Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-04-15
WORKING MEMS MEETING.
Tremendous RemOnsIranee Against
the Passage of the Newton Bill.
Speeches, music, Great Enthusiasm.
Procession, &c.

Although posters announcing that the
working men Of this city would hold q pub
9 lie meeting on Friday, had been up but 9
Sday or two, a tremendous assembly, esti-
Fmsted from four to five thousand, gathered
Cat two o'clock yesterday afternoon about an
sextemporized stand at the northeast corner
Ssof the Park, to hear the speeches of several
s men from abroad, and protest against the
spasEage by the Legislature of Ohio of the
spending Newton Bill, which provides that
1any one entering into any leagues or COM
.abinations for the purpose of preventing, by
force or threatening, any one from engag-
aing in any employment at any wages or
Compensation, shall, on conviction, be fined
snot more than $500, nor less than $40
zand be confined in the dungeon of the
County Jail, and fed on bread and
swater, not less than Eve, nor more than
twenty days.
{ This is general movement of the work
4ing men of the city, and not clique or
psrtisan concern. They have agitated the
3question for the last ten days, and become
,as one man in their views of the situation
sand policy to be pursued. Several men
from abroad were inYited to come and talk
to the people. A number came and ad-
dresssd the crowd at length.
The following gentlemen were the officers
of the meeting:
8 President-Thomas Cuyler.
q s.o,otor;as John Stursnicker.
4 9eere'Sfie'- John Maitland.
After a stirring blast from the Temper
ance Band, Jonathan c. Fincher, of Phila-I
sdelpbia, President of the International
Union of Machinists and Blacksmiths, and
editor of the Trade Reuielo, was introduced !,
and received with loud cheers. We give
barely the substance of his speech:
They were here to declare the indepeu !
sdence of every working man, in general,
and to protest as one man against the pass
age of the Newton Bill, which PROPOSES to
make criminals of ABOUT 5000 Of Ohio's
Z best workingmen, and aims to break up ali
combinations of laboring men.
4 Are these combinations wrong? If so,
they should be broken up. If right, they.
cannot be set aside by any legislation.
Workmen must sell their labor, and thew
4musb beIl IL Ior enough 10 support their
Families. No man has a right to deviate
from this. But unsupported, the laborer
often has TO do this or starYe. Bolstered up
by com binations, he can stand erect.
No man has right to FIRE his own dwell
ling simply because 1t is his own and cap
italists should be locked up if they attempt
to take the value out of the labor of the
working classes.
These combinations, which the capital +
lists are trying to break up, are not disso- !
gcial and disorganizing in their tendencies,
They are schools, second school and digci
ipline for the masses of laborers. (
The conditions of the working men in
England, now and fifty years ago, before
unions and combinations were formed /
there, were contrasted, with the conclusion
that their present condition is infinitely (
improved. Wages received by working (
Imen there nearly equal, all things cCnsid- {
Iered, those allowed lsbOrers here. 3
The North has progressed because labor
has hei- free here. The South had 3 max
i'm /; "t ,pitsl ought 10 own Labor" But