Workmen's advocate., March 19, 1887, Image 2

About Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891

Image provided by: Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT

                
WOHKMKN'S AUVUUA-rii,
W($KMEKSADVOCATt.
(irnciAi. jni HNAi. or
THE SOCIALISTIC LABOR PARTY
OP NORTH AMERICA.
JM'BUKHKI) BV Till
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE,
EVCHT WJCKK.
Publication Offlce. 7MI Chupnl Htrect.
lutereHtliiK oorroHiMindtsnce solicited from pro
letarian In all parts of Mio world. UUern re
quiring anwer should contain return nming.
Addrean all oomtnunlcatlniiii to
Wurbiiimi' AdvoiMln,
r. O. Drawer 10,'i, Nftw Haven, Conn.
Henil milmcrliitlon money to I'. . Drawer Ml,
New Uaven, Conn, or cull at the oflleM, No. VMl
Cbapul Htrniit.
HuHKcuirnoN IUtks:
One Year (postage free), $ "
Six Months " - - GO
I'AVAftl.K IN ADVANCK.
NT1RCD AT THK MurOHItl AT NW IIAVItN, (KIN
HKYIOIT. AN MCOND-lXAWI MATTKII
Nkw Havkn, MaIM'II 1!), LSH7.
FEAR OF THE TRUTH.
There in perhaps no movement
that requires tho lilit of day shining-upon
it so much us the labor
movement, vet there lire those in the
movement who Hcom to fear tin liht.
This Hhoiilil not Ik; ho.
While, in matters concern in; the
movcrnentH of workingmen who are
oppressed, looking towards an en
joinment of oppressive employers, it
may bo well not to permit tho.se
employers to know the tactics to he
used, there is no occasion for shield
ing our own employes who have
made public blunders. When we
do this wo are deceiving others who
may contemplate joining our ranks;
while at the same time we apparent
ly sanction the wrong doing of our
agents.
Prompt and drastic criticism, ac
cording to the nature of the wrongs
criticized, cannot injure a strong
cause. And a cause is strong only
when based on truth. We have seen
the frightened expression of some of
our good friends at the uncomprom
ising opposition of the Workmen's
Advocate to the very appearance
of evil in high places; but we fully
expect that intelligent thought and
honest investigation will convince
them that just such honest and un
qualified denunciation of public ex
hibitions of inconsistency is not
only right, but politic also.
When the work ingmen all over the
land can have a fearless and honest
press, they will not need to llee to
Becret places to discuss their wrongs.
Let us remember, also, that the
lttlor movement is advancing from a
Buries of petty conflicts with indi
vidual employers to an open and
aboveboard political conflict bet ween
' the toiling masses on the one side
and a class of exploiting capitalists
on the other. And we know that
tho form of our organizations must
undergo such changes as will permit
them to cope with the enemy upon
the political field.
Above all, workingmen as such
have nothing to fear from a free ex
pression of the truth. Their ene
mies are afraid of it, for with the
Truth wo hope to smite them down;
and Truth, to be effective, needs the
light the more light, the more ef
fective our agitation, for 'The Truth
shall Bet you free !"
POLITICAL AND INDUSTRIAL
"RATS."
It seems that the time has about
come when a new code of ethics
among organized workingmen would
be in order. We do not refer to the
general morality of the working
class, for in that they are unques
tionably above their self-styled "fii
jieriors." lUit we find that there
are "good union men," as far as
their trades union is concerned, who
are anything but good union men
politically. Thus we see "leaders"
in the trades unions and working-
men's assemblies who are very punc
tilious in the mutter of industrial
organization in all its details; yet.
when they arc culled upon to do
duty as citizens they act like veri
table "rats" and betray the interests
of the working people without any
compunction. They are full of in
dignation over tho men who refuse
to contribute to the funds of their
trades union or assembly, and who,
either through hard circumstances
or slavish ignorance, accept less than
the scale of wages adopted by the
industrial organ izat ions- vet they
scamper like puppies whenever the
party whip is cracked by some "re
publican" or "democratic" dema
gogue in the interest of the very
class that makes their unions a ne
cessity. Now, it is generally acknowledged
and becoming more and more evi
dent that organization and agitation
without political action can never
right the wrongs of Labor. We
have more faith in the people organ
ized as citizens for the y rpose of
grasping the political power than in
all the other forms of industrial or
ganization combined. This being
so, it naturally follows that the po
litical "rat" is, in our opinion, the
most to be despised and hunted
down. Still, there is something so
mean and despicable in the creature
who plays the part of traitor to his
fellow-workmen by underselling his
labor, that his presence is obnoxious
and a menace under existing con
ditions. The new code should condemn
the political "rat" as well as the in
dustrial "rat," and no man should
be considered straight unless he was
a member of the Labor Party as
well as ot the labor organization of
his craft.
The trades unions who adopt such
a code will be recognized as truly
progressive, and the well-founded
charges made against many trades
unions will not operate against, such
progressive organizations.
Workingmen who are half union
union and half "rat" arc industrial
hermaphrodites.
A DELUDED "PEOPLE."
The Providence 'i'niJc, a weekly
paper issued by a "Co-operative
printing and publishing company."
prints tho following, calls it State
Socialism, and proceeds to demolish
it:
"The Providence and Springfield rail
road is now hondul for $."W 1,(100, at seven
per cent, interest, guaranteed by the
city of Providence, and the bonds will
mature July 1, INK.'. The president of
road has sent a communication to tiie
City Council in which he states the fact
it is desired to make an extension of the
road to Webster, Mass., thereby making
a through connection, ami be petitions
the Council that in order to do this the
road be bonded for 1,000,000 by t lie
city. In other words, be asks the city
to furnish to do the work, or to be more
exact, to guarantee the payment of in
terest on the cost of the work which
this estimate of $1.0110,000 is supposed to
be sutticient to cover."
The i't'aile proves itself wrong
when it says that this bonding busi
ness is mainly designed to benefit
capitalists. Now, Socialism does
not contemplate compelling the peo
ple to take all the risk of any gov
ernment enterprise and allow a few
capitalists to reap the benefit.
When the Socialist State is once es
tablished, private ownership and con
trol of railroads will have been abol
ished, and the railroads w ill not tie
a source of profit to private individ
uals. If The Vo.e is not intent
upon deceiving others as to the ob
jects of Socialism, it might as well
publish the truth, after a careful
study of it.
BOB S BLUNDER.
The New York Leader very clev
erly "winds up" Pot Ingersoll on
the subject of Socialism, :is follows:
'Colonel Ingersoll says in the Xuth
AmerUttn Kerieir that under a Socialist
government 'all would tie slaves.' To
that we desire to ask, who, then, would
make the government ? It is very evi
dent thut liigersoll has penned a mm
Huiitilcr, or that he means to assert that
it is possible to conceive of a slave gov
eniinent in which the governors them
selves would also be slaves, lie must
menu this, fur he said it would ! a sys
tem worse than chattel slavery, for 'the
masters' then were free. If 'all' are
willing to he slaves and the governors
and governed are alike bondsmen or
serfs, to whom then are they 'Uiund,'
and how could they lie nlaves? To them
selves, of course. How then can such
consent make slavery ? The very es
sence implies enforced submission. Col
onel Ingersoll has lieen beguiled, by the
rhetorical weakness of making a point,
into a very direct absurdity."
The fact is that the great "lib
eral" is not quite as liberal as he
might be if he knew more. It is
better not to venture tocriticise sub
jects of which we know little or
nothing in so positive a manner.
Ingersoll makes the same mistake
which is made by many other cler
gymen when talking about Social
ism. Prejudice permeates them all.
NOTES.
Siguor Pccci, under the benign
influence of Monsignor (libhons,
sings "'Father, dear father, come
home' on a friendly v isit." Father
Mctilynn hasn't started yet.
The New York Wurltl says that
the female suffragists of New York
intend to boycott Pullman palace
cars unless the name i3 changed to
Pullwoman. How would Pulitzer
do?
A I'oston paper publishes the An
archists' March. As might be ex
pee ted, the alignment is very un
even, each member of the "guard"
keeping his own time and whistling
his own tune and inarching in any
direction regardless of his neighbor.
Fun, though.
The proposition to create official
"arbitrators" by the legislature will
not meet with much favor from
thoughtful workmen. In fact, it
should have their unqualified oppo
sition. The most striking folly of
the proposition is that the "arbitra
tors" shall have power to enforce
their decision. It would be amus
ing to see how the idea would work
if carried out.
Hewitt, society savior and Mayor
of New York, don't like to see labor
organizing and wants to protect the
"business interests" of the country.
He has drawn up and requested tho
passage of a bill permitting New
York saloon keepers to keep their
places open on Sunday. He is not
likely to save either society or him
self by this action. Hewitt believes
that the more money the laborer
expends in the gin mill the less he
will have to contribute towards keep
ing up his organization. Hence his
"savin1'" measure.
The New York .Wanting .hmniah
one of those penny abortions that
profess such love for the "poor
workingman." says that "ten mil
lion workingmen are tired of being
ruled by ten thousand Socialists."
Put what are the Jnnitt's poor
proteges going to do about it?
Sometimes the correct philosophy
of a single man rules millions; and
if it is true, as the .Itmrntil asserts
that Socialists "rule," it speaks well
for their correct views, and is flat
tering to the ten million who
know a good thing when they see it.
A San Francisco newsdealer ob
jected to selling the Wokkmkn's
AnvocATK any longer, because it
admitted that the editor of Liberty
was an anarchist It seems that
the San Franciscan considers himself
an anarchist, and does not feel com
plimented by our admission. We
really don't know that any one is a
jirticlini! anarchist, however much
he may imagine he would like to
b ecome one. The lkston anti-law
and anti-State people w ho howl for
unrestricted liberty and write peeu-
liar verses about their "broad" god
dess are generally careful enough to
be anything but anarchists. They
haven't the courage of their convic
tions in fact we doubt if they have
any very strong convictions, outside
of what their every day life proves
them possessed of. As to our San
Francisco friend, we hope he will
pardon us if we doubt his insanity.
WHAT OTHERS SAY.
A hint to the United Labor patty:
Hy all means let us work for success,
but let it be success without com
promise, and without yielding a
single principle. Metter defeat with
a clear conscience than victory at
the sacrifice of a good name.
Kwjiiiirr.
A man does not go to the doctor
till he believes there is something
the matter with him, and Socialists
should remember that while it is
perfectly clear to them that tho
changes they advocate arc needed
for the benefit of the whole commu
nity, probably !)() per cent, of the
community don't think so, and hon
estly believe, us they are told, that
their interests will be best served by
the continuance of the present sys
tem. Therefore quite the first thing
we have to do is to break the spell
and disabuse public opinion of this
fallacy. And surely it would be
better to call in the doctor than the
undertaker, and even though the
drawing of a tooth may be a painful
operation, yet it is necessary 'twere
better done than half done. Lninttii
Christian SoriuJisf.
A MAMA.
There seemingly exists in this
country a mania for law-making.
We have a national congress in ses
sion a large part of each year.
Thirty-eight State legislatures in an
nual or biennial session constantly
manufacturing statutes. Then the
several territorial, the city and other
minor law factories constantly busy.
Their work is never finished nor is
even the progress satisfactory. Here
,the maxim: "Practice makes per
fect," is an' utter failure and false
hood. Still the cry is for laws,
more laws. And the legislators bend
to the work; and bills by the thous
and are introduced, and bills by the
hundred are passed; and the print
ers print, and the shelves are loaded
with the growing volumes of statutes
which few understand and fewer care
about. Still the people aire oppressed ;
they feel it, they know it, and in
laws they seek a remedy. More laws
are enacted, but no relief follows.
Would it not be well to cry a halt,
to take breath for a while, and
study over the situation? Would it
not be well to take a rest from this
mad rush of guess-work legislation ?
Would it not be well to put on our
studying caps and think out what
we do really want for a few months
yea, for a year or more it might
not hurt? We need laws. Hut
something better than mere pallia
tive patchwork. Hut we we will
not have good laws until the masses
understand the necessity for each
and every one; and its importance.
They do not understand those ques
tions yet nor do a large number of
the men whom they select to make
laws for them, state and national.
Pead the proof of this in the many
curiously absurd bills presented.
Some so crude that their paternity
should shame a ten-year-old boy.
Hut the people are thinking. They
are discussing and investigating pub
lie policies and public measures with
an earnestness and pains-taking per
severance which will in the future
bring good results. In the mean
time, the legislative treadmill will
proceed, but to little purjiose. Smith
We.d.
There is one remarkable piece of
information given in the Cardinal's
(iibbons, of Baltimore! report, and
one that requires a thorough inves
tigation on the part of the Order,
for if true (and we believe it is) our
(i. M. W. has taken on himself to
assume an authority that his position
does not warrant; that the law does
not confer; that, in fact, it is a vio
lation of his obligation. The matter
referred to is this. The Archbishop
says:
Their Master Workman, in sending
me a copy of their constitution, took oc
casion to say that he professes his re
ligion faithfully and receives the sacra
ments regularly; that he belongs to no
Masonic association, or to any other
otherwise condemned by the Church,
that he knows nothing in the society of
laltor contrary to the regulations of the
Church, and with filial submission lie
U'gs the pastors of the church to examine
all the details of their organization, and
says that if they find therein anything
reprehensible, to point them out and he
w ill faithfully promise to have the proper
modihcations made.
This is a strange proceeding on
tho part of Mr. Powderly. Who
gave you, (1. M. W., the authority to
make a promise that if the powers
that be in tho Catholic Church or
any other church, find therein any
thing reprehensible to point out,
gnu, forsooth, will faithfully promise
to have the modifications made?
Well, well what is the Order com
ing to ? Hetter have a care T. V.,
you nor no one else can give the
power to any church to dictate the
policy of the Knights of Labor. The
Order does not interfere with the re
ligious convictions of any of its
members, and no religious organiza
tion will be allowed to dictate its
policy; when it does, good-bye,
Knights of Labor. One of the car
dinal principals of the Order is "no
country, no creed, no color." Where
will this be if .Mr. Powderly is al
lowed to alter the laws and princi
ples of the Order at the dictates of
another secret organization ? Again,
we are told that the report of the
proceedings of the last 0. A. will be
placed in the hand of the Cardinal.
Hy whom, and by what authority ?
There has already been enough of
mistakes made, let us not make any
more if we can help it. Hrttnkhjii
Lahtir I 'va-.v.
A FURTHER APPEAL
The Chicago Prisoners May Appeal to
the 1'nlted States Supreme Court.
The decision of the United States
Supreme Court in the case of Hoyd
has a direct bearing upon the cases
of the seven men who lie in the
Chicago hastile, under sentence of
death, falsely charged with having
thrown a dynamite bomb during the
eight-hour strike last year.
In these cases the police seized all
the effects of the accused without
warrant of any kind, and followed
the same lawless methods which
they arc accustomed to practice to
ward paupers who have no means to
defend their rights. Hence the
question arises: "Have not the con
demned men the right of appeal to
the Supreme Court of the United
States on the ground that their
rights, under the fourth and fifth
amendments to the federal constitu
tion have been violated, if the Su
preme Court of Illinois refuses a re
hearing?" This appeal the attor
neys for the defence announce they
will take if necessary, and they re-
iard the dicta in the Hovd case as
good warrant for such action.
Exactly what was done is shown
on the testimony of Captain Hon-
field at the trial:
"I took Spies and Schwab into
the front room of the central station;
we searched Spies and took the per
sonal effects from him; 1 took Spies'
keys out of his pocket; everything 1
found, little slips of paper, etc.; I
literally went through him; I bad
no warrant for anything of that
kind. 7
The further showing is that by
the aid of these keys police officers
went through all Spies' private pa
pers, and the evidence thus secured
was used against the defendants on
their trial. It is properly argued
that this is in violation of the con
stitution of the United States, and
amounts to forcing a defendant to
testify against himself.
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
Tun Nkw (loo. A nhilosonhical essav
by Samuel P. Putnam. New York: The
Truth Seeker Co., publishers, 2S Lafay
ette Place. Prii-e 10 cents.
The OBJKr-r ok thk L.vhok Movement
- ttvllr. .bili.oin .laeobv. translated bv
Mrs. Florence Kelley-Vischnewetzky,
with preface by the translator. New
York: The New York Labor News Co..
publishers, 172 First avenue, Bound in
new and attractive pamphlet form; 20
pp., price, Hi cents.
Thf TRl'TH Skukek Asm al and Free
thinker's Almanac for lSs contains, be
sides the uual calendar, a number of
interesting articles and illustrations.
Considerable siwiee is devoted to the Sun
day, Oath and Blasphemy Im of the
States and Territories; and they are cu
rious laws for this day and generation.
Published by The Truth Seeker Co., 28
Lafayette Place. New York. Price, 25
cents.
BRIDGEPORT,
l aloa ml llurinony Anions the Work-
ers-A Kind Invitation.
I resjiectfully call the attention of all
Trades Lriiions and K. of L. assemblies
who have not yet learned to subordinate
their petty hobbies and jealousies to the
common good, to the Bridgeport Central
LalKir Union. Here skilled and un
skilled unions and assemblies meet in
harmony, discuss their common griev
ances and seek their common emancipa
tion from capitalism.
It was this Central Lalwr Union which
at the last State election tired the first
shot by proclaiming to the party-ridden
wage slaves of Bridgeport that labor
muxt work its tnru wilmtnm inromm 1-
tUjtvutknt jHtliliatl action. Four hun-
I red and litty men who held principle
higher than expediency echoed that proc
lamation and marched to the polls to de
posit their protest against wage slaving,
notwithstanding the sneers of their be
nighted fellow workers and the curses of
disgruntled politicians.
And now tins same Central Labor
Union has again stepped forward and
indorsed the Independent Labor ticket,
(for the city and to wit election Monday,
April 4), pledgirfg its valuable support.
Y ill some ot the sister unions take
heed, stop their insane quarrelling and
imitate the worthy example of the
Bridgeport Central Labor Union ?
1 tie hod-carriers, w ho formed a union
about two weeks ago, are growing rap
idly both m quality and quantity, ihey
are nearly a hundred strong, and evince
an increasing taste for labor papers.
1 here is a union here ot boss carpen
ters. One of these bos unionists gave
notice to his employees that hereafter
lie would no longer give ten hours pay
for nine hours work on Saturday from
a capitalistic standpoint a very equitable
decision. To tho student of social econ
omy, to the Socialist, this means that
Mr. Moneybag, who has formerly given
five hour's pay for nine hour's labor will
hereafter allow but four hour's pay for
the same labor. The carpenters, who
are well organized an.d represented in
the Central Labor Union, may yet per
suade the "boss unionist" to change
his mind.
Our city ticket is nearly completed and
will be given to the public in due time.
Do we expect to carry the election?
Hardly. But even now the dismayed
politicians are ready to make conces
sions, w e have kindly invited all "dem
ocrats" who don't wish to see "renulicans"
elected, and all "republicans" who desire
that the city government should not fall
into the hands of the "democrats" to ac
complish that end by voting the straight
labor ticket. CRANK.
ST. PAUL.
The Conspiracy Law Out West Pris
oners of War.
St. Pai i., Minn., March 10. Organ
ized Labor at this time of the year is
forming and perfecting its columns for
new inroads into the golden domain of
capitalism. Last year our ranks were
broken and repelled, and some men made
prisoners of war; their scalps were de
signed to be taken under the conspiracy
law, to make union men feel sore in their
heads and penitent in their hearts. But
the "mob," being a chief actor in popu
lar elections and none of the old parties
having a firm reliance on the "mob," so
the prisoners (of the baker's union) were
discharged on demurrer to the indict
ment. The political bargaining was the
next order, and a few workmen were al
lowed to enter, as tails of the "demo
crat" or "republican" parties, the halls
of our capitol. Mr. Lucas, of Minneapo
lis, has done brave frighting, and shown
that he understands the question. A
good many acts passed by the legislature
will prove to be ineffectual and inopera
tive for various reasons, and these acts
are chiefly such as, from their titles,
would pretend to l in favor of labor.
Is it design or accident? Workmen, I
hope, will determine this question, and
discover, perhaps, that a workman's or
ganization with Socialistic tendencies is
of much more importance in the struggle
for existence and right than a dozen
capitalistic friends in the law-giving
body of the State.
The trades and labor assembly is mak
ing efforts to have all organizations send
delegates, to which Socialists wish un
qualified success, provided, however,
this body will emancipate itself from the
influence of both capitalistic and so
called lalMir papers. The section has
delegated a committee of three to nego
tiate with alike committee of the Trades
Assembly in reference to representation
in that central kxly. Mr. Constant is
the statistician of tire assembly, and
though quite young in tlie movement, is
doing excellent work in getting men to
gether. The reduction of the hours of
labor will be the main issue of organiza
tion this year, headed by the stone-cutters,
bricklayers and earjnterg, to be
followed by printers.
The Workmen's Advocate will 1 a
valuable guide to all of them. Comrade
Peter Max, 4!U Charles street, will be
glad to receive suljseriptiona at any time.
X. S.
TOUGH.
An expectant nephew sent his rich
uncle a present in the shape of a fifty
dollar parrot. Meeting the old gentle
man a few weeks later he ventured to
ask him how he liked the present "Oh
it was pretty good, only a little tough T
"What! Tough? For mercy ' sake,
uncle, you don't mean to say you ate
that fifty -dollar parrot?" excitedly asked
the donor "Certainly, 1 ate it-what
ele could I do with the bird '"