The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-02-12
FROM NEW YORK.
ALBANY, Feb. 4


a grand mass meeting of the ro,l
ingmen Of Albany was held AZ IL.
State Capitol, on Thursday eveD;n.
last, at which addresses were delvo,.5
by Messrs. Trevellick, Neso n. Yonn.'
Troup, JUNO, and others.
The meeting was called to orda,
s p. NJ, and the following officers Va
/ chosen:
President-John w. Cute.
Observation-Disclosures +. C,.w
Jas. McGrath, L. N. Coon. John 7
O'Neil, Patrick Tobin, p. Colem.D
Thomas Willard, Cormack McW;1'
Hams, J. G. Huston, John Wadswor,I
John Kelly, Matthew b. Colbert. Jo6n'
McElrone.
4 Secretaries-D. 4. Cameron JoL.
Fogarty, Hugh Stanton, George W
! Clements.
! The first speaker was Mr.. TreyelEck
President Of the National Labor Union
who alluded to the principles Of self
government, and to the meeting wbicb
had just been held in this city, showing
that the worklngmen of the countrS
were acting unitedly for the genera
welfare and improvement Of their con.
-dition. He claimed that cheap labor
was not 50 much the cause of the com.
plants Of workingmen as were ~
high rates of interest. Ii we coud
have money at cheap rates of interest
it would force money to seek labor IN
stead Of labor seeking money. N
France the amount Of money in circu.
lation was $50 per capita, while IN
America It is only $40 per capita. II
might be asked what workingmen
wanted. They desired Legislators and
men in authority to serve the whole
people and not a few. There are over
100000 unemployed-not because
there was no work to perform; iron
mines needed to be opened: farms
were ready for cultivation, and streams
were ready to carry the produce Of
those mines and farms to market
Cheap money would give the sinewsto
do all this, and Labor stood ready to
perform it. Notwithstanding this
country was almost in its infancy, the
records Of our courts would show a.
large a proportion of crime and va
grancy as any Of the older countries Of
Europe. III capital would only be in
vested in manufacturing aud develop.
ing the resources Of our nation, these
people would be furnished with profit.
able employment and laborers kept
from poverty and starvation, and be
furnished with means to keep them from
becoming thieves and paupers.
With reference to strikers he said
that sometimes, owing to bad leaders,
wrong had been done, as bad >9ften
been the case in other movements.
Even in churches errors are committed;
and even in our Savior's followers there
was a Judas. In reference TO mOnopO.
lies, he thought the greatest Of all were
the railroad mOnopolies Of our country
While he was in Washington these
companies had applied for grants Of
over 2l6, 100000 of acres Of land
This giving OF such large grants Of
land he considered dangerous, as i
tended to give these corporations
chance to import immense numbers Of
coolies and other parties, who coming
here, would settle as peasants, and
eventually give these leaders an opPOr-
tunity Of welding, through them,
large power in the destinies Of the
country. The land belonged to the
people. and should be held ia reserve
for them as their inheritance from God,
the giver of all things.
He asked did the people Of ireland
leave their home because it did not
possess that which would make he
happy and enjoyable? There were the
same green fields there and beautiful
rivers-the same sun az we have here
No! 1t was because a feA, cOmpars
lively, held the land, and what va
rightly the peoples was taken from
them and it became a trespass for then
to cross it. Oppression of this kind
had driven them here to seek in Amer
ca what had been taken from them at
home. But if they were not mindful
similar system would soon be forcedO On
them by these large grants Of lands TO
corporations.
The delivery of his speech occupied
an hour and half, and was very elO
quent. The audience frequently in'er'
rupted him with rounds of applause.
The next speader was Nelson v.
Young, President Of the New York
Workingmen's Union. Coming for
ward, he stated he was very much
pleased with the remarks Of his prede-
cessor, and he hoped those present
would give every word of it due co.,
sideratlon. lie believed the assurances
Of the Legislators with reference TO the
wishes Of workingmen was an evidence
of better time coming but he hoped
the Labor movement would not reS
here. The men should organic
throughout the State and have men
chosen direct from the workingmen oe-
cupying seats on this floor.
In abiding to strikes, he stated tns
when workingmen are elected 70 Ins
Legislature they must at once demSnu
higher wages, az three dollars oN
was not sufficient to support themselves
and families; and if the employers re-
fused to accede To the demand OF lT
people, they would surely have sIrlks
This gentleman retired amid aPPlauss.
The next speaker was Alexsnas.
Troup, the respected and energeu,.
Secretary of the State WOrklngmen.
Assembly. He proceeded 70 say inS
after the eloquent remarks that nau
been made he would not intrude AZ
lengthy speech on the meeting -
alluded to the Conspiracy law oeio.s
the Legislature the bill in relation ao
Prison Contracts, and also II r 9%b
to the Preservation Of Public il s''%T
by preventing the use Of old and hl'n!