ABSTRACT

John Swinton's abolitionist background helps explain the Paper's interest in the Civil War. According to Swinton, the issue of "the rights of labor" had preceded the Civil War, but had only been "brought to the front" after the war. Swinton's circle believed that monopolists would be powerless without the state forces that defended their interests. In 1883, Swinton wrote William T. Sherman a letter inquiring about the veracity of reports that quoted him as saying "that there would soon come an armed contest between Capital and Labor" fought with "shot and shell, gunpowder and cannon." Swinton addressed the issue of Brown's use of force, as well as his condemnation by the legal system. Labor leaders believed that the fight against chattel slavery represented just one chapter in the struggle to defend the Republic. They sought to make wage slavery the next battle.