of
the world that he had been born, that in fact they had long been
waiting for just such a wise and conservative leader. And this has
a certain effect upon our new-made leader, and unconsciously,
perhaps, he begins to change--just as John Mitchell did when Mark
Hanna patted him on the shoulder and said, 'John, it is a good
thing that you are at the head of the miners. You are the very man.
You have the greatest opportunity a labor leader ever had on this
earth. You can immortalize yourself. Now is your time.' Then John
Mitchell admitted that this capitalist, who had been pictured to
him as a monster, was not half as bad as he had thought he was;
that, in fact, he was a genial and companionable gentleman. He
repeats his visit the next day, or the next week, and is
introduced to some other distinguished person he had read about,
but never dreamed of meeting, and thus goes on the transformation.
All his dislikes disappear, and all feeling of antagonism vanishes.
He concludes that they are really most excellent people, and, now
that he has seen and knows them, he agrees with them there is no
necessary conflict between workers and capitalists. And he proceeds
to carry out this pet capitalist theory, and he can only do it by
betraying the class that trusted him and lifted him as high above
themselves as they could reach.

"It is true that such a leader is in favor with the capitalists;
that their newspapers write editorials about him and crown him a
great and wise leader; and that ministers of the gospel make his
name the text for their sermons, and emphasize the vital point that
if all labor leaders were such as he, there would be no objections
to labor organizations. And the leader feels himself flattered. And
when he is charged with having deserted the class he is supposed to
serve, he cries out that the indictment is brought by a discredited
labor leader. And that is probably true. The person who brings a
charge is very likely discredited. By whom? By the capitalist
class, of course; and its press and pulpit and 'public' opinion.
And in the present state of the working class, when he is
discredited by the capitalists, he is at once repudiated by their
wage slaves."[246]

Mr. Debs's attitude toward Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Gompers is by no means
exc