Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1871-04-04
{. Spirit Of 5ettsrsnlr.
Oharlestown, West Virg'a., April 4.
REFORM / REFORMI
Convention of the National Labor
Party.
PUBLISHED BY REQUEST.

At the meeting Of the National Labor Con. .
gress, held at Cincinnati, in August, 1870,
the following resolution was adopted
"ReSOkVed, That the President of this Con-
gress be empowered and instructed TO appoint
committee Of one from each State aud Ter
ritOry aud the District of Columbia, whose
duty it shall be to call at the earliest practi-
cable moment, National COnveption, in or
der to complete the organization of the Ma
tional Labor party"
In pursuance whereof, the committee ap-
pointed TOR this purpose met in the City of
Washington, ID. e., January II, 1871, aud
fixed the rule of representation in said Con-
ventiOn US follows:
Each State to be entitled 70 one delegate
from each Territory and the District Of Co.
lumbia
Delegates shall have tho certificate of the
chairman aud secretary of the COuy ention ap-
pointing, aud also the endorsement Of the
member of the national committee Of their
respective States aud Territories, that they
were duly elected, and that they endorse the
principles aud purposes of this call. Dele
gates coming from districts where no conveu-
tion has been held, or 10 member OF the Da.
tiUnal committee resides, will be subject to
the action of the National Convention when
organized.
The delegates thus qualified will meet at
the City OF Columbus, Ohio, ut 10 O'Clock \.
NJ, on the third "Wednesday Of October, 1871,
for the purpose Of nominating candidates for
the offices VI President aud Vice. President of
tho United States, and transaction Of such
other business rs may properly come before
them Provided, that the chairman of the
national committee may, on the written re.
quest Of a majority Of the national committee,
appoint u different day for the assembling
OF the convention.
In making this call, and presuming to enter
into competition with existing parties, it is
meet that We should give to the world our
reasons as we'll as the remedies we propose
for the wrongs Of which we complain.
Starting, then, with the maxim that our
Government is founded on tho sovereignty
aud CONSENT Uf the governed, aud Its purpose
to protect properly aud enforce natural rig hts,
aud thus give TO all an equitable chance iu the
race OF life that land, water, air, aud all
natural elements are common gifts, and Gov
eEnments are only trustees to guard against
their mISapulicatIOn, aud that, as trustees,
they have no right to ALLEVIATE without the con-
seut OF the owners freely given that all class
legislation, whereby these orr = iual aud cGmmuu
elements or the proceeds II the same en-
hauced by intelligent labor, are perverted
to the beuetit of nUn,prUduceTs, aud the in.
jury Of producers, is wrong aud subversive Of
tue purposes OF good government that ali
able bodied, Intelligent persons should cou-
tribute to the common stock by useful indus.
try sun or quantity equal to their own sup.
port, and legislation should tcnd aS far as pus.
siblC to the equitable distribution OF the sur
plus products.
1t these propositions arc true our Govern.
mont Is wholly perverted from its true design,
aud the sacred names, Democracy and Repub'i.
canISm, arc the SYNONYMS Ofdes spUtIsm, aud the
parties represented thereby, as now organized,
are engines OF oppression crushing out the
lives Of the people. We need only point to
the fact, that in this beueficient country of
unlimited resources, with the land annually
grOauing beneath the products OF human ei.
fort, the mass of the people have no supply
beyond their daily wants; compelled from un-
just conditions, IN sickness aud misfortune to
become Paupers aud vagrants. Pauperism
and crime are the perplexiDg questions of all
modern craftsmanship, aud 1t Is with these VIC
have to deal. How tar these evils are con-
nected with the abuses inflicted on labor 4
superficial craftsmanship seems not to prc-
ceIve. Chattel slavery has been abolished,
but the rights aud relations of labor stand
just where they did before the emancipation
IN respect to the division Of its products
The difference lies only in the methods of ab.
stractinS the results and concentrating them
III the hands OF n few capitalists. Capital is
now the master, and dictates the terms, aud
thus all latorers are Practically placed in the
same condition Of the slave before his eman-
cipation. In thus placing them the interest
of all labOrers becomes common, aud they
must fight the battle in unity, if they would
succeed.
What, then, are the instrumeutalities by
which these wrongs are Inflicted?
l. Banking and moueyed monopnlies, by
which, through ruinOus rates of interest, the
products of human labor are concentrated in
the hands Of Un-producers. This is the
great central source of these wrongs in and
through which all other mOnOpOlieS exist aud
operate.
.. Consolidated railroads and other transit
mOnopoIies, whereby al industries arc taxed
to the last mill they will beer. for the bcuefi,
Of the Stockholders aud stOck. .jobbers.
}. Manufacturing monOpOlies, whereby all
small operators are crushed out, and the price
OF labor aud its products are determined with
mathematical certainty, in the interest Of the
capitalists.
4. Land monopolies, by which the public
CONAN Is absorbed by few corporations aud
speculatOrs.
5. Commercial and grain monOpClies, spec.
uIating and eurichiug their blOated corpora
tiOns on human necessities.
We propose to restore the Government to.
its original purpose, and, az far as possible. to
remedy these evils and remove their results.
l., By abandoning the gold base faIIacy and
establishing monetary system based on the
faith and resources of the nation. in harmony
with the genius of the Goverument, and