Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1900-03-16
Come and Let Us Reason Tog ~her

while you have time TO quletiy th'uh
over the questions 1 want to consider
with you. You viii agree with me,
no doubt, that il ours is not "a gov
eminent of the people, by the people
and for the people" it ought to be.
You do not believe any more than
do that some people ought to DO gov
erned by other people, nor that other
people have any right to gov
ern you without your consent You
feel and know that Col intended you
should have just as many rights Is
any other man living, and that you
ought to have just as much OF voice
in determining what kind OF laws we
shall have as any one else. am not
trying to fatter you in any way nor to
create in your mind an exaggerated
idea of your own Importance. All
men are not equal in physical strength
nor in mental powers; yet when 1t
comes to the simple matter Of human
rights, you instinctively feel that all
| ought to stand on an equality and no
man should be crushed that an other
may be exalted.
But there are men, of course, as
there have been through ell the ages,
who want to crafty their selfish de-
sires, to live without toll at the sx'
pense of your labor and mine. They
can only succeed in their purpose BY
depriving us Of some of our rights,
and getting things fixed so that you
will earn more than you have, while
they have more than they earn. They
do this by building up ami min
| tanning system under which they
fix up the price Of what you have to
buy and of what you have to sell
Whether you work for wages or labor
on the farm, you know that you have
to pay the prices that Others hx on
what YOU have to sell, and at the
| same time you can only bay at prices
you have nothing to do with making.
| Whether it is days work or bushels
of corn or wheat, whether 1T IS
! pork or potatoes you have to sell,
YOU know that you have got to
! take "a price fixed by some corporation
or trust, or else keep your stun. You
| know, too, whether it is coffee or
| collins, sugar or nails, lumber or barb
ed wire you need, other combinations
and trusts fix the price, AMI IL you
need the stuff badly enough. you
must come to their terms. lonr
right to the fruits of your lah'r is
not acknowledged. Iou are expected
| to work, not only to support yourself
I but at the same time to furnish the
profits" by watch the middleman,
the SPECTATOR, the stakeholder and
the capitalist live.
! Why do you slbnit to tn; injustice
and inequality which prevails? Just
! because you haven't ,s.l clearly how
to avoid it, and because. too, the fell
lows who are robbing you have been
cunning enough to keep you divided
into two great parties which have
gotten up trcmendou, contests over
| immaterial mlt.er, aad KEEP yJur at
| tention dverte from the nam Is that
were picking your pocist' Nothing
| can he moe ctr.Iin than tint tile IN
terests o til. firm, RS an labbring
men of kal,lS are identica The
legislation tn IT will btneft one farm
er will blneiit another The financial
system that wi'l hep one labJring
man will hcip The rest. Why, then,
do We fad flames and lab,rers in
antagonistlc political orIaniH ttions
fighting eaca u.her as il tag were
the worst en-, mes in the world
Simply because they have been worked
for suckers Until you can clearly
grasp the fun launentiI truth that
your interests are ideaticil, aud stand
together for equal rights to all and
spe ciai privileges To aone, there is
no hope OF your emancipation. As
long as those who live ~ the sweat
of your brows can keep you divided,
they need have no fears that you VIII
cease to carry then.
You tell me, per laps, thht one party
is no better thin another, and that
they are AL under the contro. OF lot
of selfish politicians WAC are looking
out for their own advantage, and VINO
care for you only to have You help
LutIli lutp oii hNi - ''oe'S -
in this. but it i, only AT truth.
{ Such men are to be found IN all
parties We have been training men
to be just so selfish, by failing " dis
criminate between hoaest and unself-
ish public servants and representa-.
tives and those who care only for
their own interests We could caangs
all this and get governors and sens'
tors and congressman and safe legis-
lators who won bJ eaten ~ with
zeal for human rights, If we wanted
them. Indeed there is ,thins we can't
get if we are willing topIy ths price.
We must, however, lay aside. ut
once and forever. tine idea that we can
) have just AN! impartial government
and equal laws If we arc not willing
. to give time and thought and money
,, to secure them Injustice and gre ed
|, and oppression are weak in numbers
/ but strong in organization and in their
! readiness to see what VII he to their
advantage IN tn .ir celebrity in avail
ING themselves uf it, What we of the
people need ablvc ali things, is II
realize that il we ;LrI To he saved wa
,Iv .,,,l bu IN q