Letters to Editor: February 16, 1895.

*THE WORKER*

Brisbane, February 16, 1895.

Mail Bag.

WANTED - ( to prepare way for Socialism in our Time):

One Adult One Vote.

Land Tax.

Income Tax.

State Bank.

Shop and factories Act.

Eight hours day where practicable.

Referendum and Initiative.

Taxation of every person according to ability to pay.

The State to find work for unemployed.

The State to fix a minimum wage.

Free Railways. Free administration of Justice.

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The WORKER does not hold itself responsible for the opinions of its correspondents.

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FARMER – Next week.

MYTLES THE SLASHER – Too jingoistic.

JOHN CLAY – Too late for this issue. Kindly call at office. Important.

S. GOHPERS, San Francisco – Regret unable to comply with request.

A. RELIEF MAN writes in praise of the new superintendent of relief work.

SCRUTTATOR – Your rhyme “The reason Billy left Ravensbourne” is not fit for publication.

E.W. - It is indeed a comical bill. You must steer clear of the landlady in future. That is all we can do for you.

F.R. - Your letter is an unconscious invitation to good men to blackleg. If all men give up their union principles we shall have a lovely state of affairs.

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ED. WORKER – The attitude of the Pioneer River farmers towards the kanaka reminds me of the Malay and Japanese trouble at Torres Straits. So long as the coloured divers were willing to work for low wages all went well, but as soon as they bought boats for themselves and competed with their erstwhile masters, an endeavour is made to restrict their liberty. - TASMAN.

ED. WORKER – Hardacre passed through here en route for his electorate. The residents were very much disappointed that he did not “undo his pack” and teach them a little on Labour in Politics. If they had been sure of his arrival they would have been ready for him. They are a democratic people in Taroom. We have no such animal in our midst as an aristocrat – at least not recognised. - F.G.Y.

ED. WORKER – Somebody has been writing a history of my life, I hear. The book is called “The Modern Corsair,” or something like that. I am perfectly satisfied that no one knows sufficient about me to write anything like the truth. Please find out something about the book and let me know. I will make the author dance on hot coals if I can. - Jim M. P., Burketown.

[Know nothing of the book. Will some correspondent oblige. - Ed.]

ED. WORKER – The latest move of the squatters in the Hughenden district is this: Any man applying at a station for a job is told to send his name to or call at the office of the P.U. Agent at Winton or Hughenden. The next move will be this: When applying the applicant will be required to deposit a certain sum, the same as is done at the registry offices in the cities. In fact it is already asserted that a little palm grease will of a certainty get one a job even now. - LONGINUS.

ED. WORKER – The WORKER is on the right tack in suggesting a people's daily papers with truthful reports. Only a few weeks since an eccentric family connection of the northern octopus behaved indecently, and his alias was the shelter of his pious friends. Within the week a drunken lady with a bogus name had her hail forfeited and her identity suppressed by the doodle rags, thus showing that there is one law for the police and another for the poor. - NUFSED.

ED. WORKER – Signor Crispi, the great agitator, Prime Minister, or executioner of Italy beats the record. In connection with the riot in Sicily, under his ruling the following sentences were passed: At Massa Carrara, 491 citizens to 1453 years, 8 months imprisonment; in Palerma, 380 citizens to 1545 years, 5 months; at Caltanissetta, 188 citizens to 865 years, 10 months; and in Trapany, 87 citizens to 337 years, 4 months. Total, 1145 citizens to 4199 years, 9 months imprisonment. These figures tell more than words that where King Mammon rules, power goes for right. - With special greetings from Verein Vorwarts, yours, L.G.

ED. WORKER – What was the WORKER established for? As the voice of Labour in general, or to chronicle the acts of sporting men, pugilists, spielers, &c. The mere fact of us having a certain percentage of these gentry amongst us has always been made a great point of by the P.U. and its allies, and not content with this we devote a portion of our paper to their doings. Probably the bush unionists forget that the majority of the so called free labourers that worked in the maritime strike as wharf labourers were pugilists, professional footballers and spielers – the lowest class of men on earth bar none. I expect at one of the next annual meetings we will have some other thoughtless fellows wanting a general horror column giving details of murderers, indecent assaults, unnatural offences and so forth, and I do not see why, if the WORKER is to be degraded, they should not have it. Hoping I have seen the last sporting column, I am. - LONGONUS.

ED. WORKER – The workers of Queensland are in a torpid state at present, and will continue so until shearing commences again. I respect what I said in the WORKER a few weeks ago, that unless the free labourer is educated as to his duty towards his fellow worker of the A.W.U., and also as to the foolish path which he follows in not becoming a unionist – as it requires the united efforts of all workers to do battle against capitalism , rotten politicians, coercion acts and several other monstrosities with which we have to contend – I say until the non-unionist is educated up to a proper sense of duty, we can expect the same old warfare amongst workers in the future as in the past. Let us take a look at capitalistic unions, be they pastoralists, ship-owners, mining syndicates, or whatever else they may be, and we find very few seceders from their unions. Why? Because they are properly organised, while ours, unfortunately, are not. If the organisers who have been appointed by the different branches of the G.W.U. Commence at once to instruct the bush workers in their duty towards their union and towards each other, and not await operations until the battle commences – as never did the old adage: “It is too late to sharpen one's sword when the drum beats to battle,” apply more appropriately to anything than to those of the A.W.U. who have it in their hands to lessen the evil of non-unionism amongst bushmen at the present time. I feel most confident that in five years from now, with three earnest, intelligent men who put their whole soul into the work of educating the bush workers (union and non-union) we would have twice as many Labour members in Parliament as we have at present, the free labourer would be an unknown quantity, and we would have the masses united in one grand body to do battle for their rights against the tyranny and wrong of united capitalism. If this system were practised in all the Australian colonies, in a comparatively short time we would have no need to fear the importation of non-union labour while we are fighting for our rights. - C. H.

ED. WORKER – The boys are keeping up their “pecker” for the next reduction. No public house friendships any more. Keep a few pounds in pocket and depend on selves. What becomes of the WORKERS sent to Milo? I never see one with the boys there. - T. P.

[Copies of the WORKER are sent regularly to Milo. - ED.]

ED. WORKER – I have been asked by several of your readers to convey to you congratulation re Lucinda Sharpe's letter. Also hoping she is able to continue as old in that sympathetic self-appealing strain which, above all others, produce thinkers for Socialism in our time. Again one feels there is no sham about Lucinda's Socialism. - A SOCIALIST.

ED. WORKER – The Sydney Bulletin adversely criticises Schey, M.L.A., for admitting that he had made use of the free railway pass for a lady or ladies, saying that “the principle was wrong, but while such things existed he might just as well take advantage of it as allow others to do so.” The paper is very severe on Schey. Something like this; “It is always thus. Those who make the most noise about any abuse are the ones that take advantage of same.” I am not going into the right or wrong of this particular criticism. This is what strikes me forcibly – that all our life and all our actions under the present system is one great continuous lie. I feel it so any way, and every time anyone starts to talk or write about the abuses that exist and the reforms that should be inaugurated, he should mentally add that his own faults and short comings are so many that he hardly feels consistent in opening out. But if we wait until we get a pure man to advocate and bring about the reforms that are wanted to make this a pure and happy world, or anything approaching that road, we will have to wait a rather long time. - NOVICE.