The workingman's advocate., 1870-04-23

tn4t the proceedings were WrlUen IN exSenst
{ and the accompanying remarks reported
shOrthand-by a iOurneyman plAstersr. ]-EI
ADVOCATE.
: CHICAGO, April a. 1870.
} A mass meeting Of journeymen plasterers Q
this city was held at the SeamAn's Hall, corner q
Randolph and Market streets this evening, 1
consider what steps we're necessary to secure a
advance Of wages.
On motion, Mr.. WIN. Pggott was electe
Chairman, and Mr.. James jeffrey, Secretary.
The Chairman then stated that the meetin,
was called for the purpose of seeing II We coul,
not have higher rate Of wageA he thought i
but reasonable and just that We should deman'
good wages IN the summer There is as mucl
work In Chicago as elsewhere, and the reasoI
that We have not as good wages As In an!
other city, is because We are not united enough
He requested all who had not signed the OBJ
legation, to come forward and do 90, wheI
about fifty joined, thus making our number 12t
men who had pledged themselves that they
woul0 not work on the building known As the
Insurance Exchange, on LaSalle street, unit
the strike bad been settled to the satisfaction
| Of all concerned therein.
The Secretary then read an article published
in the WoRKNGNAN's ADVOCATE, which was re-
ceived with favor. As it has appeared in our
COluuHsS we OulG u6 repuOllcAglOn.
Mr.. Cameron being preseut, was requested to
address the meeting, which he kindly did, and
spoke substantially a. follows:
| Mr. PRKsIDENT AND GENTLKMEN,I do not
know that anything can say, that any appeal
| can make, Ihat any argument can present,
| will even possess the charm of novelty; be-
cause | believe that all appeals to your
manhood, your sense Of honor, of right and
wrong,-Which can be advanced, have present
ed themselves to your own good judgment a
thousand times before. But this can tell you
that whether accepted or rejected, they are
as true, as free and 90 fresh the first time
they fell from human lips and that unless they
are followed you will shortly occupy the same
position as that occupied by your fellow toilers
in Europe, and which, in my judgment, you de-
serve to occupy-thst Of hewers Of wood and
drawers Of water.
| need not you that from policy and principle
| am opposed in general to the system of strikes
except as a last-a DERNIER resort. There
are times howeverwhen torbearance ceases to be
virtue when no man can accept or accede to the
demands Of the tyrant except at a loss OF man
hood and self-respect; and when mechanics, skill
ed workmen, with families dependent on them for
support, are required to labor ten long weary
hours Tor the scanty pittance Of 81 0U or 81 so,
| hink the limit Of such forbearAnce has been
reached, and that the plasterer who would no:
assert his manhood under such circumstances is
unworthy tie respect OF the community at large
And now, my fellow work men, wait Till tell
YOU. Is il not the oft told tale, that they who
SOW do not reap don't Care whether the man
| il Just entering on the race in life, or verging
on the brink OF the grave, the testimony 10 the
same. | take this position, that q system
which cOmpels the workingman, the producer,
the creator of our wealth, TO live from hand to
mouth, too often in the alleys dark and damp
where the pestilence makes its home, and where
the sunshine Of heaven seldom comes, and at last
consigns him, after life Of unrequitted toll, to
pauper's grave, while the drone, the robber,
who creates nothing, and yet by our present
monetary basis, 10 enabled 10 revel in luxury
and live on the fat Of the land, is q system at
variance with the fundamental principles Of a
true democracy-Which ought at once to be
overturned Muscle against money-under
these circumstances, is always placed at q dis
count; consequently, safety at present can only
be found in trades unions, cooperation and com
bination. Trades unions have ever been, and
are to-day the creation Of ncc,-skiiy, aud upon
Hhe BAcKBoNE Of the working cla~ses-at thie
iuncture-their future welfare depends and If
| had the tongue or the eloque u an ang.
their salvation would yet !rpc IN their
own exertioE. Their motto, Ike that of the vo-
lunteers of Scotland, SHOULD %" "DEFENCE NOT
DEFIANCE;" TO ask nothing but what is right and
70 accept nothing that is wrong. Spasmodic
action can accomplish but little. II il the con-
stant dropping that wears away the stone. The
struggle before the Workingman is one Of life
long Duration Il does not mean the advance OF
q brigade, the repulse Of a division, and the
abandonment of the field Ii means q general
advance CT the whole line and the capture Of
the encmy's position, and this can only bt
accomplished by unAagging and persistent effort
The great desideratum at present Is to stanC
united as one man. Do not bulge an inch
TIE beginning OF sin is like the letting in of va
ter
As said in a little article l wrote feV
DAYS agO-you are either in the right or in th'
wrong II you are in the right-Adhers to IL
il in the wrOng-if your services are worth Onll
q. so per day, or if you can keep your families
on that sum-disband at once and acknowledge
your fault This / know will be classed a s th
plea of the demagogue, but if it is-wo1 Id t
+ God il were preached from ten thousand tongue
/. and even if the charge we're true, which it
!. not, would rather be demsgogue pleading 70
= the rights of my fellow toilers, than q dems
r gogue,a catspaw in the hands Of the oppressor:
J, slurring and vllifying the very men to whose e
b forts they are indebted for every dollar the
: possess.
E To the members Of the PIasterers' Union
= the stand-byes-I have a word to say: I be
r lieve many Of you have been remiss i n you
a duty, else the journeymen now outside woult
i have been, ere this, within the pale Of your or
ganizatiOn "Come and let us reason togett
er" is the invitation Of him who spoke as neve
man spoke, and certainly you can have no high
er example TO copy. after. Il was, and is you
duty to show to your erring friends that 20
are working for their interests as well as you
own. If this had been done in the right spirit
, and at the right time, very much questlo
? whether you would now be required to protes
II against receiving 81 so for 10 hours work
To nv anti union friends would say there
no religious, nationalistic, or political test re-
, ouired. We don't care whether you are
) heather, a Christian. a Yankee, Scotchman
o or a German. The question is, have you th
% manhood to demand snd obtain your rights
= Are YOU willing that your wives and little one
shall live from hand TO MOUTH Do you be
lieve that the laborer IL worthy Of bis hiref
so. why not cast your fortunes with your unio
workmen? | know there are arms ready an
willing to receive you into the fold Of the Pla
. terers' Union Allow me here to give you
il word of advice. If necessary, work for wee
e. a month, if need be, at any and everything 20
,e can turn your hands to, rather than 60 back @
ID the obligation you have taken.
4, It is stated that your demands are exhorb
u tant that as gold has come down. wages mu
IN come down al %. TRIs, assert, 10 the plea
Is the demagogues, because it is well known tb'
n house rents and the necessaries of life are high
le BY 25 per cent than they were ten years ag
r. when wages we're 81 aHd 81 90 per day. But
ID there is an employer who now demurs to pAy
OF ing - per day, who is willing to work throug
st out the season, 10 hours per day, keep b
IN family and provide for wirter on $3.50, and
Ok prepared to sign a contract to that effect, a
ready to guarantee that every man present W
follow his example.
To those who have been mean enough to q
cept employment at starvatloI rates in Il
ne place of those who have quit work. have
Nv word, and only word, 10 say. Such creatur
nis are libel on humanity. To appeal to th'
DIE honor would be loves labor lost, because th
V are strangers to its prOmptings. They sh ou
be stunned ut all times, and under all circur
TO- stances, because they are well aware that th'
bastard conduct, if successful, is calculated