The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-10-21

LuclI llEuiat tAu Nttl - 7tNl Ahff WIZ
making progress. In this country We
have had labor conventions at Ball-
more last year, aud IN Chicago this
year. 10 was the intention To cut loose
from all the political organizations
aud form . great national party that
would more etiectuallY look after the
rights and interests OF labor. They eN-
p-ctrd even TO run q candidate for the
Presidency upon that platform. The
organization was 10 20 on until not
only the legislatures Of the States, but
Congress aud the National Govern
ufeut were placed right upon the prin-
ciplss OF labor reform. some people
mil lat ask whether this was an agrarian
movement. lie would answer. No!
Nothing OF the kind. IL was
not an attempt TO array
labor against capital, but simply 10
secure the former her rights, her Just
rewards aud her proper position. IL
was notorious that the legislation ofthe
country was not impartial as between
labor and capital. Wealth controlled
too much of the legislation OF the land.
Its disposition was 20 advantage ltsrii
al the expense Of labor. He cited tue
case of capitalist from New York Of
great wealth, who bought heavy min
ing interest I'm Tioga county, Pennsyl-
vania. and undertook to reduce the
wages OF his employees, and because
they would not yield, he attempted TO
eject them from his tenement houses.
To this purpose he went to Harrisburg
aud got las passed enabling him TO
elect his tenants at ten days notice. And
he did eject them in mid-winter, and, as
zsn To death one night. IL
WAS this sort of sway OF capital over la
Dor that the reform was combating,
this tendency and ability to coerce the
rights and interests of labor. IL was
useless 10 expect proper redress at the
hands OF the political parties OF the day.
The democracy had been in control OF
The government for many years, and
what had they done for the elevation Of
lahsr or the furtherance of its interestsT
And what had the Republican party
doneg Neither of them had discharged
their duty 10 the bone and sinew or the
country. The rebellion was mon
-truus raid OF capital upon labor-a
vast effort tO subject, control, ana de-
grade labor under the name OF slavery.
The working men OF the nation had
saved tine Union. II was their efforts
that had snatched the government from
destruction. Does the government ~.
ward them tor their services No! The
clerks at Washington work six or sew
en- hours per day, bat the labor
erS work ten hours. And yet VINO
does the harderi aud most ntces-
ssry work. The labor of the country
mad the right tn protest against ali such
INEQUALITIES. They had the right, aud
they intended To exercise d, To demand
that those la power shall remember
that this i "a government OF the people
OF the masse--Ot tuilIug millions. IL
WAS the fault OF the wOrkingmen OF the
country that things stood AS they do
throughout the land. They had the
votes To prevent such a state of things,
and they were responsible for not using
the elective franchise gu their own be-
half Four-tifths OF the ballots cast In
the land come from the hands OF labor
ing men And Vet that other nun,
with it, money aud its brains, ruled
over the majority, subordinaled IT. IN
terests TO the minority and aggrandized
the fruits oflabOr IN their n interes Is.
The speaker addressed himself TO the
subject Of financial legislation, aud,
among other things, TO the question OF
I the currency and government bonds
I The demand Of labor was for the taxa
tion of these bonds, not their repudia-
ton. he quoted Thad. Stevens, Gen.
Butler. and Chief Justice Chase. The
. latter, be said, had given Il a. MS opin-
| ion that the bonds were not 10 be per-
mAnently exempted from taxation.
/ Aud the first named had stated In the
course of debate in Congress that Il WAS
not contemplated 10 pay the Five.
| Twenties IN gold. The workingmen oil
| the country demanded policy OF equl-
table taxation, and no privileges oil
class or caste. In Pennsylvania, legis-
alton disoriminated against The man oil
moderate property. The owner OF "A
small house. worth, say $500, was as
sessed nj valuation OF say s4OO, while
the owner Of $4,000 ON Penn
street, in Pittsburgh, was assessed NJ
valuation OF $500, perhaps. Was
such taxation anything more thsh
gross iujusticeY ~.
Again. the vocation of manlike hun
self was taxed S2OO-wh bile the vocation
OF some other man, who counted hl-
gains by the ten or twenty thousand,
Was taxed one, two or three Thousand
dollars. That was not exact ana lln
partial justice, The report OF Onheu
0 States Commissioner Wells showed thA'
only about 60O,0OO persons 10 the couu-
try paid an income tax. CAT OF ~, wv,
900 OF people IL appeared tliat IN these
DAYS OF deprecated money only OoO'VVu
got enough of II To return an Income
of over six hundred dollars per anhuui'
That report also showed that WINE Wa
ges had only been inflated ~ per ceni.
The neces-aries of life been had lnnatee'
$50 per cent. .,-A
men were not d. 10 ACT as legislators
. lie begged leave TO reminu such per
.ons that a man who once carrier
hod In the town OF MHnsheiu, oulo'
was nOw Senator rom iowa. ne ~
f.rr.,d ~ senator KirwoOd. Then. there
was BsDjamin Franklin once printer
aud Eiihu Burritt, once blscAsthi,n,
aud other like men. some people slso
laid that IN case workingmen were
elected to Legislative porluons, tha'
thew too. wOull sell out ther consult
uents. Well, admit the srgu meni.' ne
had sho wn that selling out was tht
practice on the the part OF DemOcrats
aud Republicans. The Workihs ,le u
coull 10 no worse ID was their time
TO sell out aud get grab. Others mao
been grabbing a long Tune anu
change would he nothing more than
I fair Just now. This is the answer ne
would make 10 the argument OF thoss
who asserted that labOring men wouIu
sell out.
In conclusion. the speaker observed
thai he did not desire 10 dictate 10 the
workingmen Of Wheeling As to theli
course. Whatever satisfied them sat
Listed him. In Pittsburg they had cut
loose and stool. OF from all other par
ties ss an independent organization.
ssYou fellows have your own destiny IN
your own hands, whatever suits you
suits me. thank yOu for your attend,
ance and beg leave to wish you good
night"
greeted the speaker during his speech
Amer be bad sat down the ehairmsn In,
ltroduced Mr.. Miller who was connected
with The Pittsburgh Evening Adroe1te