Hide Article Text (OCR)
Prom the Labor Standard.THE BEGINNING OF A REVOLUTIONThe occurrences during the last portion of July, 18715 will, in the future history of this country, be designated as the beginning of the second American Revolution, which inaugurates the independence of Labor from Capital. The struggle which is to achieve this independence, may last a number of years; but the war is declared, the parties engaged can no more leave the field without a final decision, and all compromises are henceforth impossible. It is of the utmost importance for the working-peo-Y1 to understand this state of things, because our adversaries have given evidences that they j understand and act upon it.The best of all this is that the ring of monopoly has done our cause a great service for which we need not thank them. It is henceforth impossible that our worktng-people should ever forget of what power they are capable in the defence of their righteous cause, provided they are a unit as against the only enemy the country has now, and a closely organized unit, too. The next best thing is that ourenemy is, in the consciousness of heretofore undisputed money power, furious at his partial defeat, and wifi unremittingly use his legislative and arbitrary power to stamp out this uParis Commune on American soil,” so as toremind every workingman of his duty; this will present a drastic illustration of the “harmony that ought naturally to prevail between capital and labor, ” so that even the most indoleut thinkers among our workers must become aware of the nonsense of this harmony theory, and of the fact that, no less than in Europe, j our workers must organize for economic interests and against legislative despotism, unless capitalism is to crush out liberty, culture and hnmauity. This will teach American workmen a heartfelt sympathy with their internationally organized fellows of Europe, who even now, at the first telegraphic notice of our great railroad strike, began to collect funds for our strikers—expressing their sympathy for our workers, telegraphically. Our struggle against the idolatry of Mammon is the common strug gle of intelligent Labor the world over.We will here for once give sound advice to our capitalistic class, though we dare not hope they will heed it.Your legislation in respect to labor was alto gather borrowed from England, beginning with the conspiracy laws, and ending with your latest laws against railroad employees. Almost all this policy was restrictive. But you have not borrowed from England any laws that would redound to the benefit of labor, such as the law for honest inspectors of manufactures, the law for a normal workday, the law tor labor statistics and sanitary inspection and control of workshops and workers' abodes, and some more. In this country the disinherited workman has no other right of resistance, when insufficient wages are offered him, but to refuse and to—starve or become a tramp, a beggar 01* criminal. If his self-help goes anyfurther than to beg other starving workmen not to fill his place, he is liable to be clubbed down by the police, shot down by the militia, or sentenced by judges to prison. He is not even allowed to obstruct sidewalks and sidewalks and passages while defending peacably his right to live by honest labor. The law which does not prevent upstart capitalists and soulless corporations from taxing him, subjugating him and his rights by bribed egislation, and from wallowing in luxuries without work, the same lav/ has clogged every resistance of an efficient kind with which he may defend his and his family's daily bread. Do not, therefore, be surprised that the sympathy of the masses, nay of cultured people, is on the side of the law-breakers, when they act in self-defence from starvation, despotism, and blood-thirst.Nay, blood-thirst, we say it deliberately. Many a one of your exponents of opinion among the daily papers have in these mojnen * tons days spoken out your hearts desire, to imitate the massacres perpetrated on the workingmen of Paris and other European cities. We shall not forget that, be sure of it.
Newspaper Details
Minneapolis Free Flag
Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Thu, Jul 26, 1877
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 04 Apr 2022
Other Publications Near Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis Uusi Kotimaa
Minneapolis Echo de l Ouest
Minneapolis Minnesota Stats Tidning
Minneapolis journal
Minneapolis Free Flag
