The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-21


The Federation az Labor has an
nourced that ~ IN organization It y
hostile to any form Of rnilftarlsm ana
u ''oppossd 70 any increAsa Of the
standing army Of the United states b.
yond $500 oiicers and enlisted mem.
II does not set forth any specific reai
sDna Why Il objects "a military forcs
sufnciently large to meet the requirs-
ments OF q rapidly growing nation. II
4 enough to intimate that the liberties
Of the worltingmen are threatened. ana
there n u oncs dsnuucsatioh Of any
governmental policy whereby Il =
thought those liberties WIN be curtaiied
However,. - the Federation OF Labor
has seemed to put N the greater part
Of ~ time objecting to all sorts cf
propositions. sociological, economical
ana pelitical. II y dcubtful n it, sus-
gesticns rsgarding ! staHding army
win be taken any more seriously than
its recommendation ~ to innumerAhle
other matters domestic ana foreign.
Men who nay : standing army q
over 5000 soldiers Il : menace to the
liberties Of = republic Of 75.ooo.oo0 poo
pie hsve % Imperfect . conception o.
this country and tAe character Of ~
people that II u hardly worth while u
waste time in discussing their IDEAS Of
free government. II the rights o. the
people can be overturned by maintain
Ing ! military force OF from nifty to
one hundred thousand men. then the
republic h : failure or the men who
make such . ridiculous suggestion err
woefully in making these dire predic-
tons.
!. Az matter Of fact. no serious mind
ed man who believes in law and order
has any fears that popular government
Will be overturned because Of the exist
ehee OF standing army twice or three
times a. large al that m service prior
to the Spanish war. On the CONTRARY.
the troops Of the United States hare
been found 20 valuable In times Of
stress that peace lowing people have
come to regard them ~ . desirable
adjunct to local police power on occa-
aions Of extreme need.
The reasons for the opposition Of the
Federation OF Labor to q STANDING army
ara not far to seek. A vicious element.
made up partly OF laborers and narsi'
Of ioafers. has encountered Federal
troops at different times. notably ct
Chicago in 1894 and in the Occur d'Alene
mining region IN 1854. outiawry on
the part Of these people has been sup
pressed by the Federal authorities. and
as result the more reckless and ire
sponsible labor leaders ''have 1t in" for
the military. Through their efforts res
slutions against IN increase in the
standing army have been passed and
their promulgation has been almost
wholly due to willingness to cater to
the demands Of less repttable agita-
tors and their followers who have been
compelled BY force to recognise the Law.
No aelf-respectins laborer who b.
lieves IN good government has any feas
that he will be tnterfered with by The
standing army of the country. The
miscellaneous walking delegates who fat
ten on labor disturbances and foment
trouble are the men who have q dis
like for the United States uniform,
These are the people who have been
thwarted by Federal authority in their
attempts to work up riots that would
be followed by destruction OF property
and loss Of life. Naturally they object
to the enlargement of an institution
which interferes with their business.
The average workingman win not oh
ject to q reasonable increase In the
army il he is allowed to express him.
self. Labor leaders who represent riot
Gus centers may do 1t, but the man WIN
Ii earning an honest living and attend
ing to his own affairs has no such an.
prehension as the federation resolu-
lions would lead the world to believe
he has. With the growth Of the coun-
try, increase Of population ana advance
Of commerce II Is not surprising that
larger army should be required than
was thought necessary thirty years
ago. Comparatively speaking. It will
always be small. There will never be
great military machine like those
supported by European powers. The
people need have no fears of any army
that may be maintained by the United
States. And probably there Is not one
person in ten thousand who honestly
entertains any such fears-not even
among the delegates to the meeting Of
the Federation Of Labor.
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With surprise and grief we note the
ewas