Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-08-12

form or personal declarations Of those
representatives prior to their election
as such representatives But where, |
with their knowledge of existing
abuses and evils, the people tolerate
them and permit them to continue
they are fully culpable morally and in
fact for permitting such wrongs and
must so remain until the exercise OF
their moral and political sovereign OBJ
legations remove the wrongs inflicted
and tolerated. 1t is the conceded and
manifest moral duty and proper polit-
zeal function of sovereign people to
secure to every citizen the unhamper-
ed privilege of and right to fully exer-
else and realize all the primary inal-
ienable rights of man, among which
we are to hold our great primary state
paper "are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness" To the securing of
which rights and ends we are further
told that governments were institut-
ed among men" and that when gov
ernments become subversive of those
ends" they should be changed" or
modified evidently at the points of
subversion. 1t therefore follows that
if there are classes of citizens at var
lance with one another, as to the rel
alive moral or legal rights of each,
and such classes find no adequate laws
by which the mooted and conventional
points may be permanently settled,
they are not able to settle differences
satisfactorily between themselves in a
way and manner just to all, that the
classes at interest should petition the
of ion 10
pass such laws regulative and defin-
tive of the rights of each class so con-
tending, as means to a peaceful and
equitable settlement of such conten-
ton and that in response to such petit
tions Cor knowledge of such conten-
ton and uEreconcilable difference be-
tween contending classes without pc
tition) the law-making body should at
once proceed to investigate the case
and pass such laws as would secure
Justice to all, enforce equity among
the contending classes, lest riot and
bloodshed ensue and the weaker class
be overpowered and the country
! thrown into a state of revolution and
anarchy.
But should the legislation body fail
to give proper consideration to the sit
uation in such cases, and the political
parties fail OF proper platform recog-
/ milton of the matter at interest, and
continue to treat the rights and de-
mands of the contending classes with
contempt, and keep representatives in
position who will not act upon matter,
then what are the remedies in reach of
those wronged by such neglect Of SOW
araj nhli 0atinn toward cnnb ola SpSp
Are they in the face OF such dereliction
of political and sovereign duty to still
uselessly stand before a listless body
OF lawmakers and mercenary politi-
cans who control the derelict and
bossridden parties, and plead for ade-
quate laws until the weaker class goes
down under the heel OF oppression, and
meekly surrender every right of life
to the dominant class and SO become
perpetual slaves to them as the ruling
class? Is this good government? Is
this a right exercise of liberty? Is it a
proper exercise of sovereign obligation
to secure liberty, life and happiness Gin
pursuit) to all. Is there resting upon
man as citizen sovereign, the duty to
submit to such disunion, such subjec-
| ton, such humiliation and such slay-
cry. We might here paraphrase
Rienza: Can we be men, true men,
brave men, noble men, patriotic men,
and suffer such dishonor,' without eff
fecting persistent protest and the use
of all legal and honorable means of re-
dress of our grievances when SO situat-
ed?
DO We turn to labor organizations
and the strike? They have alike prov
en- Intellectual and the strike-a most
expensive and sometimes bloody af-
| fair, provokes bitterness, widening the
breach between the classes until to-
day they are drawn up in deadly ar
ray one against the other, while by
reason of the terrible strained condi-
lions resulting therefrom the whole
country stands trembling in awe of
the possible results in case of rash
ness on either side.
Industries are paralyzed in the
class struggle for supremacy. While
one class, backed by the judiciary and
military arm of the government. stands
| sullenly defying the other in it's de,
mands for better pay or improved con-
ditions; while the protesting, or organ
lied laboring class, as the other party
to the contention, stands angered de.
faint and unsubdued, swearing by all
the gods of justice and right that the
other (the operator class) shall not
run their industries by either their
labor or that of unorganized labor un.
til the strike is settled and their
| demands for better things conceded
to them. And this condition of things
has existed in varying degrees for
more than a decade. And why? Echo
answers back again and again why,
this continued and yet wholly unset
tied contention among contending in.
terests and classes of our citizens and
fellow countrymen. Is there no other
conceivable remedy than this wholly
impotent and ineffective one?"
]