The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-12-09
Tic national CoIOrcd Labor COnvcn.
ton.
WAauINfirnN Doc q

WARRINGTON Dec u.
The National Colored Labor ConVen>
ton assembled at noon to-day, IN
Union League Hall, about 200 coloted
delegates were present, representing
Louisiana, Florida, North and South
Carolina, Alabama, Virginia. Tonnes.
HcO, Maryland, Kentucky, District OF
Columbia, Delaware. New Jersey
Pennsylvania. New York, Massachua
Betis, Rhode Island, Michigan, Ohio,
California, Nevada, Missouri and ILL.
noIa. There are eight or ten white del.
egates present Rs follows s. =. Gum.
ming and Charles Mclean OF the Gen.
tral Labor party; Gllbes B, StebbenB,
Of Michigan; Capt. MaCkey and the
Hon. Simon Corley, Members OF Con.
greas from South Carolina, and Mr..
MCGrew, Representative elect from
Virginia. Richard TreveIlIok, Presl.
dent OF the National Labor Union and
congress, was early recognized, and
Invited to o seat on the PLATFORM
There was also some 10 female dele.
gates, one being colored; they were all
admitted without question.
The call for the Convention proceed.
ell from the colored delegates who were
admitted last August TO the Philadel-
phiR Congress, who there BlgnAlIzed
themselves by strong support Of our
financial integrity. Mr.. Myers, OF Bal.
tlmore, colored shipwrlght, who Ia at
the head OF o successful Cooperative
ShipyRrd there, opened the Convention
by q briet appeal for harmony, and the
reading OF the call, George T, Down.
Ing, Of Rhode Island, was elected tenn.
porHry Chairman, and Mr.. Harmon, OF
Florida, Secretary,
Mr.. Downing made very neat and
appropriate address In taking the chair,
urging the Convention 10 work Ia
earnest, recognizing the fact that labor
was the great Interest," Of all cIVIlIza.
ton, and affirming that capital could
never be safe where labor was unjust.
ly dealt with, as between them there
was no issue. When equity ruled In o
large part Of the land, such was not the
case. The colored man, lust emerging
from bondage, must necessarily be In
the closest sympathy with the great
movement now making for the uplift-
Ing OF the tollers hero and elsewhere,
but the slavery from which he emery.
on leaves traces that must necessarily
direct hls present action. That must
BIZ to organize for protection on the one
side and for mutual self.helpful and
cooperative efforts on the other. Pro-
lection and amelloration were to be the
objects. Political action must be gov.
erned by local circumstances.
In substance, such was the policy Mr.,
Downing presented while the Commit.
tee on Credentials was performing It's
work. '.l
Richard TreyellIck was then called
for. He referred Grst to a remark
made by Mr.. Langton, and declared
that the rights OF labor were first; that
capital was the result Of Its efforts, and
that therefore the creature could not be
made superior to Its creator. He said
that for himself he had long since
buried both political parties, believing
that, as they had been constituted In
the past, there were but two divisions
that OF the skinner aud the skinned,
On that question, however, he Would
not elaborate. ChaLtcl slavery was but
a part OF the great slavery OF labor to
monopoly, OF the wages system, and
the unequal distribution of Its results
which had still 10 be fought. The de-
strnctlOn OF chattsl slavery had cleared
tho decks for tho greater fight, Mr..
Trevellick spoke at length ON the evils
Of labor complained Of, declaring,
among other things, that SO per cent. OF
all the children employed In our faolo-
rles died within the first eight years Of
their employment. He asserted that
the transportation monopolles OF the
country, cGnterlng as they did into 80
few hands, must become dangerous not
only 10 our economical well~being, but
to civil liberty. The land grant sys-
tenn received a t1erce denunciation, the
speaker availlng himself OF the ITi-
L7tnG'S recent summary Of tho extent 10
which 1t was now proposed 10 continue
them. He declared that Il was because
the fathers OF the Republlc.had failed
TO declare free the mother earth, which
the father God had given to man, that
Slavery had obtained such foothold
and brought the nation through It's
baptiamal struggle. Mr.. TrevelliCk
closed by declaring that only by bring
Ing together and recognition OF all
without regard to race, color and sex,
and uniting them in common effort,
could the security OF freedom be main
taIned, and tho progress Of the laborlng
millions bo assured.
a permanent organization WAS effect.
al by the election Of the Hou. james
Il. Harris Of North Carolina us perma.
mont President, and plumber OF Vice
Presidents and Secretaries.
Mr.. Harris, In taking the chair, made
II stirring speech, which was marked
by IL bitter denunciatIon Of the Spirit
still displayed by tho old rebel elemen /
In the South.
Aaron NJ. Powell, a delegate from
New York, was thUn called. lie spoke
Mt considerable length, referring to the
Significance Of the Convention, mark.
ing ms it did great transition. Slave
ry impoverished the whites as we'll as
degrade tho slave, but free labor will
elevate and enrich both. Education,
sObriety, skill, and better compensa>
tlon are the present needs OF the wages
class, aud organization Ia the espeCi al
need Of COlored labor. Especially was
1t necessary for the agricultural labor
OF the South to organize and obtain
lands. The rural freed people have pc.
culiar disabilities which can only be
met by cooperative effort, and the
Freedmen'H Bureau being about 10
cease all operation, we need some other
machinery. Mr.. 5Powell offered the
following resolutions, which would
have been adopted had the Convention
been fully organized: ID.
RESOLVED, That we ask Congress 10
authorize at OncO tho appointment by
the President OF u Land Commission, to
be composed of six or more we'll known
and dlsinterestcd friends Of the freed
people, TO serve without compensation,
10 have authority to appoint, with the
approval Of the Secretary Of the Treas
nry, limited number OF agents whose
duty II shall be to cooperate with In.
dividuals and associations among the
hitherto enSl2yed, for the selection aud
purchase of eligible lands for home.
steads, to hold titles thereof for given
period. until, by enstRllments, they
shall have been paid for at actual cost
to the Government, when the money so
employed, not to exceed 81, 600, 900, shall
be refunded TO the National Treasury.
The evening session was held In the
church OF the Rev. J. Sella Martin,
which was crowded. The business pro.
CeediugS were In tho main nreliminarv