St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1912-11-15

OF Bonville W ear system.
Mr.. Chairman, ladies and gen.
tlemen: In the minds Of some a
question might arise as TO why
you are here tonight why you
have forsaken your firesides for
the evening, and denied your
selves the much needed rest that
only your homes can offer, to
come here. But to my mind il
is not a question. ! know why
you are here. You are met in
this hall tonight for the self
same reason that our forefathers
gathered, so many years ago, an
indignant people protesting
against the brutal tyrannies of
an English Government. You
are here for the self same reason
that John Brown, that splendid
champion of the cause of free
dom, called his brave little band
of followers 10 meet death that
day upon the plain, that the black
slave might be freed from bond
age. In short you are called
here for the same reason and
motive that throughout the ages
have actuated men TO give up
the luxuries Of peace and domes-
tic pleasure, TO forsake the prun-
ing hook and the plowshare, and
TO seize instead the keen edged
sword and shafted spear. You
are here tonight in the sacred
cause Of righteousness and liber-
ty.
Today there be men through
the land who, disturbed in their
particular walks and modes of
life, and fearful lest the present
order Of things may change, are
decrying this present so-called
industrial unrest among the
great working classes as un-
founded, and based upon nothing
more substantial than the anar-
chistic utterances Of disap-
pointed men men who, per-
force, have made failures of
their lives. But those who take
this shallow view of the serious
industrial conditions that con-
front this nation are deceiving
no one as 10 the true state of
affairs unless IL be themselves,
and the day of their awakening
is close at hand. With n com
paratively small group of men on
Wall street making millions of
dollars. and millions upon mil
lions of dollars. amassing over
night fortunes so huge and
bloated that the ordinary mind
can scarcely conceive their mag
nitude; with the iron grip of
this Capitalistic Monster tight
ening day by day. week by week
and year by year, his greedy and
relentless fingers gathering in
the wealth produced by a suffer
ing. driven nation of men and
women, and yes, little children
too. babes scarcely out of the |
cradle, it becomes only mat
ter of time when that people will |
rise in its awful might and bind |
in his own chains this Midas |
who reared himself in our midst. |
Today this night, il we were
but given the eyes 10 see into
the dwelling places of the multi
tudes of this mighty nation. the
sights of misery and suffering
that would meet our vision would |
make our hearts grow sick and
our tongues TO cry out i'm pity |
and sorrow. Doubtless we would |
storm and blindly cast our inn
potent and burning rage against
this tremendous enemy of free
dom, who has forced ten millions
of American families 10 the rag
ged edge of that blackest of pits,
that most dreaded and degrading
of conditions, Poverty. o, pow
erty SO many fathers, tired TO
death with the days drudgery,
go home at night TO find the spec
tire of poverty waiting 10 greet
them on the threshold 10 face |
them across the bare and cheer
less supper table. Bills 10 be
paid, and no money to pay them
with; wives TO be clothed, and
only rags TO clothe them in;
babes TO be fed, and nothing 10
feed them but crusts. You men
Of families who have jobs today
are fortunate, because il is a
black day for the workingman
who finds himself without a Job,
and with a family TO support. Is
/ any wonder that men, facing
IN endless stretch of dreary,
leart-breaking years of work, |,
work, work, am eternal grind, II
With Starvation but an arms
ength away, and nothing TO live
or but this daily round of druid {
sery-is il any wonder | say,
hat they cry out for relief, for q
something better? And, my {
friends, they are going TO get it. Y
The world is seeking a solution '
o this puzzle, this enigma of the c
nan and the dollar, and just so
ure as | stand here tonight, the G
world will find a solution. h
IL Il. 4 L /.