Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-09-04

constant touch with the wage earners
vi the country, and open the way to
the redress of their present and future
grievances. If labor is given 81 place
IN the PRESIDENTS official household,
the man selected will necessarily be n
worthy and trusted representative of
the people for whom he speaks. and
his presence at Cabinet meetings Will
give TO those who toll for their daily
bread assurance that their interests
VIII be properly guided.
MILITAR1SM AND IMPERIALISM
Mr.. Gompers the chief executive of
the Federation of Labor, has, in his
correspondence with the Secretary OF
the Treasury, so ably presented the la
boring mems reasons for opposing Il
gold standard and National bank
currency, that it is not necessary to
dicuss those questions at this time.
The laboring man has abundant
reason to fear the trusts. Mr. Charles
X. Flint, In Il speech delivered in Bos-
ton, more than year ago. in defense
of the trusts, frankly asserts that one
OF the advantages OF these combina-
lions is that, ''in case of local strikes
or fires, the work goes on elsewhere.
thus preventing serious loss" Is it
possible that any wage Garner can
fail to see how completely the trusts
places the employee at the mercy of
the employer?
THE resolutions adopted by various
labor organizations for antagonism of
militarism and imperialism justify me
in making n brief reference to those
questions. No. class contributes more
than the laboring class. in proportion
TO its numbers. to the rank and file of
the army; no class contributes more
in proportion to It's numbers to the eX-
pense of the army, ana no class is
more menaced by the existence of u
10 4. IL
Europe which maintain large military
establishments collect an income tax
which adjusts the burden of the gov
eminent to the income of the citizen.
Here our Federal taxes are largely col
lected upon consumption, and while
they are income taxes. in the sense
that they must be paid out of the in
comes of the people, yet the exactions
are pfoportionate to the income. The
taxes upon consumption bear heaviest
upon the poor and lightest upon the
rich, and are, in fact, graded income
taxes. The per cent. collected decreas-
Ing as the income decreases.
IF this nation adhereS to the doc
trine that governments derive their
just powers from the consent of the
governed. and the people have an easy
and ready means of correcting all
abuses. the government will not need
TO be supported by n large permanent
army. for every citizen will be ready
to defend such a government from at
tack. The only domestic use for u
large standing army is to suppress by
force that discomfort which should be
cured by legislation.
TO support standing army of 100,-
600 men requires approximately one
half as much money as is annually eX-
pended for education in the United
| States. How much cheaper it is to up
lift people by the gentle and peaceful
process of intellectual development
than to blow them up with powder and
dynamite?
Imperialism involves a departure
from principles which were univer-
sally accepted in this country unit
within two years. To know that al
men are created equal one needs not
the wisdom of Il sage or the learning
of the schools. 1t was declared to be
n self-evident truth; 1t was evident tc
those who pledged their lives to the
maintenance of the Declaration of In
dependence, and 1t is evident still to
those who are not blinded by the
glammor of wealth and the glitterng
promises of colonial system. If all
mon are created equal and endowed
with inalienable right, it follows
us n logical and Il necessary sequence
that governments We're Instituted for
the welfare OF all and derive their Just
powers from the consent of the gov
trine our hopes depend; IL 1t is aban-
doned there is no foundation upon
which government like ours can be
constructed Do not allow yourselves
to be deceived by those who question
the capacity of this people or that peo-
pie for self government.
"A law already enacted which makes
subjects of the Porto Ricans, with
IA
the Constitution. and asserts the pow
en- of the President and Congress TO
govern them without their consent and
tax them without reprcsentation-a
power as unlimied and tyrannical as
was ever asserted or exercised by any
ruler in all the history of the human
race. This doctrine has not yet been
approved by the people; it furnishes
the supreme question of the present
campaign. In the presence of these
perls the laboring man has q respon-
sibility commensurate with his oppor-
tunity. Without n large percentage OF
the laboring vote no party can win an
election in the United States The
men who, work for wages can by
throwing their votes on the one side
or the other determine the policy of
this country. They need not march in
parades; they need not adorn them
selves with the insignia OF any party.
but on election day their silent ballots
can shape the destiny of this nation,
and either bring the government back
TO its ancient landmark or turn it into
the pathway followed by empires of the
old world"