The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-03-19

ats'n, and less, bard, unceasing toll, to &C.
cufe for ourselves and families, better
hosnes, better education, and higher so
cia standing, that this Convention has been
OGled. wg
| At is true that there are local organize
tons in different parts Of the country, but
th4ir influence is never felt outside the To-
cadty in which they exist, and the action o.
orc Union is very often negatved by The
adverse action of another and at the best,
those local organizations are scarcely ever
abe to contend for any length of time,
against the greater and more concentrated
power of Capital, without dragging them
selves and their families through fearful
amount of suffering, misery and privation.
Ideal organizations are certainly better
than none, and they have in many instances,
temporarily checked the downward ten
dSncy of the craft hat the experience Of
other trades fully demonstrates the great
utility, the absolute necessity of great
Central or International organization. If
we would succeed, we have only to follow
tRe example of Capitalists; concentrate
aed consolidate, and at this time, when
Capital is consolidating to an unprecedent-
Ell extent, when monOpOlies and rings arc
becoming . power capable Of controlling and
sasIaping the destinese Of the country, yea,
capable of shaking the very credit and sta
Eiity Of the nation itself, il il Of the utmost
Importance that the interests of labor be
protected by perfect and harmonious or
aanization. And in order to secure that
anity Of feeling. of interest, that should
exist among fellow craftsmen, and 10
erder to utilize the immense power which is
row lying inert and latent in disunited
craft, il is indispensably necessary that the
Gntire craft be indissOlubly united in one
grand central organization. Then let every
Union in the country, send delegates to this
Convention. Singly and isolated. you
Gan practically accomplish nothing; but
united as you should be, in one solid, in
tegral organization, there is no power Of
wrong or lnjustice you may not defy. There
= no system Of fraud or evil, that you may
aot successfully cope With, and ultimately
destroy. And thus united, you will become
= component part of the grand, puissant
army Of labor that is now organizing and
mastering its leglOns all over the world, and
Chat is inevitably destined to wipe from the
face of the globe, the last vestige of
= divine right" as well as the other effete
and rotten institutions of the feudal ages.
And in what nobler or boiler cause can man
engage, than 10 that Of amelOrating and
elevating the condition of labor, lifting it
from its low condition, discriminating it
from slavery imposed upon it in an age
Then Knight was right, " in an aye when
tac "sword instead Of intelligence ruled"
ia an age when the lives and honors Of the
poor mans household we're the property of
toe titled rufian, in an age when " to be
. human being was not necessarily to be
man, in an age when man was considered
t. be nothing more than a machine to be
ran for the benefit of Cs pital and when be
became worn out and broken down, when
tie motivepOwe had fed from its house of
ebay, what was left was flung, dog-like into
the pauper's burial ground.o
Brother Craftsmen, it is our power to
destroy the odious principle on which mo-
dern society rests, and establish on its ruins,
q better and purer system OF social life. 1t
is 10 our power to make labor more respect
81 than Capital for as labor is the first
auty man owes to society, SO the interests
cf labor are the 6rst that society is bound to
protect. Labor is Capital, and the only
Capital capable Of reproducing itself; and
i existed long before Capital, under the
;orm Of money, was known to exist; there
:Ore, any system Of society that recognizes
money or occupation as the test Of honor or
Etspectability, is radically wrong, and the
sooner the world is rid Of such system, the
better. And that such system does exist,
is owing mainly to the Indifference, apathy
and immobility of the workingmen them
selves.
Brother Craftsmen, if you would elevate
yourselves to that position that you as
citizens Of this free land are Justly entitled
to; if YOU would see those drones that like
a deadly incubus, hang upon honest indus
try, shaken over the rim Of society, If you
would see the bronzed visage and the horny
hand of toll, recognized as a mark of dis
tinctioa and badge of honor, ifyOu would
see intelligence, industry, honesty, man
hood and sObriety become the only tests Of
honor and responsibility, You MUST UNITE
AND ACT IMMEDIATELY. You have waited
" Micawber- like" long enough these
changes cannot be wrought at your bidding.
1t requires energetic and persevering labor /;
let no man say these things are impossible.
In this free land, man is free agent, and
our government guarantees to every man
the free exercise Of his individual right of
opinion guarantees equal rights to all, and
by using our rights and privileges collec-
lively and intelligently, We can defeat
wrong ia whatever form it exists, and es-
tablish right again. r.-
Brother Craftsmen, again l say to you,
let every local Union throughout he length
and breadth Of the land, send delegates to
this Convention. Let every town and
hamlet 10 North America, where there are
twenty journeymea Coopers located, imme-
diately form temporary organizations, and
elect delegates to represent them at the
coming Convention. Send your best aud
most intelligent men; send men who will
combine intelligence and capability, with
honesty and integrity, and the success of the
Convention will be an accomplished fact
The BASIS OF representation will be as fol-
lows:
Any Union; or Constituency Of less than one
hundred members will be entitled TO one dele
gate Union Of one hundred members will be
entitled to tWO delegates, and an additional
delegate for every additional fifty members, or
fractional part thereof All delegates will
please bring complete list of the members 10
theis several constituencies
The Craft of Ohio will do all in its power
to lessen your expenses, to make your 50
journ among u.s. one Of pleasure as well as
utility.