The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1871-05-05
Mass Meeting of Mechanics.
GREAT ENTHUsIAsM-A FINE SPEECH.


The meeting of the mechanics of Richmond
last evening, at Metropolitan hall, was great
success.
George II. Harding, Esq, of Manchester,
presided. The assembly consisted largely of
the most intelligent and respectable of our me-
chanics, with fair sprinkling of the other
professions. Captain II. F. Trevellick, of De-
troit, President of the National Labor Union,
was introduced and addressed the audience for
two hours, in a speech of great eloquence and
power. Without pretension to rhetorical cul-
ture, rough, earnest, forcible and effective like
the great interest which he represents, Cap
tain Trevellick held the unaagging attention of
his audience to the last. He was interrupted
only by the frequent outbursts of applause
which responded to his telling hits and amusing
illustrations. 1t is impossible to give any full
synopsis OF such a speech, but we are sure its
effects will tell upon the many hundreds
who listened to its truthful and burning words
We can only note few main points of the
speech.
The National Labor Union has been in ex-
istence about five years. In 1866 there were
only $1,000 members; now it numbers 600, 600,
and in two years more will have in its mem
bership every mechanic in this country.
The man who produces something to minis
ter to human needs is the only man of any
value in this world. Whether he sweeps the
streets, or prints books for the enlightenment
of the people, digs bitches, or teaches school,
so that be is faithful to his trust, he is honora~
BILE. The non-producer is worthless barna-
Gle. He feats useessly on the rotten hulk of
society. If every such man should die the
world would be better off by the value of their
bones for compost; yet there are those who
sneer at manual labor as disreputable. They
look upon that marvel of genius and skill har-
messed in the service of man the ste am en-
gine; they admire its beauty and the grace
and power of its movements. But they sneer
at its creator. He is only a mcdaniel A me-
chanic true; but God never made any man
greater than good mechanic.
Yet the nobility of labor is unrecognzed.
Unjust social and political distinctions tend TO
disgrace it. OF the vast products of its skill
and toll only the merest pittance is doled out
to it. When the land teens with abundance,
labor is poorest paid. Over production drives
labor from employment. When the miners of
Pennsylvania are told they are producing too
much coal, the wives and children Of me-
chanics in New York and Boston and needle
women, living on mere pittance, shiver with
cold in cherries garrets. Industry is cramped
and pinched by a false system of finance also.
The results of production are unequally dis
tributed. The products Of labor average
ST, ,375 for every man from sixteen to seventy
five; labor receives on an average $450
Labor is overworked its opportunities of
employing Gods bounty, of learning his glo-
rious truth, of rearing its children to beautiful
models of manhood and wsmauhood are mars
rowed by physical exhaustion and poverty.
The beautiful, social instincts SO full of good
fruit in the family, are dwarfed and repressed
by care and toll. God never meant this to be
so. 1t need not last another year if the toiling
men and women of the country will arouse to
duty.
We are in this inferior condition by our own
neglect. We have allowed all the powers of
the government to be monopelized by lawyers
"a class who, by virtue of their education,
know nothing Of business, and whose interest
lead them TO desire rather than to avert disaster
from the public prosperity. They know moth.
ing of finance, because their fees have no rela-
tion to the oscillations of gold or stocks. They
are neither producers nor employers in any
proper sense, but subsist ON the guarrels and
misfortunes of men. Yet they hold vast
majority of all the responsible positions under
the government. Tonight the whole business
of the country is suffering because We have
1876 lawyers in Congress who, as rule, know
about as much of business as pig does about
preaching. A similar state of things exist In
our State Legislatures.
We demand reform. We are cursed with
great esils-poverty, prostitution, crime, is
every where on the increase in our great cities,
vastly more rapid than population. There are
remedies. We hold the key to their store
house. We demand representation of pur-
suits as well as men. Let idDOTiuA neD every
where refuse to vote for any ticket of either
party which has not on it as many men of their
own class as their numbers entitle them to-
Let them select these candidates themselves,
without interference. Otherwise, combine and
vote for your own men alone. You may fail
once or twice, but ultimate success ia sure. 1t
was such speech as must awaken thought,
excite effort and inspire hope in the minds Of
those who heard it. Now, let no time be lost
by the friends of industrial organization
While the impressions are fresh in all minds Of
these great truths which affect the interests of
labor, unite at once with the GOO, 900 laboring
men who are struggling for their rights.
After vote of thanks to Captain Trevellick
the meeting adjourned till this evening, to
meet at Schotts Monticello ball, for the trans
action of important business. None but men,
bers will be admitted.
Obtaining Goods ON False Pretences
Harris Fisher was arrested yesterday on
bench warrant issued by Judge Bond, charged
with violating the bankrupt law in obtaining
goods TO the amount Of $25, 900 under false
pretences from merchants in Baltimore, and
also with making false returns in his bankrupt
schedules He was admitted to bail in the sum
of SIS 900 with Isaac Jacobs as security.