Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-09-22
CHAPTER VIII.
THE NEW SIMON LEGREE.

THE NEW SIMON LEGREE.
Harris Immediately resigned bis office
in the custom house which he owned to
Lowell and began a search for employ
ment.
81 will not be pensioner of a govern
ment of hypocrites and liars" he ex-
claimed as he sealed his letter of resigna-
ton
And then began his weary tramp in
search of work Day after day, week af-
ter week, he got the same answer-an
emphatic refusal. The only thing open
to a negro was a position as porter, or
bootblack, or waiter in second rate no
, tells and restaurants He was no more
fitted for these places than he was to
live with his head under water.
IT will blow my brains out before
will prostitute my intellect, and my con-
seriousness of free manhood by such de-
grading associates and such mental SER
vice!' he declared with sullen fury.
At last he determined to lay aside his
pride and education and learn manual
trade Not a labor union would allow
him to enter it's ranks.
He managed to earn a few dollars at
odd jobs and went to New York. Here
he was treated with greater brutality than
in Boston. At last he got position in a
big clothing factory. He was so bright
in color that the manager never suspect
ed that he was negro, as he was accus-
toned to employing swartny Jews from
Poland and Russia.
When Harris entered the factory the
employees discovered within an hour his
race, laid down their work, and walked
out on strike until he was removed.
He again tried to break into labor
union and get the protection Of its con-
stitution and laws. He managed at last
to make the acquaintance of labor lead
rto q nrpHphpT
was elated to discover that his name was
Hugh Halliday, and that he was son of
one of the Hallidays who had assisted In
the rescue of his mother and father from
slavery He told Halliday his history
and begged his intercession with the Ia
Dor union.
"Ill try for you, Harris he said, 'but
it's a doubtful experiment. The men fear
the negro as pestilence." .r
do the best you can for me. I must
have bread. l only ask mans chance,
answered Harris. Halliday proposed his
name and backed 1t up with a strong per-
sonal endorsement, gave brief sketch
of his culture and accomplishments and
asked that he be allowed to learn the
bricklayer's trade.
When his name came up before the
Brick Layers union, and it was announc-
ed that he was a negro, 1t precipitated a
debate OF such fury that it threatened to
develop into a riot.
One of the men sprang toward the pre-
siding officer with blazing eyes, gestcu-
lating wildly until recognized.
ST have this to say" he shouted. mo
negro shall ever enter the door Of this
union except over my dead body. The
negro can under live us. We can not
compete with him, and as a race we can
not organize him. Let him stay in the
south We have no room for him here,
and we will kill him IL ne tries to take
our bread from us!''
Have you no sympathy for his age
long suffering in slavery?" interrupted
Halliday.
Slavery! of all the decisions the idea
that slavery was abolished in this coun-
try in 1865 is the silliest Slavery was
never firmly established until the chattel
form was abandoned for the wage sys-
TEN in 1865. Chattel slavery was too ex-
pensive. The wage system is cheaper.
Now they never have to worry about
food, or clothes, or houses, or the chill
dren, or the aged and infirm among wage
slaves.
"Once the master hunted the slave
now the slave must hunt the master, beg
for the privilege of serving him and
trample others to death trying to fasten
the chains on when a brother slave drops
dead in his tracks.
'No, 1 don't shed any crocodile tears
over the negro slavery of the south. 1t
was a mild form of servitude, in which
the negro had plenty 10 eat and wear,
never suffered from cold, slept soundly
and reared his children in droves with
never a thought for the morrow.
"Then mothers and babes were some
times, though not often, separated by an
executors or sheriff's sale. Now, we
know better than to allow babes to be
born Then, a babe was a valuable as
set and received the utmost care. Now,
we have baby farms which we fertilize
with their bones. l know of one old bag
in this city who has killed over two
thousand babes.
what chance has your girl or mine to
marry and build home? Not one in a
hundred will ever feel the. breath or a
babe at her breast.
Nor he closed in thunder tones. ''I'n
fight the encroachment of the negro on
our life with every power Of body and
soul!"
A hundred men leaped to their feet at
once, shouting and gesticulating. The
chairman recognized a tall dark man
with Russian face, but who spoke per-
feet English.
81 gentlemen, am an anarchist in prin-
ciple, and differ slightly in the process by
which I come to the same conclusion as
my friend who has taken his seat.
grieve at the necessity before the work
lnEmen or returning 10 slavery. All We
can hope now for a century or two CEN
turtles, is socialism. Socialism is simply
q system of slavery-that is, enforced Ia
Dor i'll which a Bureaucracy is master.
We must enter again condition of in
voluntary servitude for the guarantee by
the state of food and clothes, shelter
and children.
'It is no time to weep over slavery. The
one thing we demand now is the nation
alization of industries under the control
of state bureaux which will enforce Ia
Dor from every citizen according to his
capacity, for the simple guarantee or
what the negro slave received, the salts
faction of the two elemental passions,
hunger and love"
Again q clamor broke out that drowned
the speakers voice. socialist and an
anarchist clinched in a fight, and for five
minutes pandemonium reigned but at the
end of it Harris was lying on the side
walk with a cash in his head, and Halli-
day was bending over him.
ITO he COntinuedl