_Social Democratic Herald, September, 1904_
The workingman is the only man in whose presence I take off my hat. As I
salute him, I honor myself.
The workingman—and this is the day to write him in capital letters—has
given me what I have, made me what I am, and will make me what I hope to
be; and I thank him for all, and above all for giving me eyes to see, a
heart to feel and a voice to speak for the workingman.
Like the rough hewn stone from which the noble statue is chiseled by the
hand of man, the Toiler is the rough-hewn bulk from which the perfect
Man is being chiseled by the hand of God.
All the workingmen of the earth are necessary to the whole
Workingman—and he alone will survive of all the human race.
Labor Day is a good day to rest the hands and give the brain a chance—to
think about what has been, and is, and is yet to be.
The way has been long and weary and full of pain, and many have fallen
by the wayside, but the Unconquerable Army of Labor is still on the
march and as it rests on its arms today and casts a look ahead, it
beholds upon the horizon the first glowing rays of the Social Sunrise.
Courage, comrades! The struggle must be won, for Peace will only come
when she comes hand in hand with Freedom.
The right is with the labor movement and the gods of battle are with the
Working Class.
The Socialist Party and the Trade Union Movement must be one today in
celebration of Labor Day and pledge each other their mutual fidelity and
support in every battle, economic and political, until the field is won
and the Workingman is free.
Forget not the past on Labor Day! Think of Homestead! Think of Latimer!
Think of Buffalo! Think of Coeur d’Alene! Think of Croton Dam! Think of
Chicago! Think of Virden! Think of Pana! Think of Leadville! Think of
Cripple Creek! Think of Victor! Think of Telluride!
These are some of the bloody battles fought in the past in the war of
the Workers for Industrial Freedom and Social Justice.
How many and how fierce and bloody shall be the battles of the future?
Comrades, this is the day for Workingmen to think of the Class Struggle
and the Ballot—the day for Labor to clasp the hand of Labor and girdle
the globe with the International Revolutionary Solidarity of the Working
Class.
We are all one—all workers of all lands and climes. We know not color,
nor creed, nor sex in the Labor Movement. We know only that our hearts
throb with the same proletarian stroke, that we are keeping step with
our class in the march to the goal and that the solidarity of Labor will
vanquish slavery and Humanize the World.