HARBINGER
H
ORGANIZATION. EDUCATION. ELEVATION.
,VoL III.
Raleigh, North Carolina, June 18. 1904.
No. 24
WHEN THE OLD SUBSCRIBER QUIT
'Twu market day, and people came
From miles and miles around
To gather at the corners or
Upon the courthouse ground,
To sell their truck, to buy new duds,
To talk of this and that
And each browned face its pleasure smiled
Beneath a broad-brimmed hat.
And at the business office of
The Weekly Clarion stood
A long line of faithful ones,
To make their standing good :
And as each in his turn advanced
And his subscription filed,
The editor, beside his desk,
Just smiled, and smiled, and smiled.
For it was good to hear the clink
Of money, and 'twas fine
To know the Clarion was the guide
Of all that eager line;
' 'Twas cheering to hear that he
Had been their monitor,
And so he smiled, and smiled, and smiled.
And let his fancies soar.
Came maid and swain, came old, came
young,
Their tribute then to pay
And oh! the sun was shining fair
Upon that happy day,
Until from out the line there stepped
A hoary-headed one,
Who straghtway gloomed the cheerful
sky
And blotted out the sun.
"Look here!" he said, "I tuk this sheet
For nigh on forty year
And I ain't satisfied at all
Th' way you're doin' here!
By gum, your policies is rank,
And I come t' say
As how I don't want this blamed sheet
Another single day!"
Then ont he stalked, as having done
His duty as he knew it
"By gum, he said, "I hated tew,
But I jest had t' dew it!"
And to his clerk the editor
Turned in his deep distress:
"The deacon's stopped his paper, Jim
Go down and stop the press!"
Baltimore Nbws.
. BLESSING OF THE TARIFF.
White paper is too cheap. It
is but seventy-five per cent, dearer
is this country than it is in coun
tries where the workingmen do
wnf rror rrh on trip W3treS that
UW v - , - 5
protectionism secures to them.
That will never do. The mil
lionaires of the paper trust, like
the millionaires of the coal trust,
must have more money. Not
even a hundred per cent, above
the normal price of white paper
would compensate them for what
they do for the American work
ingmen. It is true their Ameri
can workingmen are frequently
imported; but that, too, is a be
neficence because it brings more
men for the farmers to feed.
Now the men who do the work
do not accept the millionaire's
view of the magnificence of the
wages the International Paper
Company pays when forced to
cav. They have asked for high
er wages at the great Glen Falls
mill of the trust, and the mag
nates, looking at the subject from
the principle involved they don't
care a fig for the money have
declared they will close all of the
trust's thirty-three mills before
they will yield to the shameful
and dishon-st demand for more
wages.
Meantime, with the high tariff
duty to protect the consumers
from using the imported and
pauper-made paper of Canada or
Europe, the trust doesn't care how
much the price of paper advances.
It will be sure to advance if the
supply is exnaustea in tnis coun
try, for foreign paper cannot com
plete because of the tariff
Th'i protective tariff is a great
blessing! The trusts could not
exist without it. J And then white
paper is too cheap anyhow.
Portsmouth Star.
Labor Notes.
The Boston bakers who struck
for higher wages and shorter
hours won their fight, as the
largest concerns in the Master
Bakers' Association granted their
demands at once. This averted
a bread panic.
According to the last count
there are now 35,000 women trade
unionists in Chicago. There is
scarcely a trade in which wo'inen
are employed which is not union
ized. A formal blacklist against the
New Haven road was issued by
President McNeil, of the Nation
al Boilermakers' Union. Every
union Boilermaker in America is
forbidden to work on boilers for
the Consolidated Railroad.
In accordance with the sum
mons of the Governor, after the
Government's defeat in Parlia
ment last week, Mr. Watson, the
leader of the Australian Labor
party, has formed a ministry. It
is composed entirely of members
of the Labor party, except in the
case of the Attorney-General.
The Boston Central Labor
Union has published in pamphlet
form the reply to the address of
President Eliot, of Harvard, de
livered under its auspices in Fan
euil Hall, February 21, by Frank
K. Foster, of Typographical Un
ion No. 13. Copies may be ob
tained by writing Secretary
Henry Abraham, 11 Appleton
street, Boston, - at 10 cents each,
or $5 per 100.
Fifty unions in Porto Rico
have been formed since the island
became a United States possession.
Most of them are chartered direct
by the A. F. of L., the others be
ing branches of the carpenters',
bricklayers', painters' and print
ers' international unions, whose
headquarters are in the United
States.
An attempt by Master Bakers of
Chicago to import twenty-nine
bakers from St. Louis to fill the
places of strikers resulted in the
kidnapping of twenty-seven.
Within half a block of the shops
they were surrounded by several
hundred union bakers' sympa
thizers and hustled off before the
police arrived.
Two thousand Chicago picture
frame workers went on strike
May 2d, to resist an attempt of
the picture frame molding manu
facturers' association to return to
a ten-hour workday. Although
a few of the smaller manufactur
ers have renewed last year's agree
ment with the union, the strike
will practically tie up the industry
in Chicago.
District No. 1 of the Anthracite
Mine Workers, some 75,000 'in
number, have sent a petition to
President Roosevelt asking him
to intercede in the Colorado strike.
The President is asked to institute
immediately an investigation un
der Federal jurisdiction for the
purpose of giving the people of
the country complete knowledge
of the situation and to restore
liberty to the citizens of Colorado.
COLORADO AN EXAMPLE AND A
WARRING.
Serious men throughout the
country, all men capable of
thought beyond their immediate
daily personal concerns, are ap
palled by the condition of things
in Colorado.
There is civil war in an Amer
ican State. Battles are being
fought between citizens and the
militia, following upon acts of
violence committed by striking
miners and upon striking miners
by the mine owners and their as
sociates. The civil officers have
been compelled to resign with
ropes around their necks placed
there not by the strikers, but by
the Citizens' Alliance, composed
of employers. Many lives have
been lost, and much property has
been sacrificed, and each side to
the conflict accuses the other of
excelling in murder and destruc
tion. Finally the law has been
suspended, and martial rule has
taken its place.
What isjthe cause of this fright
ful state of things ?
''The tyranny of the miners'
union its attempt to drive non
union labor from the region"
that is the answer currently given.
It is a shallow and an untrue
answer. The cause goes much
deeper, a cause which is operative
in other States than Colorado, and
everywhere must in time Produce
like results if it shall be allowed
by the American people to con
tinue to operate.
Ray Stannard Baker, an impartial in
vestigatior and witness, writing in Mc
Clure's Magazine for May, lays bare the
whole story of how lawlessness has bred
lawlessness in Colorado. He does not
spare the miners, but neither does he
spare the wealthy and eminently respect
able citiz.ns who deliberately created the
present situation.
The Western Federation of Miners
sought to organize the men working amid
the poisonous fumes of the furnaces
twelve hours out of each twenty-four,
with the object of procuring for them an
eight-hour day. The miners of Cripple
Creek and Victor went on a sympathetic
strike. The strcggle was carried into'
politics, and the Legislature passed an
eight-hour law. This statute was de
clared unconstitutional by the State Su
preme Court, although the United States
Supreme Court had previously upheld a
similar law passed in Utah, and though
such legislation has been held valid ia
Kansas, Nevada, Arizona and elsewhere.
The labor unions appealed to the peo
ple of Colorado at large, and in Novem
ber, 1902, an eight-hour law amendment
to the constitution was adopted by the
tremendous majority of 46,714 votes.
Both political parties pledged themselves
in their platforms to pass a law in accord
ance with this amendment.
Mr. Baker records what happened
when the Legislature of 1902-3 met:
At once a powerful lobby appeared,
such prominent citizens of Colorado as J.
B. Grant, representing the American
Smelting and Refining Company (the
Smelter Trust); Crawford Hill, of the
Boston Smelting Company; Caldwell Yea
man, of the Victor Coal and Coke Com
pany, and J. C. Osgood, of the Colorado
Fuel and Iron Company, one of the great
est corporations of the West these were
the same interests that had fought the for
mer, eight-hour law. They now appeared
before the Legislature, they and others,
confusing the issue ' with multitudinous
suggestions disagreeing, "jockeying"
but all the time really endeavoring to
prevent the passage of the law necessary
to make the amendment effective. It was
nothing to them that the people of Color
ado had declared such a law to be their
will by an immense majority; it interfered
witii their business interests t And they
had a lawless Legislature to deal with.
By the wording of the amendment
it was made mandatory on the Legislature
to pass the eight-hour law "The General
Assembly shall provide by law" and yet
they adjourned without passing it.
RARELY, INDEED, HAS THERE
BEEN IN THIS COUNTRY A MORE
BRAZEN, CONSCIENCELESS DE
FEAT OP THE WILL OF T PEO
PLE, PLAINLY EXPRESSED, NOT
ONLY AT THE BALLOT-BOX, BUT
BY THE PLEDGES OF BOTH PAR
TIES. AND THE CREAT CORPORA
TIONS OF COLORADO CONTINUED
SNUGLY WITH THEIR NINE, TEN
AND TWELVE HOUR DAYS EARN
ING A LITTLE MORE PROFIT
And this happened at the capital of
Colorado commonly happens at every
State capital conspicuously at Albany
whenever private interests come into col
lision with public interests. Puix AND
BOODLE PREVAIL.
"Obey the law." the restive working-
man or other citizen is told, and ritrhtlv,
"If the law does not suit you, go to the
ballot-box and change it. This is the
American way. It is your only remedy.
Try any other and you will be met by the
club of the policeman and the gun of the
soldier. It is society's duty to itself to
maintain the supremacy of the law."
So it is. But it is also equally incum
bent upon society to see to it that the law
is just that it is worthy of respect in its
origin and not a thing born of corruption
and designed to protect greed and crime.
THE WORST OF CRIMINALS IN
THIS REPUBLIC ARE THOSE WHO
POISON' THE LAW AT ITS SOURCE,
They are the foremost and most efficient
promoters of anarchy, for when they pro
cure or prevent legislation by bribery
they destroy faith in the potency of the bal
lot, and so invite violence.
Colorodo'is an example and a warning,
Wealth without moral restraint or sense
of public obligation has made a mockery
of the law there. By its own lawlessness
it has provoked answering lawlessness.
It is not only the striking miners that
are suffering the consequences of legisla
tive corruption and a partial judiciary in
Colorado. The entire State is in a tur
moil. Business throughout the common
wealth is profoundly disturbed and in
some places utterly disorganized. Idle
ness has fallen upon thousands of work
ers, and merchants find their sales dwin
dling for lack of customers. Stockhold,
ers in corporations are going without
their dividends. Taxes have risen and
must long continue high in order to pay
the cost of a militia kept on a war foot
ing for months. The corruption of Col
orado's Legislature in the interest of her
selfish and criminal corporations has
brought loss to every home in the State
and want and misery into many.
The fruits of government by the trusts
for the trusts government by private in
terests for private interests; government
by pull and boodle are being gathered
by the people of Colorado.
And these same fruits must inevitably
be gathered by the people of every State,
sooner or later, where the trusts are al
lowed to rot the government for their
own profit, regardless of the public wel
fare. The trusts, which go sack in hand to
the State capitals, are the most danger
ous of the Republic's enemies. They kill
faith in ballot, break down respect for
law, rouse class against class, spread a
spirit of desperation, and in their blind
greed and brainless contempt for conse
quences prepare the way for violence.
Tbey turn baffled and angry men's minds
toward what should be the last thought
to occur to the citizens of a manhood-suffrage
Republic rebellion and revolution.
The problem raised by Colorado is not
how to suppress violence, but how to pre
vent violence by attacking the cause.
Trust corruption, trust lawlessness
how is this to be met and conquered ?
The question goes to the pocket as well
as to the patriotism of every honest man
in the American Union.
New York American.
The Bishop of Stepney told a
striking story when addressing
the Federation of Workingmen's
Clubs the other day. He described
the confusion and noise at Liver
pool street Station one night when
the suburban trains, working-
men's trains and a number of ex
cursion trains were being rapidly
dispatched one after another. In
the midst of the noise and push
there stood a porter so calm good
tempered and helpful as to be re
markable. Atlas the bishop went
up to him and said: "My friend,
how can you do it? ' and the man
replied : "Why," sir, you ought
to know. The grace of God !"
London Mail.
Call it Hearst and let it go at
that. '
MITCHELL AGAINST PEABODY-
ALSO AGAINST EVERYBODY WHO
IS FOR HIM.
President John Mitchell, of the
United Mine Workers of Amer
ica, was before a mass meeting of
labor hosts in Coliseum Hall, in
Denver, recently. He said :
If I have a friend in Colorado,
if there is a trades unionist in
this State, if there is a good citi
zen in Colorado, who believes my
judgment to be good, I say he
should repudiate the acts of Gov
ernor Peabody.
"Governor Peabody has said
recently that he advised the coal
companies to treat with their own
employes, and the companies re
plied that they were willing to
treat with their men, but refused
to meet committees of employes
dictated to by John Mitchell.
"I say publicly that last De
cember, when I talked to Gov
ernor Peabody, I urged that the
companies treat with their own
men. I offered to withdraw all
officials of the United Mine Work
ers from the field. I was always
willing that the companies treat
with their own men. When the
Governor says to the contrary, he
lies. At that time he even had
the chance to name a committee
of miners to treat with the com
panies. "I repeat, that every person in
this State ought to repudiate this
Governor, and I say, as a Repub
lican, that the Republican party
of Colorado ought to repudiate
him. I further say that every
Republican workman in Colorado
ought to work against him.
"I say this as an admirer of the
President of the United States.
You in Colorado have been
through the mill I want to make
myself square as far as I am
concerned, and as far as every
coal miner in the State is con
cerned we're not for Peabody
we're against him.
"If theie's one's union coal
miner in Colorado that is for Pea
body I say this as far as I am
concerned he will be put out of
the union. I say this with a full
realization of what it means.
"I'm called a conservative lead
er in fact, in this western coun
try, I'm accused of being too con
servative, but I a want to say to
the most radical among you as
far as I'm concerned I'm against
Peabody. I'm against the man
that's against the common peo
pie. If a Republican stands for
the people, fight for him ; if a
Democrat is for the people, fight
for him, and if a socialist is for
the people, fight for him.
I'm against any man from any
party that's against my people,
and I'm for any man that's for my
people. I stand for men and my
people and I stand for the men
who stand for my people and
my people are the working peo
ple. I want to make this impres
sion I want to say as a personal
friend of President Roosevelt, and
a member of the Republican
pa ty, I repudiate absolutely the
acts of Governor Peabody.
"I say this with a full realiza
tion of the significance of what it
means. If the Republican party
doesn't repudiate absolutely what
Peabody has done, then I say vote
against the party. Governor Pea
body has not only disgraced the
Republican party of Colorado, but
of the entire country.
"Again as a workingman and
a Republican, I repudiate him
and I wish to repeat that I mean
what I've said about him. He's
no friend of yours ; no friend of
government ; no friend of law and
order. As a workingman, a Re
publican and citizen, I'm against
him." American Industries.
MISSION OF TRADE UNIONISM
'The American trades union
was born with a sympathetic
soul. Her ear is turned to catch
the whispering wails of oppression.
Her tongue has always denounced
the wrong and upheld the right.
Her hands have always been lift
ing men to a higher and better
life by shortening their hours of
toil, increasing their environ
ments in general. If she has
erred it has been on the side of
mercy and humanity, for, as an
organization, she has always
marched forward, only demanding
the God given and constitutional
rights of the American workmen,
seeking to arouse them to a sense
of their rights as citizens of a
great republic'and through organ
ization establish their liberty. She
has never thrown down the gaunt
let to any one and only stood by
demanding the rights of free men
under a free flag. If this is un
American I pause for some one to
show me where and why." W.
H. Mahon.
Socialism is growing more rap
idly in the United States today
than any radical economic idea
ever grew in any country during
a period of prosperity, and it is
of the most pronounced class-conscious
kind Should there come
a period of depression as in the
latter '80's it will grow many
times faster, and should a panic
like that of '93' follow, nothing
can save this country from polit
ical and industrial revolution.
The exploiting class realize this,
and they are preparing for it.
Bismarck Banner.
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