The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-10-05
SIDE, LIGHTS ON GRAFT
e. - AND CRAFTERS. -.
Delivered by Raymond Robins at the Chauauuua Assem-.
bly,, Chautauqua, Ny.

city, hungry for the qualification Of
their degenerate passions, and finding
now their only satiation in whisky,
harlots and the gamblers trance. Ask
the superintendent Of Brother DIS log
gers why he hires this class of labor.
and he will tell you that he prefers
hobos because they don't kick" and
when they are discharged, leave with-
out trouble, while If they get killed,
the company doesn't have to pay"
Across the main aisle to the right is
Sister E. Sister E. owns group Of
tenements in the Ghetto.
that are rented to ignorant foreign
ers who do not know their rights, and
are too terrified by the strange new
world into which they have been
transplanted to make protest If they
knew. Yet our displaced working man
knows that the babies Of these ex-
plotted tenants will die In the hot sum-
mer time, or grow up feeble, gray
blooded folk; and after two or three
failures at honest industry, the girls
Will become parasites. and live from
their. own bodies. the men criminals
preying upon the public, or homeless
Migrants wandering over the face of
the earth.
Do you wonder that our displaced
working man does not feel deeply
moved by a. great conviction OF his
own sin in not having saved up
enough money from his daily wage to
tide him over this difficult time,s or
that he fails to recognize in the sue
cess and plenty of these good people,
and the poverty and distress of his
own home, the irrefragable judgments
Of the moral law?
From pulpit, platform and press, the
representatives Of sordid success have
been deihed, and this dedication has
begotten "get-rich- quick conscience"
that has built an Industrial system,
which begins by robbing the people
through the special privileges of land
monopoly and tariff laws, and in all
of it's significant ramif1cations violates
the rule Of Justice, and seems to over
ride the sanctions Of the moral law.
This, men and women, is the fruitful
mother Of graft and grafters, great and
small.
Come with me and I will show you
some Of its finished fruits.
We enter the lodging house quarter
OF great industrial city. Here we
see thousands Of the homeless men
upon whom our industrial system puts
a premium, gathered for their day Of
excitement after the long cheerless
weeks in the logging camp, railroad
section camp, bononza farm bunk
house, ice camp barracks, and lake
vessel forecastles. Discouraged, hum
cry for excitement afttr the long de-
pressing industrial bondage, this army
Of casual laborers, without stake in
the country, disinher1ted, without faith
In their hearts, tempted on every side
by whiskey, harlots and the gambling
table, yield themselves to the great
tide Of unbelief and drift bitter hearted
toward doom. Held in this environ
ment by enforced idleness for long
periods between the labor demands Of
different Industrial seasons their moral
sense is daily debauched by the max
inns Of the world Of graft, amid brutal
laughter at the sanctions Of the moral
law. Here you see not only disin,
herited, exploited, and debaunched
men; not only women sold to sin and
dead to virtue, motherhood and home;
not only industry, state and church
honeycombed with graft and grafters;
but a degenerate get something for
nothing conscience in full possession
OF the common life and thought, bring
ing to America in the heyday Of her
youth all the manifestations Of rot
ting civilization.
Why have dwelt at such length on
the stealing of the rich and powerful
pirates of 1ndustry-on the loot Of the
big grafters? Because they are de-
stroying with their success the sane
lions Of the moral law for the youth
of the land.
Go to the city council Of any ir
dustrial city, and look for the most
british face among the men that are
seated there. You will find that this
man represents one of the lodging
house districts, that he holds his seal
through the purchased votes Of those
disinherited men. Mark him well. He
is the most powerful man, possibly, ir
vote his constituency for any candi-
! date on any ticket at will. Further
he will be. found to control the nom.
nations for all public offices in his
ward, his legislative district, his con.
gressional district. Mayors Of greal
| cites will bow to him, even visit him
| seeking his aid for nominations to. the
| national legislature. while he is under
sentence in Jail for debauching thu
franchise, waiting until some tract.
able higher tribunal shall reverse thu
| judgment Of an upright trial court
| and give him his liberty TO the ut.
| terry mockery of the forms Of law
and Of the sense of Justice among
the people.
This man cannot be beaten, his posi-.
| ton is rur1assailable' under a. demo.
| cratic government. His power rest.
upon a willing constituency Of home.
less, disinherited men, the waste o
our industrial system, who have nj
stake in the community, whose heart.
are calloused and dead to all, appeal!
to righteousness and patriotism, anl
to whom fifty cents on" election day
free beers and free luncl, with &