The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-04

very definitely as an organized force in
political life.
More radical, but less sensible, was the
suggestion of another set of men, who
recommended the organization of work.
ingmen into a great labor union, irrespec-
tive of politics, and free of the necessity
Of legislative action. They declared that
IL was utterly impossible to reconcile the
interests of workingmen with those of the
employer, and that the only thing for the
former to do was to get together in i'm
mense bodies and simply refuse to let the
business of the country go on when they
believed that they were being insufficient
1y paid or unjustly dealt with in any res
pect. 1t was their notion that brute force
was the means to employ to control the
rich, and that the latter would never be-
come thoroughly just until they were
thus frightened and cowed. Fully two
thirds of all the men l talked with held
to this opinion, while not more than fifty
believed in the milder but more strategic
plan of trying to influence legislation in
the workingman's interests.
Some "Gay Cats" SOcialistic.
Another fifth were avowed socialists
and had memorized the usual catch phras-
es of this cult. but they were the easiest
of all to beat in argument. They had ac-
ceptad off hand the ideas they had re-
ceived from socialistic propagandists, and
as long as they were allowed to speak I'M
interruptedly could themselves mimic pro-
pagandists by the hour, but it was only
necessary to ask them to explain how
their scheme" as they called it, was GO
ing to work, to see how undigested were
all their plans of reform They general
~ closed an argument in which they were
worsted by saying:
ITS no use talking to you. because you
don't understand, but If you wait long
enough you'll see that what we've said
will come true"
Some of them impressed me as sincere
believers in socialism as they understand
81, but none that l met had the acQuaiut-
ance with the literature of the subject that
the German socialistic out has
and only a very few could discuss IL In
telligently. All that they really knew was
that they thought the world would be
much better place to live in If che theo.
ries of socialism were generally accepted
but how they were to be put into practice
and on what basis all were to share alike
and enjoy common benefits were details
of their philosophy which they had not
stopped to consider. Indeed, in all of the
discussions of panaceas l was impressed
with how little the main body of the un.
employed men in question seriously think
about anything. They are as lazy mem
tally as they are physically. and nearly
every notion they have about lettering the
world has been picked up by them in labor
meetings and at political gatherings.
CoNeyites and RevoIutionists.
Still another fifth were of the type Sc
prevalent among the following of Gen
eral' Coxey when he made his memoir
able pilgrimage to Washington. They
read Of various plans for social improve
ment without understanding much about
them; they dimly reason that trusts and
monopolies have made them practical vag-
abonds without being able to say how
or why they seem to be looking for sort
of Messiah, who, by some sleight of hand
shall provide work when 1t is wanted re-
move Restraint of all sorts, who shall
make travelling about the country easier
Tor the man who likes 10 beat his way,