Washington sentinel., 1900-10-27
In no
Cbe Illinois style State in
OF Intimidation. Ile t"e waa, W,o,

| lAllS EGNOAk anu W DOlu NllC WI n
ingman in line the Republican
managers have resorted 10 desper.
ate measures, AS usual coercion
is employ ed, supplemented by the
most outrageous violence in one
case reported frop Chic, 60. The
politics in the case is so mean
that it will cost Mckinley many
votes in Illinois and Indiana and
elsewhere.
According to the Philadelphia
Record, the men employed in Ger
tain lumber yards in Chicago. after
stopping work last Saturday after
noon, were "ordered to in line"
by their superintendents and tore.
men and marched to a place where
Republican orators had been en-
gagged to address them. AS soon
as the 900 lumbermen arrived at
this place the Republican speakers
began to tell them about the "full
dinner pail" Many OF the men
were unwilling to remain, being
Democrats, but their bosses would
not allow them to go, threatening,
so the Record says, TO discharge all
who lett. Some who shouted tor
Bryan and Democracy" were as
saulted and beaten by their bosses.
Finally the meeting eliminated in
a general fight, in which the indie
pendent and Democratic working
men, who had been forced to at
tend the speaking, defended them
selves from the attacks oil their Re-
publican bosses. "ManY Republi-
cans announced after the trouble
was ended" says the Rec0rG, that
they would now vote tor Bryan"
If American workingmen, says
the Baltimore SHR, submit to such
methods as these they will soon be
reduced to a condition of political
slavery. No man has any Eight to
dictate to them how they shall
vote, or to drive them like sheep
to a political meeting and force
them to applaud doctrines with
which they are not in sympathy.
Every mans vote is his own, to be
cast as his reason and conscience
suggest, and it is an unwarranta-
cle invasion OF his rights Tor any
one 10 attempt 10 make lim vote /
for candidates and politics that he
abhors. Fortunately, the Aus
tralian ballot system in use in many |
States enables a voter TO cast a
secret ballot, and it is utterly be- |
yond the power OF any person, be |
he employer or political boss, TO |
know how he votes. The work |
ingman has, therefore, a substan-
tial advantage over those who at
tempt to intimidate him. Where
ever the Australian ballot system
is in use he is able to vote as he |
thinks. not as someone else die
tates, and he should exercise the |
right OF free ballot on election
day as his interests and sympathies
suggest, Just as his employer does.
The secret IS his own and he is
under no obligation to take any
one into his confidence.
Mr. Bryan has frequently warned
the American people that large
standing army might be used to
deprive them Of their Liberties.
The outrage reported from Chi
cago shows how effec,ually such
an army could be employed to de-
eide political contests if the people
OF this country do not check the
spirit Of intimidation and coercion
which has been manifested in many
parts oi the United States. If men
can be compelled now to "iall in
line" and march to political meet
ings with which they are not in
sympathy, il they can be forced to
shout Tor Imperialism and trusts,
on pain of being discharged from
employment and beaten II they dis
sent, they could be easily over
awed by large military force. In
time they would vote like mach
ines merely to record the will OF
their masters, and there would be
an end OF government by the
people. One OF the greatest prin-
ciples involved in the Presidential
contest this year is the right Of the
American citizen to have a voice
in the government OF thus Repub
lie free from the dictation OF bosses
Of any kind, whether these bosses
be in the workshop or counting
room, or are arrogant party bosses
like Hanna and his tribe. II the
voter does not rebuke imperialism
at home-the imperialism which
arrogantly claims the rghtto con-
troll his vote, as though he were a
mere puppet, without reason or