The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-08-10
OF THE FREE?
(ISy l.. Ernest Harpcr.)

Free America.
Has some one said that we live
in the land of the free and the homo
of the brave2" What fools these
mortals be-" For verify it is the
home of everything else. America
is the home of the Industrial Gods,
the stamping ground of plutocratfc
vampires who feed and fatten off the
poor and helpless.
And still you Shout FREE AMER
ICA, land wherc our fathers died,
land of the Pilgrims pride"-and,
why? Because veritably- you are I
set ~of comical jackasses.
You swallow this Capitalistic dope
like 4 baby English Sparrow swal-
lows Il worm, with your mouth so
wide open that your eyes are shut
and you never know just what you
have really swallowed. About all
you seem to notice is that it is hcll
to digest. You have pinned back
your ears. shut your eyes and gulped
down such asst quantities of this
capitalistic virus until the great
mass of o have got the b~elly-ache
and no remedy for il.
Verify. you are in one HI of a fix!
Now aren't you?
iiS"l hi'thS hN'p|
bowling: "T'Iest land Of liberty, I'll
give my ALL" And like unto So
many dumb animals he marches
s~traiEhtway to the altar and is
slaughtered that his co country
may be savcd-for his master
o. YOU chumpsl blest land or
UNCLE SAM, Land where you get
skinned three hundred sixty-hvc
days in the year for being damphools
on election day
Land where there are ten sa1copS
TO one church and where justice is
unknown. Where n million willins
workers on tomorrow morn will beg
for work, will beg on wasted, tremb-
ling knees for the inalienable right
TO live another Gay by honest toll.
Where. in one city in this so-called
land Of the noble free, one hundred
thousand little children go to schooi
each morning without their break
fast. and, all because of your Stupid~
ity and ignorance.
o land of plenty! where fertile
valleys are linked in one continuous
chain all the way from the green
pine forests of Maine &c the golden
orange row OF sun:fy California.
Where mother nature pours out i'll
copious plcntitude to all alike her
sunshine II her rain, and yet.
with all that sweet nature has given
to her children that they might live
peacefully and happy. undisturbco
and comfortable, we find that the op-
posite is true.
Instead of peace and happiness.
we find turmoil and strife. Instead
of being undisturbed and comfort
able.
that we live in FREE AMERICA
We will sing:
My country It's of thee,
Sweet land of Liberty"
And for your benefit allow me to
add:
Land where We preach and pirate.
and where they work us late
In factories mi in mills,
Great God our fate!
Now. of course, we cannot blame
O for believing that you live in tho
Erandest country in the world where
all men are equal before the law.
No. we cannot blame you for YOUR
ignora1Ce-your political ignorance.
You are not ignorant other than no
l~itically, but politically you are
dumb.
You are the producers of ART.
LITERATURE and SCIENCE-of
all that is of Beauty, wealth and use.
And since you do not understand
government and the part politics
plays since our government is made
M of politics. you have also because
of the lack of this knowledge OF no.
ltical affairs. unthoughtedlv submit
ted to the robbery of those who
took advantage of your ignorance
and manipulated the government in
their own interest, thus placing be.
yond your reach all that goes tc
make life pleasant and enjoyable.
The result is hat ycu are suffer
ing in poverty and misery, brow
beaten and toil-worn.
But YOU must take courage in TIL,
growing strength OF the workin.
class.
You do not have to submit to thi
robbery, cruelty and crime by which