The Accused and the Accusers; The Famous Speeches of the Eight Chicago Anarchists in Court. When Asked If They Had Anything to Say Why Sentence Should Not Be Passed Upon Them. on October 7th, 8th and 9th, 1886. Chicago, Illinois

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1886*. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... assembled in Richmond, Va., representing our American workingmen in the convention of the Knights of Labor. That congress, THAT ORGANIZATION IS THE REPLY 'which is being made by peaceable laborers to the rifle-diet advice, the strychnine business, and the hand-grenade business, and club business advice by the Chicago, New York. Philadelphia, and other large papers in this country. These men are assembled in self-defense. The conflict is the struggle between liberty and authority--authority in any and every form. Those who are in authority tell the working' men that if they want to enjoy the law and the protection of the law. they must render a cheerful obedience to the law. Why a man, when he flogs his slave for disobedience tells him the same thing. Your honor, according to your construction of sentence, or the reason which you propose as a portion of the ground work upon which you expect to render your proposed sentence, you deny the right of Americans to DEFEND THEMSELVES AGAINST THE RIFLE DIET, and to protest against these outrageous things, to object to the strychnine business. These are the things that have made us what we are. If there be any wrong in me I am the product of these conditions. I am the creature of circumstance; I am the effect of a cause. Now, where is that cause? What is that cause? But, if it comes to that, the right of free speech, the right of free press, the right of peaceable assemblage, and the right of self.defense is denied to the workingmen; if that is going to be denied us by the courts of law, what is going to be the result? Why, the workingmen will immediately say as a matter of necessity, "Why, of what use to us is the law? WHAT IS THE CONSTITUTION FOR? Of what value is it to us? It certainly must belong to somebody. Yes, it ...