Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-08-30

The Labor Congress.
The American Labor Congress,
now in session in Cincinnati, might
more properlybe called the Laboring
! Congress, for 1t makes desperately
hard work Of the attempt to achieve
a platform. Since it got fairly going
under full head OF steam, it has
adopted more resolutions than the
most animated Labor Reformer can
shake stick at, turning out new
set every afternoon.
We have already given an abstract
of the financial platform adopted,
and pointed out its inadequacy to
prevent the evils complained Of by
workingmcn, and especially the en-
piricism of the proposition to substi-
tute for the present bank note system
a totally irredeemable currency,
such as the gambler John Law tried
with such disastrous results in Paris.
The platform adopted on Saturday
referred more directly to the relation
between capital and labor. The res
olutions may be epitomized rs fol-
lows:
/. Declaring that the present sys-
tenn of Chinese immigration must
come to an end;
2. Urging "all industries" to join
them in making common cause
against unprincipled capitalists by
electing to Office men WHO will rep
resent the public interests;
3. Favoring the reduction of the
army to minimum peace standard,
md declaring that there is evidence
that military officers have interfered
with legIslationsin their own behalf;
4. Asking the cooperation Of col
oretl citizens;
s. Pronouncing against "forcing
citizenship upon the Indian"
8. Urging protection Of our mer-
chant shipping and our own ship
builders;
Z. Asking that women should
have equal wages with men, and
that women and children should be
protected against ,verwork;
g., Demanding that schools Of re-
form should be substituted for houses
Of correction, and, as far as practic-
able, for prisons generally;
Q. Declaring that the hours of
labor ought to be reduced, and that
a!l ab,e-bodie6 men si,aii work for
their own support;
\ 10. Advocating the establishment
ofa Bureau Of Labor in Washington;
and sic
IL. Urging that the public debt
should be speedily paid from present
wealth, instead Of being made a
burden on posterity.
The first Of these was subjected to
an earnest and rather bitter debate,
two or three speakers taking the
ground that free Chinese immigra-
ton ought to be allowed on the same
terms as immigration from other
countries. This uttcrance was greet
ed with the most violent opposition,
a Mr.. Peters saying that 'if 1t was
necessary to seem to go against the
spirit OF our institutions in order to
exclude the Chinese, he was willing
to do so;" and one Mr.. Whitney, OF
Chicago, declaring III the ballot does
not stop the evil, the bullet must -
which we take to be the average
expression Of paganism.
The third resolution, the seventh,
and the eighth, are just and timely,
and can be defended before the peo-
pie anywhere. The tenth Is thor
oughly chimerical, and the eleventh
Is, in our opinion, imSrncticable and
improper. There are too many Bu-
reaus in Washington already; the
idea OF a "Paternal Government"
ought not to be extended. The peo-
ple can defend themselves md regu-
late their own affairs vastly cheaper
and better than their public servants
can do 1t. And as to the public debt,
the next generation can pay It better
than this one can. This generation
has hled from its vital arteries; let
the next bleed moderately from It's
llnancial. artssiasS Tho war was
theirs even moro thar II was ours,
inasrnuchf rs their interests Will be
njra mo1aentom than ours.