Haymarket Affair Digital Collection

Illinois vs. August Spies et al. trial evidence book. People's Exhibit 102.
Arbeiter-Zeitung (Newspaper) article, untitled, 1886 Jan. 19

2 p.
Introduced into evidence during testimony of E. F. L. Gauss (Vol. K p. 721-732), 1886 July 31.
Transcript of translation of article.


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[Image, People's Exhibit 102, Page 1]

PEOPLE'S EX.102.

"At a meeting held at Mueller's hall on Sunday January 18th, Comrade M Schwab spoke as follows, which appeared in the issue of the Arbeiter Zeitung June 19th:

"In America nothing is to be expected from the two political parties. If they had meant their promises seriously they would have fulfilled them long ago, of political freedom we cannot speak in Illinois in view of the existing laws against conspiracy, which go against the working man, but because we know (concluded the speaker) that the ruling class will never make any concessions, therefore we have once for a all severed our connection with it and make all preparations for a revolution by force."

Hereupon Comrade August Spies was given the floor--he said:

"That he was accused by a little paper to have called upon the workingmen to commit criminal acts. He conceded that and repeated it again. What is crime anyway? When the workingman was putting himself in the possession of the fruites of his labor stolen from him, that was called a crime. A pseudo-opponent had remarked that he could bring about the emancipation of the working classes through the ballot. This was however impossible, if the ballot had been of advantage to the workingman then Napoleon and Bismarck never would have given the franchise to the people; the ballot was


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serving only for the covering over of capitalistic tyranny and highway robbery. The speaker pointed out the miserable condition of the coal-diggers in the Hocking Valley had gotten into, and in conclusion he gave his hearers the advice to frequently visit the meetings of the International Workingmen's Association and to read the organs of the workingmen for the purpose of informing themselves."


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