The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-05-26
DEMOCRACY IS SUREST
GUARANTEE Of PEACE
Herbert Bigelow Draws Two
Lessons From Great Revo-
luton in France.
Tells of Value of Franchise
and How Its Use May
Avoid Internal Wars.


Cincinnati, May 24.-Rev. Herbert
S. Bigelow of the Vine street Congre-
gational church of this city in his
weekly sermons on the French revo-
luton finds parallel in history for
the present revolution in Russia He
says:
Ancient history is wonderfully
modern. The story of one uprising
is the story of ALL The pictures on
the curtains are changed and the
names of the characters but the dra-
ma is the same. For Paris today we
have St. Petersburg, for Louis we
have Nicholas, for Necker we have
Witte, for the states general we have
the Douma. But in Russia today, as
in the France Of yesterday, the prov
inces are aaame with burning pal
aces, the cities are crowded with
hungry men, mutiny is feared in
the army, the cruelties of govern
ment are answered by the outrages
of the mob and everything seems
ready to make the tenth Of May,
1906, as memorable a date in his
tory as the fifth of May, 1889.
Whenever it comes to be the over
whelming sentiment Of a people that
a certain obstacle to their progress
must be removed, then some kind
of a revolution is bound to follow.
If the obstacle yields, i will be a
peaceable revolution. If the obstacle
resists and in proportion to the re-
cic hn
tion.
In France, the obstacle that ev-
erybody determined must go was the
old regime. There was no hostility
at first to the king. There was no
quarrel with the monarchy. But
there was a ring Of lords and bish-
ops, the court, as it was called, q
small privileged class, men who en-
joyed fat pensions, were exempt from
taxation, consumed the revenues,
meddled in public affairs, were ten
acious of their privileges, successful
in thwSrting reforms, enemies Of a
free press, and generally obnoxious.
This court clique must go. These
two or three hundred thousand men
should not be permitted to forever
suppress the liberties and prevent
the progress of twenty-five millions
of people. The nation could be moth
ing until they and their privileges
were brushed aside. This was the
overwhelming conviction, this was
the state of the public mind on the
eve of the French Revolution.
Why Was There Trouble?
But If the people were almost a
unit that this court clique should
go, why then was there any trouble
about it? Why was it not done cas-
lily and peaceably? The court had
the army and the court resisted. That
was one condition that favored vio-
lence. That condition exists in Rus
sia as in France. But that is not
all. Let the government have the
army; if the people have the votes,
the army will be of little use. But
just there was the rub. In France
as in Russia, while the government
had the army, the people did not
have a vote. Here was an over
whelming sentiment in the nation
that the court clique must go. But
this sentiment was disfranchised. It
had no voice in the government and
an army was opposed to it. How.
then, could this overwhelming SEN
timent express itself except in vio-
lence. These were conditions that
made revolution of blood newt
able. These conditions prevailed in
France. These conditions are strik-
ingly characteristic of Russia today.
Dollma Does Not Represent Russian
People.
A week ago last Thursday, at the
Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, the
Douma, the States General of Rus
sia, convened. But whom does this
Douma represent? Not the Russian
people. In St. Petersburg there are
million and half of people. And
Of all that number only 5000 can
vote. OF the 100000 inhabitants Of
Odessa only 1000 can participate
In the elections
Democracy the Guarantee of Peace.
In the days of the Revolution.
Paris had upwards Of million peo-
pie, and only $4,000 of them were
given any voice in the government.
The government had closed the
gates broke, and abuses that might
have yielded in peace were Destroy
ed In rage. Every Limitation of
the franchise Is an invitation to Rev.
olution. This is lesson which Rus
sia might have learned from the his
tory of France. Tyranny is a dis
ease for which the leeches of insur-
rection must be applied. Democracy
is the surest guarantee of Peace.