The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-08-29
REPLY TO sANDIE M'ALisTER

Duluth, August 26, 1908
To the Editor of the Labor World:
I am moved to answer Sandie Nc
Alister's article in the Labor World
of last week for two reasons.
First he speaks in manner that
! is misleading and has a tendency to
borrow something in order : to be
! more winning. He says: 1.-THE wise
| and thoughtful seek relief through the
enactment and enforcement Of right
eous laws" Such a statement as that
| is nothing more than the hot air ar
fist pounding wind. T.. ;.
It Is certainly a falsehood and ap-
peals only to the sentiment Of the
| ignorant It is not an argument.
intellectuals have held dominent sway
in the political field and what have
they accomplished with all of their
BE quiet, don't be too RADICAL? These
things have been drummed into our
ears until we are tired Of listening
longer to them. ..
I shall give an example Of those
| so-called righteous laws. Here is
| where I claim one man sins against
another by trying to mislead others
| and not telling what he knows To be
truth.
I am union man; the fact I will
herald to and before the world, and
yet that is as far as I can go. Your
! noble courts, those righteous institu-
| lions of man made laws, lay their
| stern hands upon my shoulder and
tell me not to dare to boycott any
! firm that consider unfair under the
! penalty of contempt of court; and yet
| in spite of the manner they have
chained me to my task, the largest
employer of labor in this city is today
using the boycott very effectively, and
is doing it while those righteous laws
spoken Of are in full force.
What do you think of such a con
dition of affairs? Your righteous
raised Cain with the Standard Oil fine
did it not? Say, Sandie, go up to the
court house, the new one, and watch
those beasts they call men work. Look
at the horses there and then the men
and ask yourself If they do need any
more of those good laws you speak
of.
! Go and watch the common wage
slaves timed by the watch, and then
you will be in a better position to be
a judge of the law.
I would also ask you to remember
that the wealth Of the world is pro-
duced by us, the hand workers. The
burdens of the world are carried upon
| our shoulders, the hand workers. And
all we get is crusts of bread thrown
at us from our masters table. You
may take all your brain and money
you have and go out into field Of
80 acres, and there you and your
money will starve until you apply
your own labor or hire the labor Of
some. one else to make living for
you. You will find how useless your
money is to you. It will not dig
bitches, build fences, raise wheat,
chickens or corn; neither will it make
lumber or build railroads or factories.
| You must see the need Of the. hand
worker. 40 ~@s%y
Your version Of Socialism is that Of
the dreamer, in spite Of the fact you
consider us to be dreamers You say:
Il look upon Socialism as today ex-
pounded as the most degenerate ma
4 terialistic. doctrine that ever appealed
to economic evolution for prestige,
Your surprise me in your statement
You speak of a thing which is degen
crate, as appealing to the intelligent
or higher law, that OF the law OF evo-
luton. How absurd is such a. state
ment! @# !, y.s!a4ss II st$5,E#sst
You also say:5G'It has no moral VI
sion, no spiritual insight. nothing but
an atheistic philosophy Of words based
upon fatal premises supported by futile
reasoning" What Is your vision o.
morality? What about those little
children who tainted upon the doors
Of the schoolrooms of New York city:
4 What about the 81, 900 little childrer
who DIE yearly for the need - enough
l food What about the 100000 idls