Peoples' Exhibit. 71. page 71.

What will the 1st of May bring?
Hopes and fears roused to the highest pitch.
The workingmen bold and determined.
The extortioners are afraid but do not reform.
The Communists have all the blame.
The situation in general.

The decisive day has arrived. The laboring man, borne up and inspired by the justice of his cause, knocks at the doors of his oppressors and demands an alleviation of his lot, a lessening of his burden, a slight restriction of the robbery of which he is the victim. The answer of the insatisable thieves is the old, but always new one: "Insolent rabble, do you mean to dictate to us? That you will do to your sorrow. Hunger will soon rid you of your desire for any notions of liberty. Police, executioners and militia will give their aid."

Men of labor, that is the answer they give you when, after unspeakable sufferings, toils and privations for your extortioners, you dare raise your bowed head. As long as you slavishly acknowledge the gracious kicks of your oppressors with words of gratitude and humility, as long as you

created treasures without a murmur and laid them most submissively in their laps, so long ye poor blind ones were faithful dogs.

Did this part no longer please you? did you recognize that it was humilitating and shameful, since you abandoned it? Have you skulls been penetrated by a ray of that light which has at all times illuminated the path of humanity when it struggled for freedom and happiness? Or did hunger drive you to shake off your servile nature? No matter. You have thereby seriously offended your extortioners. They are enraged. They will attempt through hired murderers to do away with you like mad dogs. Are you prepared for every emergency?

In this serious conflict there is fortunately no lack of incidents which cause pleasure and merriment. Here, for instance, is the old harlequin Raster. He writs this morning that this whole movement of the workingmen, this grand struggle for existence on the part of that numerically strongest class of people, has been instigated by a few German communists.

The German communists, however much they feel themselves flattered by the unintended compliment, are too modest and too sensible to consider it seriously, especially as this same clown in his amusing antics scarcely two weeks ago, with malicious satisfaction, declared that, if the German communists

would apologize to the Knights of Labor, they would probably assign them to the position of underlings.

This is very inconsistent; but for that very reason it is so amusing. The other capitalistic priestcraft of the press also strive to belittle the great popular movement, in proclaiming "Only a few Dutch communists are at the bottom of it all". The fools evidently do not understand that in doing so they attribute to the communists a significance which they are continually endeavoring to deny.

It is true, the intellectual thought, the idea underlying the modern labor movement, is socialism. It is also true that the communists have a hand in the game everywhere. But does that change the fact that the people who in their obscure aspiration follow these "wicked men" on the ladder of historical developement, are well conscious of the one true way? Yes, gentlemen, take into your account the great masses, who in all their movements and acts only follow the iron law of casual necessity; take into account this popular movement, which step by step confirms the correctness of "these crazy socialistic ideas". We are tired of arguing

with conceited blockheads. You will have to address yourselves, gentlemen, to the masses with your scruples and your objections.