The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-09-18

-,staiued by the laOOreIs III All OtneF 0saSes'
o-sneal of what are known as "combina-
Ine IDS md " conspiracy laws" which punish
noI Omen for engaging in strikes, etc is de-
SOln 5ad IN unconditional terms. The de-
pan N matters germsne to this question
Ds.s among the most interesting Of the
EeIo The speakers were generally
OVps sIoouept, because they had each Of
qu'V .ome living experience or actual fact
tDem LITE in proof Of the injustice Of the
Vr1fsrred to. | must confess my great
la~ s;;se 10 find that there exist so many
Ptai and oppressive laws upon so many
@u, sTatute books bearing upon the sub
-: 81 They belong 70 the era Of English le-
Jt1i.,;on nrioT to 1928, when it was q cri-
G laI offence to be Trades UniOnist.
rbs abolition Of skilled convict labor was
handed. 1t was declared to be highly de-
tuDG;msntal to honest labor, as, OF course, they
IonIJ always be undersOld by it. The ques-
Co. ~" If feminine labor wGS handsomely
~. ,od A report relating to the maDufac-
VS. vs. u " slop }" clothing was followed BY
~ ;nteres.ing discussion, in which the
~ I'm or middle men was savagely de-
Y".caJ and the sbockingly low rates paid
pOS ~or.n were properly exposed. The re-
,.,ior If the Committee on this subject,
sO'1 "sH as The adopted platform of the Con-
800 are both simple, direct, aud explicit.
ELa labor movement pledges itself to sus.
ond encourage the trades organizations
liking women, to demand everywhere
Z .ome nav for the same work when as well
Sone and TO aid in every possible way the
.Oronsr opening of avenues of labor to
PoI,on. When it is remembered that the
,,sot obstacles in the way Of laboring wo-
ssD have been 100 often the united action of
i.bo,ing men, it may be fairly hailed a. .
I'M ~ great progress TO find an assembly
opmnosed almost entirely Of Trades Union
M manv Of them from avocation which
&c suffered from the introduction of Wo-
ans labor, so fully and cheerful joining
- sueb a demand. demand is made for
,bs recoenition of the importance OF Labor
inc Productive interests by the creation Ut
N Executive Department, TO be called the
"nanartment Of L1bor' The name indi.
,.,ss he object, and it would be considered
h a. proposers as properly embracing such
rotters a. these committed to the present
Deoartmeut Of Agriculture, the General
Land Office, all matters relating to mines,
Ire. if q Bureau Of that character should be
s-ss,ed. and also all control Of emigration,
Pacific railroads, &C. 1t is argued that
,rope " and its protection, territorial ag
grsndizepent, and consequent martial char
sc,err have hitherto been the main object Of
oo, rnment; but when labor takes lis place
as a direct element Of power affecting legis-
ls,iop. then there will be other functiOuns
,dded. among which there will be the
nIotecliOn of labor, its distribution, aid to
ts.Arxelopment, with q consent recognition,
',rsrscedenT rmpo1 ss4iye depaI tment, Of
~ ne pres, nj revenue system was d. nounceu
:, Gearing uujustly on labor, and though no
nan Gss adopted, an interesting discussion
vas provoked by Mr.. Days reading a com.
uuBlcaion from DR.. Wemyss JObson'S the
cry If Progressive Taxation"-tbat is
lsxrs to be levied on accumulated wealth,
according to the mo viduSl measure owned.
In that Ottste issue was at once taken with
the theory es berg only repetition Of the
exploded IOta OF the French Socialists Of
the Louis Blanc school. High wages and
low rates If INTEREST,"" abundant green
tack currency on the one hand and co-Ope-
ration OF he other, vas the idea set forth
in opposition.
The same right granted legislstively to as
ISOLATED capital is demanded for associated
labor, and following that, cooperation was
proclaimed IS The practical lever 10 lift The
working classes up. A resolution was ad-
opted deserving some reference as enunciat-
ing en- idea of significance. 1t was, l be-
leve, prepared by Mr.. Richard Trevellick,
the present president of the National La.
Dor Uuion." It declares that protection Of
life, liberty, and property were the cardinal
purposes Of government, and that, therefore
the two former being more sacred than the
last, ibe expenses Of all wars incurred FOR de-
tense Of the government should DO assessed
and collected from property, not bequeathed
10 lbe future to Iay. On the COohe labor
system there was disposition among some,
manifested in the beginning, to denounce
the Chinese. The leaders very wisely keep
their attention turned simply to resistance
tOA system which all recognize as iniquit-
Gus in the extreme If the temper mani
tested by the delegates to this Labor Con-
gress be any evidence of the feelings enter
tanned by the workiDgmen Of the land on
this subject, anything like q widespread
movement 10 import Chinese Coolies here,
would inevitably bring about revolutionary
disturbances
THE FINANCIAL POLICY PROCLAIMED.
propose to state as briefly and compre-
hensively as possible the ideas enter tained,
the objects proposed, and the srgsmeuta ad-
Vanced in their support. Briefly, then,
Their ideas are: First, that BY the creation,
probably necessarily So, Of a bonded nation
al debt, The capital u the country has be-
come aegTC gated into a comparatively few
hands second, that the rate Of interest is
so greatly beyond the rate of productive
Wealth's increase as inevitably, If continued,
to g. on making 1.-The rich richer and the
poor poorer :" fbiid that The national bank.
ing system is an efficient aid 10 the process !;
that BY means of it all credit is controlled
BY the speculative bondholder and banker,
and 50 productive industry il at the mercy
Of DOn-pToducIive wealth and further, that
u involves the payment OF many millions Of
interest 10 the bakers which are taken from
Ibe people, and could be saved by the con-
unuance OF the greenback OF legal tender
money which they claim to be most accept
able 10 the people: fourth, their proposed
remedy, beside The issue Of treasury notes,
y 70 tax the income from, or interest on, the
bonds, and 10 issue long bonds, bearing
Ihfee per cent. interest, and convertible into
legal tenders, or v ce versa, at the option Of
Toe holder. IL was enunciated, as an incon-
uoVertible ruth that this was the only pro-
cess by which the great bulk of the na
uonal debt could be reduced. Mr.. Trevel-
hNk,'he leading spin, declared that be would
nelp e sponge out that debt, unless the pre-,
sent unfair proportion Of its burdens were!
.sEen from tie toilerf. They, be said, BAD
uone the lighting, ard wanted every dollar,
1Alu, but were not ready to sacrifice the
NeluOlic in an effort to fill Shylock bar
gam ground from our necessities. The an
I G rate Of interest, predicated upon the
uOV'fDment si1 per cent gold, was about
ulne Per cent. One fourth Of the population
owned ard controlled So per cent OF the en- Y
ule wealth Of the land The tendency was
s growing to increase this aggregation, and
; Suless checked republican institutions would
u.'I'aoy 90 down before the vast money u
pONsr mat was being created. This is, asI
~Py stated as possible, the theory and