The People of the State of Illinois vs. August Spies et al.
Evidence - People's Exhibit 73

Editorial
Translated transcription of article published in the Arbeiter-Zeitung, May 4, 1886
First introduced during testimony of Eugene Seeger (Vol. K pp. 701-720)

 

Arbeiter Zeitung. May 4th.

EDITORIAL.

Blood has flowed. It happened as it had to. Order has not drilled and disciplined her murdering hounds in vain. The militia has not been drilled in street fighting for mere sport. The robbers who know best themselves what a mean rabble they are, who keep up their mammon by rendering the masses wretched, who make the slow murdering of laboring men's families their vocation, they are the last to be afraid of directly butchering the laboring men. Down with the rabble is their watchword. It is not an historical fact, that private property has had its origin in acts of violence of all sorts? and shall the "rabble" the laboring men, allow this capitalistic pack of robbers to carry on through hired assassins their bloody orgies? Nevermore! The war of classes has come. In front of McCormick's factory workmen were shot down yesterday whose blood cries for vengeance. Who will any longer deny that the ruling tigers are thirsting for the workman's blood? Countless victims have been slaughtered upon the altars of the golden calf amidst the triumphant shouts of the capitalistic band of robbers. One has only to think of Cleveland, New York, Brooklyn, East St. Louis, Fort Worth, Chicago, and countless other places, in order to recognize the tactic of the extortioners. It is "Terror to our working cattle". But the laborers are not sheep, and the white terror will be answered with the red. Do you know what that means? Very well, you will find that out yet.

Modesty is a vice of the workingmen, and can there be anything more modest than this eight hour demand? Peaceably the workmen made it already a year ago, in order not to neglect to give the extortioner opportunity to prepare for it; and the answer to this was: to drill the police force and the militia, and to browbeat the laborers who worked in favor of the eight hour system. And yesterday blood flowed. This is the manner in which these devils reply to a modest petition of their slaves!

Death rather than a life of wretchedness! If workmen must be shot at, well then, let us answer them in a manner which the robbers will not soon forget again. The murderous capitalistic beats have become drunk with the smoking blood of laborers. The tiger lies ready for the jump; his eyes sparkle eager for murder; impatiently he whips his tail, and the sinews of his clutches are drawn tight. Self defense causes the cry "To arms"! "To arms!" If you do not defend yourselves you will be torn in pieces and ground by the animal's teeth. The new yoke which awaits you in case of cowardly retreat is heavier still and harder than the severe yoke of slavery as it exists now.

All the powers hostile to the workingman have made common cause. They recognize their common interest. They have the necessary class consciousness. In such days as ours are everything else must be subordinated to this one thought: How can the thieving, together with their gangs of hired murderers, be made harmless?

The whole newspaper gang makes up the lie to-day that the strikers who were in the neighborhood of McCormick's factory yesterday were the first to fire. That is a bold bare faced lie, on the part of the journalistic ragamuffins. Without any warning whatever they fired at the workmen who then of course returned the fire. Indeed, why sho