The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-09-04


STRICT letter Of the Law, can now be paid N law
fhl money.
Resolved, That Congress should provide fo
the funding Of that portion Of the national deb
nos required for circulating medium, by th,
issue OF long bonds, bearing interest mot exceed
ing Sos per cent, and shat or United State
currency rotes, at the option Of the holders
should be convertible or recoverable into such
bonds At par. ri.
The same delegate offered the following
which Likewise had q similar reference -
WHkREAs. The price .of American labor il
above the wages paid for labor in other co1n-
tries; and
WHEREAT, The products Of the cheaper labol
OF foreign countries, when imported into th,
United States, compete with the prod uctions o
American labor 10 our home markets, to th,
manifest injury Of our workiDgmen, thereby de-
cressing enterprise, industrial independence anC
Diversity Of employments, and tending to de
grade our labor and force down the wages o
American workingmen to the level of the i'll
paid millions Of Europe therefore, be il
Resoved, That,we demand such. adjustment o
the dasies on oil commodities produced by tn,
labo5 of foreign countries a. will Adequately
prosecs Ansficsn labor, and restrain the ex-
eessive importation Of commodities abroad
which we have the raw material, the skill anC
me ability TO produce in our own country.
John nj. Bossong, Of New York, offered
tie following, which had like reference
with the foregoing
Resolved, That tax OF ten cents be levied
upon esch workingmen represented in this Ma
tionai Labor Union, five cents of which is to be
appropriated 20 the erection of a suitable monu-
ment to the memory Of William H. Sylvis, and
the remaining Eve cents for the support and
education Of the wife and children OF the de-
ceased President.
Mr. Dav presented the report OF the Resi-
dent and Executive Committee. Il reads as
follows:
On this, the Third Congress or the Ma
tloDal Labor Union, we meet, first TO condole
with each other on the departure from this
life OF our well-Deloved President, whose
work and worth are before as, q glorious ex.
ample, which We all see and feel it our duty
to emulate, and perseverc 10 the work be 50
manfully defended and nobly carried for
ward. Believing that mis- spirit still lends
its power 10 cheer US forward and onward,
we will not stop and feel awed or discour-
aged, but move forward, assured that we
have not only his approving smile, but the
help Of God aud the angels, from whom in
oil nature We see, feel, and know, that labor
Is praise, and all humanity Its expression.
We meet to-day, friends, not as a new
party or organization, feeble and puerile
the few years Of our existence as . party
does not measure the date of our existence,
nor can our number tell our strength.
We are here the living embodied element
OF national greatness the same influence
which went forth ct Bunker Hall and Con.
cord, at Lexington and Brandywine, speaks
out day in the same unmlstakable ring
which there struck out for freedom, and
down with tyraRny-stands boldly forth TO-
day to join heart and hard, aud swear az.
ainst bondage.
In the National Labor Union are the peo-
pie who have neither time, money, or inclin-
atioE to frit away the precious hours in
fashions giddy throng-following the exam
pie Of bondhOlders and bankers dancing and
tettng - when thousands upoa thousands
whom We have sworn TO protect are strug.
Cling in the jaws Of poverty, with certain
destruction at their doors; nay, friends,
ours 10 sot N gathering where fiunkyism and
-ahaddy -gliStsn- sn-iR.ahs-sas-lightaad.dasEl il. in
the sun. We care not 10 worship gold, nor
to bow In silence to that strategy which has
placed our idols safe, and her millions out Of
the reach Of the laboring men.
We are here the solid men Of our land
We meet knowing no sectional lines no party
spirit, which would ghake q boundary over
which great democracy may not travel with
safety, men Of the South, Of the North, of the
East, and Of the West, come to-day with one
common interest and one common claim.
Nor do We come to lay the trophies OF war
upon the altar Of Mars, and boast our separ-
ate claim to authority ard to power. Ours
10 no such meeting, and we trust that no
one present has in mis- heart q remnant OF
that fearful seed which allows one to say to
another, my State must have this or that
iavoriusm, to the expense or exhaustion Of
sister State or boundary" Ny friends, we
have oil seen enough Of that-we come, a
demand oil the aga necessity peace
necessity. We come to represent ana pro-
tect the people-to draw closer together the
lines which are so steadily dividing capitol
and labor-to strike a well-directed blow at
the anarchy which is 50 determinedly spring
ing up in our land-to reduce, aud simplify,
and equalizs labor, to keep our money out of
the hands Of foreign capitalists, to compel
Congress AMI our representatives to remain
true TO the one hope which CLEANS out Of the
darkness, namely, the will OF the people, the
law ofthe land to demand proper prOtec-
Iion for the entire country 70 destroy All
monopoly which holds, per force of money,
control Of certain important lines Of trans
portstior, to crush Tor ever the spirit and
power which blocks up an@ Sbmpels the
great mass to pay tribute Vi the now xhaus-
ted vampires Of the East khd the Atlantic.
We do not meet to congTatul@e, and keep
IN Ignorance the masses; QUA platform, and
The articles therein stated, are up To all their
dePands and under their just measure and
broad positions our ranks are being filed ;
bat these remain immutable and unchanged
IN sll their substance and spirit.
We want no toadyIng politicians to spread
n net with promised power as bait. " all
such We say TO our members beware for he
Who is not with US in means, 10 heart, and
in soul, is against US.
Our numbers are steadily increasing ::
there 10 now large majority IN the South,
eager, earnest men, rea1y to JOIN US, urging
us to cOme-znd aic taem to organize and 70
show them how 80 great power az we pos
s~ss may oless them. The great West, with
NIL Hs vitality and vigor, beckons US onward
aud forwarj-Daugut remains but to accept
the offer, and the numbers which are already
knocking nc our coors tor admIttance assure
Us victory.
We demand bearing and a recognition,
which has been asked again and again, and
now we have only 60 say we can aud will
take it
There are two echoes 10 the great gulf
which divide us-on the one side We hear
the nations promises to pay, honor I-on
the other we hear population; and Of the
latter term, which seems 10 shock the par
lor patriots, let US say no more. 1t is not
the voice Of the lew vino have grown des-
perate and reckless. 1t is the sober, second
thought Of the old men Of our time, who
look INTO the darkness about Us and know ia
their souls their Is no hope for the genera
ton Who shall follow them-naught but our
sure gliding into decay and destruction.
This 10 not thing to pray for, nor a time
tO fold hands in silence. and leave TO