCES
WHICH THE COMMON FATHER
GAVE TO ALL PEOPLE IN COM
MON. If THE STATE PERMITS A
FEW MEN TO OWN THE EARTH.
THEN THESE FEW OWN THE
RIGHTS, LIBERTIES AND MORAL
WELL BEING of the people who must
live upon the earth. Even the further
extension of the suffrage so as to grant
political citizenship to women, which
extension we urge and advocate, will
avail little or nothing WITHOUT ECO
NOMIC FREEDOM TO ALL.
We further make urgent appeal to the
people to cooperate with us in the in
itiation of such movements and the
support of such men as shall propose:
1. Direct legislation and proportional
representation, by which the people
shall be able to truly govern them
~ CANDY cArHARTIcA