The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-05-05

The case of Meyer and Haywood IS
entirely different. Their agitation was
not of the kind of the Molly Magiures.
or of the Chicago Anarchists of the
early Eighties. The organized work.
ing class of America has already un-
animously declared it's solidarity with
Meyer and Haywood and has demand
ed justice. Even the old opponents of
the Western Miners Union-The Unit
ed Miners-at once voted $1,000 for
their defense and sent the money by
telegraph. The American Labor move
notwithstanding the Socialist party
and the socfalfst tUusS ddtts'
another power than in 1876 or In 1856
And last but not least, the capitalist
class of America as a class is by no
means eager to take the lives of Meyer
and Haywood contrary to law and JUS
tice, and force a quarrel with the unit
ed working class. The capitalists will
surely not do so unless it can be plain
ly shown that the case is again a chal-
lenge to the class as a whole to fight
for it's existence.
The middle class and also the farm
ers take an opposite stand on this
question, to that which they took upon
either the Anarchists, or the Molly
Maguires. OF late the universally in
f1uential Hearst papers, for instance,
have very decidedly defended Meyer
and Haywood. And number of
smaller bourgeois papers have follow
ed their example.
AS the case now stands, the Moyer-
Haywood episode is merely regarded
as a border feud between a desperate
crowd of western mine-owners-many
OF whom were themselves prospectors
but yesterday-and the mine-workers,
also hardy from tiersmen and very good
fighters. Of. course the sympathies of
the capitalists and their press are
more or less on the side Of the mine
owners. But the case has not yet been
magnified into question of existence
for the entire class as in 1886.
And we ought not Ito magnify it to
that extent.
Therefore I regarded the "call to
arms" by our we'll meaning, but in
judicious friend, Eugene v. Debs, as a
most serious mistake, which might
have become dangerous, particularly to
Meyer, Haywood, and Pettibone.
The Rise, Ye Slaves of Eugene ".
Debs, summoning "a million men" to
take up arms in behalf of Meyer and
Haywood, appeared in the Appeal a
few weeks ago. Millions Of copies
have been distributed throughout the
country. But the capitalist press did
not take any notice of the fiery call
Of our friend Debs except here and
there to make the contemptuous re-
mark: "Too much cucumbers again."
A remark that made his real friends
doubly vexed.
Yet it was lucky that the capitalist
press did not take the Debs manifest
seriously.
And it is still luckier that it pro-
duced even less effect upon the work.
ingmen. Not a soul stirred
A Call to Rims to those who have
no arms, is most foolish. An appea1
to force helps only those who have
the force. The American working
class today IL completely disarmed.
Indeed the American people are per-
haps the most unarmed people In the
world, the. Chinese excepted. A bat
tie ship of the second class would suf-
flee to lay New York in dust and ashes.
Any mediocre general could subdue
Chicago with 10000 soldiers and Mil
waukee with $500 soldiers armed with
modern weapons.
An armed" uprising under such cir
cumstances would be more stupid than
the insurrection In Moscow. It would
mean an the useless waste OF rivers of
our best blood. Such uprising
moreover n would very lilS, furnish q