276 HISTORY OF THE WHEEL AND ALLIANCE. 



tion. They seem to forget, or not to comprehend, the fact 

 that all the power possessed by capital to oppress labor is 

 derived from legislation. They seem not to know that 

 politics is the vital force of capital, the holy religion of 

 combinations of wealth and corporate monopoly. 



If they will study the records of Congress, and even 

 State Legislatures, they will see that nine-tenths of the leg- 

 islation is in the especial interest of capital and corpora- 

 tions to fortify them against the growing murmurs of labor 

 and to grant them special powers and privileges to rob and 

 oppress individual enterprises. Because labor organiza- 

 tions have ignored political action, political parties have 

 ignored the laborer, and hence he has neither voice or 

 representation in Congress. Without political action the 

 labor organizations are as helpless as are the Chinamen, or 

 as were the slaves at the south. 



The average Congressman fears nothing but the ballot, 

 and respects nothing but well-directed and ably-conducted 

 political action. 



Five million laborers in rank and file, shooting reso- 

 lutions and moral essays at Jay Gould, would only amuse 

 him, and perhaps encourage him to give the thumb-screw 

 another turn. But let five hundred thousand, or even half 

 that number, shoot ballots at his nefarious schemes and 

 privileges of robbery, and he will turn pale and tremble 

 like an aspen leaf. 



The agricultural districts, from the Atlantic to the 

 Pacific, have their industrial and economic associations 

 and alliances. They have for years met and discussed 

 their grievances, they are all familiar with the pernicious 

 laws which have enabled capital to oppress them, they are 

 unanimous in their hatred of law-created monopolies, and 

 are agreed generally upon the proper remedies, but because 

 they have ignored political action, the evils increase and 

 multiply, as they go from their anti-monopoly council- 



