TWO GOVERNMENTS IN MORTAL COMBAT.
We have two distinct governments in our country, whose interests are antagonistic and irreconcilable. One government is the United States; the other, the United Trusts and Syndicates. The former is democratic; the other despotic. This inner-treasonable despotism controls our industry, commerce and means of life and pleasure. It is using the United States government as a machine to enforce its decrees and extend its dominion, hoping soon to abolish the last vestige of popular rule. It is world-wide in its extent, and only uses local and national governments as means of power.
The United States enacts laws openly. The United trusts and syndicates enacts laws secretly. Disobedience to our state laws is punished only after a public trial, but the merchant who breaks a trust law is ruined without a trial, the laborer who ignores it is secretly blacklisted; the minister who defies it is forced out of the church, and the lawyer disregarding it loses his profitable practice. The nation enacts a law and the trust officers laugh at it so far as it applies to them, and then, by gaining control of the law-enforcing power, use this law as an additional club in the subjugation of their victims.
When the people attempt to defeat a new aggression on the part of the trusts by carrying out the plan of some renowned thinker, known to be uninfluenced by special interests, the emissaries of the trusts scatter the people by crying: "EXPERIMENT." "An untried and Utopian scheme," "Innovators." While the patriots argue as to whether their plan is really an EXPERIMENT, the enemy captures a new position.
The United Trusts and Syndicates, by experimenting constantly and pushing forward all along the line and at the same time by convincing the United States not to EXPERIMENT, succeeds in approaching the same relation to its rival government that a live ant sustains to a dead worm. By incessant and fearless activity, and by using our constitution, traditions and flag as a blind, this irresponsible despotism is fast nearing the time when it hopes to throw off its mask and publicly usurp supreme power. Not a day passes but these organized conspirators try some new EXPERIMENT, attempt some new aggression never dared before, attack some nearer outpost of the people's liberties heretofore thought impregnable.
Often these EXPERIMENTS fail. The people are sometimes bull-headed, and repulse the attack with loss to the United Trusts and Syndicates. But failing once, twice or a hundred times, do they cease to EXPERIMENT? Even though they lose millions in attempting some audacious act, do they therefore refuse to attempt another act equally bold? Never. They see clearly that all enterprise, all progress, all victory, all increase in power and dominion, result only from repeated EXPERIMENTS. The boldest of all EXPERIMENTS was the hatching of the conspiracy that gave their present organization birth. EXPERIMENT gave them all they have. They live and grow by it. To stop EXPERIMENT is to stop action, for the modern world is a new world and in it there are no tried and beaten paths. The floods and glaciers of innovation have carried away the ancient landmarks, and by raising new barriers and structures largely shut off from all progressive peoples, even the kindly rays from the lamp of experience. Not agitators, but science and invention, have pushed us away from the ancient world, with its well-worn roads and lighthouses, and where we walk now human feet never trod before. The light from our foreheads is our only lamp, and eternal truth our only guide, prefer to EXPERIMENT, OR TO BE EXPERIMENTED ON; TO BE THE SURGEON, OR THE CORPSE.
The Democratic party in power in 1900 controlled by the common people will, without doubt, EXPERIMENT boldly. It will lead our government into new and untried ways, as our enemies very clearly and very truthfully predict. It will, without doubt, commit blunders and make mistakes. The one thing that above all and in spite of all it is pledged to do, is to arouse the United States government from its paralysis, stupor and corpse-like state of being experimented on, and declare that whatever the EXPERIMENTS of the future, instead of being made ON THE UNITED STATES, THEY SHALL BE MADE BY THE UNITED STATES.
The important question for the citizens of the United States to answer is simply this: Do you prefer to EXPERIMENT, or to be experimented on; to be the surgeon, or the corpse?
When the victimized people declare their independence, through their own government, of the despotism of the trusts, it will necessarily be an EXPERIMENT.
Every time General Grant ordered an attack on the forces defending negro slavery, he tried an EXPERIMENT. Never could he tell exactly what the result would be. There might be more dead Union men than Confederates, or there might possibly be more dead Confederates than Union men. The one thing of which he was certain, however, was that his duty consisted in going ahead, and, when defeated, he gathered his troops together and tried again. He knew that, if followed long enough, his plan would crush the Confederacy.
So each attack on the white slave power to-day is an EXPERIMENT. We cannot at any time foretell the immediate result. An attack on a special monopoly may fail. Many times we may be repulsed with loss, but by constantly renewing the attack and continuing to press forward we shall eventually triumph. During the late war, the southern states defended black slavery. They lost. Black slavery was abolished. To-day, the southern states, dominated by the common people, have espoused the cause of liberty and to the oppressors of the North and East they say, "White slavery also must be destroyed."
Both parties are parties of EXPERIMENT. The only difference is that we avow ours openly and write them in our platform, while the experiments and aggressions of the Republican party are planned in secret and executed in dark corners where only traitors and adventurers are allowed admittance.
To hesitate and refuse to EXPERIMENT is to tie our hands and remain inactive, while our enemies harass us, rob us, and assault us from all directions. It is as important to weaken the enemy as it is to strengthen your own forces. Therefore, when by an extensive literature the money-power instill in the people a horror of EXPERIMENT, they palsy their limbs and incapacitate them for defense.
Therefore, the Democratic Volunteers will frankly admit the charge that they favor EXPERIMENT and will boldly proclaim that EXPERIMENT is one of the foundation stones of their creed. By ceaseless and tireless repetition in every community of our nation we will ask the people to begin to EXPERIMENT on their own account, instead of permitting EXPERIMENT to longer remain a monopoly in the hands of those who continually decry it. We will ask them to decide whether they will longer remain objects of EXPERIMENT, or, by government action, begin to EXPERIMENT on their persecutors.
CHAPTER XI.
WITNESSES FOR PLUTOCRACY DISCREDITED.[8]
When the nature of the present world conflict is understood, those who favor the people's cause will cease to receive any further instruction or advice whatever from their enemies or the allies or agents of their enemies.
If America declared open war upon Britain should we put the slightest confidence in any statement, emanating from English sources as to the best line of attack? And, if a coterie of young Britishers were to enter our camp and advise our soldiers to open fire in a northward direction, should we not rather suspect an attack from the enemy on the south? Is it not a rule in war always to fire in the direction opposite to that advised by your enemies? In all business and other practical affairs of life is it not universally recognized as the extreme of folly to accept as facts the statements of those who may profit by our discomfiture?
Most assuredly! And it is time for the merchants and workingmen of America to apply to their political struggle these simple maxims so well established elsewhere.