The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1907-07-23
Gen. SHERWOOD.
A Scathing Speech on
"Government by De-
tectives."
HIS DRESDEN GRAFTON

Mo UnESuEN UnAIluN
At the Fourth of July celebration
held in Dresden, Ohio, this year. Gen.
I. r. Sherwood was the orator OF the
day. The old effusions on alleged
patriotism" were discarded, and the
denizens of the Muskingum valley
were given something to think of as
the speaker denounced tine new sys-
tenn of government by detectives"
and pleaded for higher standard Of
citizenship and manhood.
The Fourth of July is the best day
OF all the year to measure our patri-
otism, our morality and our national
egodsm by the old standard of 177G.
Did Thomas jefferson, speaking for
the associated patriots, mean 1t as an
ethical reality whep he wrote "All
men are created eqtal and endowed
by their Creator With certain in
alientable rights?" II he meant II, as
all patriots now believe, how do we
stand today on these fundamental
propositions? Is not today an oppor-
tune time to inquire?
How many of our present day
rulers, who sit In the high places OF
power, believe in these Jeffersonian
principles?
If we have drifted away from the
practice OF political equality of what
value are the old ideas we have gath
cred here today to celebrate7
Is II not a lamentable truth that
we have, in a large measure, so far
as the wage workers are concerned,
abolished the English ideas? In feu-
dal England the highest ideal of the
worker, In the measuring minds OF
the ruling nobility, was a moderate
and public pauper house for the
worn out and infrm. And We must
admit, in humiliation and shame,
that the full dinner pail propaganda,
with the brutal threats Of the big
bosses 10 stop production and close
factories and mines, stampeded tens
OF thousands OF honest wage workers
against their most vital interests and
most sacred manhood rights.
II seems 10 me the Fourth OF July
Is n fitting day to talk and plead for
O. higher standard OF manhood among .
the men OF Drawn and muscle, who
have made for us all OF our material .
wealth and prosperity. Where is the
wretch so base, with the Declaration
OF Independence In his vision. who
can look upward towards God. and
say that the man whose energy and
genius has created everything OF
value shall not share its benefits and
blessings?
Shall Il be said Of us as n people,
after a century and n quarter OF
realized national life, supposed to be
devoted to the best ideals Of Chris
tian civilization, that we have degen-
Grated to the sordid condition that
would accord the creators OF all our
material development no higher place
in society or government than the
chance to work through the day for
a noon-day dinner OF cold vlctuals In
tin pail?
More than this. and worse; are
we not on the toboggan slide where
a labOring man has no right to be-
come even class oonscious-on the
generally conceded proposition that
we have classes In this republlc--a
ruling class that exploits and a SUBJ {
seryient class that is thoroughly ex-
plotted.
Is II not fact today in many sec
tions Of CUR much beloved country, {
that the unit dollar has the conceded ,
right 10 rule by combination and or !
ganization, while the unit man has no {
such conceded right2 u
II is true, az least. in two Rocky
Mountain states, that government by
injunction has been supplanted by I
government by detectives. Il is now ]
a matter OF record, brought out In
evidence in the Haywood trial land I
documentary eyidence) that the gov
ernor Of Colorado sold the organized /
militia Of that state 10 the Mine own /
ers' association. and this association !
practically placed this body Of fully 4
armed soldiers under the direction /
and control of the Pinkerton detec- {
tive agency, | cannot follow here the
trail OF blood that followed this GRIM
inal action in Colorado. But when I
say that the legitimate government
was surrendered by the governor OF ,
Colorado TO men of the criminal class, {
and that the government of that state
was turned over TO detectives. ii is
enough. And today in one OF our
Rocky Mountain states, where the '
wholesome mountain air should in !
spire aspirations above the breath OF
hogs, three miners, all innocent OF 1