The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-11-18
AN APR0POs STORY.

Wendell Phillips concluded magni-
ficent labor speech delivered in Music
Hall Boston, Mass November 3rd, with
the following apropos story
And now, as the clock strikes nine, |
will tell you single story; and in that
single story resides the whole offence the
whole intrigue, the whole impieiy, the
whole agarianism, and the whole beneVC-
lence of the labor movement of the United
States. II is my reply to my friend Mr..
johnson, to the Daily IdUcrtiser and the
Springfield Republican, and to the whole
Republican party, in a single story Rob
ert Peel, the father of the great Sir Robert
Peel, was a comfortable English mechanic
He started a cotton factory, small in mea-
sure and smaller still in profits 1t was at
the commencement of the cotton enter
prise, and Robert at that time was almost
unable to make his enterprise pay him.
The profits fell so often behind the eXpen-
ses that it is said he sometimes contem-
plated Abandoning the movement The
difficulty that beset him was apparently a
trihe but il was a trifle that undermined
his whole effort The filaments Of cotton
what we cali the dust Of the product
gathered all over the machinery The
IL they refused to move Every SIX OF
seven hours the wOrkmen were obliged to
stop work and clean his machine, and at
the end Of the day he had poor DAYS
work to show, and one that hardly enabled
him to earn his wages. The anxious mas
ter sought the aid of science; he sent for
Watt, the great inventor of the cotton
machinery. Watt exhausted his ingenuity,
and was foiled. He called upon London
and the engineering talent of the great
capital TO help him, and was equally I'M
successful. But il was observed that there
was one man in the mill that never stop
ped Every day he drew his full wages
His machine was never encumbered. At
the end of the month his payroll was fat
He produced for Sir Robert Peel a full
share and took a full reward. They set
men to watch him, but they could not de-
tect the secret They set his fellow work
ers to pump him, but they couldn't find il
out; and finally, in despair, Robert Peel
sent for him. A rude, uncodlh, awkward
country BOBBY, Dick entered the counting
room. Like a sailor, he pulled his fore
lock with one hand, and scratched the
floor with the heavy shoe Of his left foot
to make a bow, and Peel said to him /:
Dick Fitzgerald, the Overseer, says that
your bobbins aIe always clean. 1t is 50 ~
= Ave, master, it be r. We'll, Dick, how
is it?" Well master that's a secret. If
! should tell you you would know as much
as l." Exactly So" said Robert; but
won't you tell me :" Well / don't want
to, master" But, Dick, will pay you
if yon will tell me. What do you want
for your secret" The man looked down
for moment, and said he Master, will
tell you it for quart of beer day as long
I IL, II. \ -
says Peel, and half gallon on Sunday
too" Shutting the door cautiously, ar "a
creeping as near to Peel as he dared The
man whispered in his ear, Chalk the bob
bins; chalk the Dobbins, Master Peel"
Peel saw it at a glance Unmatched I'M
detected, Dick had covered his bobbins
and tapes with chalk. 1t prevented the
adherence of the filament and his machine
was clean. He did full days work He
earned ample wages. He made money for
his employer. Peel saw it at glance
bought the secret, had machinery enntrived
that chalked the whole mill, and raised
suddenly into fortune from a common
man he mounted the tOpmost line OF Eng
lish gentry. His family is among the first
in Europe 1t wields the destinies of states
He's got f20000,000. All that art and
leisure, and culture, and wealth and com
PdulDuSUiP Cdl 10 lOE u1u1 HAS Dccn HOl6.
His son he made King of England, for the
Premier of England is its king, and Sir
SObert Peel was the kingliest of premiers
A nd the Peels to-day are the nobility OF
til earth A large share of that place and
fol tune and success he oWe ed to that secret
Til man that tells the story says He
pai the man well: he gave him a quart
of Ger day, and half gallon on Sunday,
and el0 week as long as he lived paid
him handsomely says the historian and
accor, ling 70 your civilization he did
That's just the way skill is bought now.
Men 2, into the market and buy it for
what IL e man in his ignorance and his
necessit, is willing tO sell il for Sir Rob
ert Peel 1esires no rebuke Of your Chris
tan civil iZation. He did what | have
seen done. at Lowell what is done every
day in 81 ate street, what is the reputed
ethics Of our pulpit. Now, gentlemen,
the labor reform means u introduce a
civilization which would have made Sir
Robert Peel behave thus When our
time comes he would have said, Dick. |
you have got a secret that is worth one
tenth part of my fortune. I'll take YOU ia |
as partner. You shall have one-tenth.
and the business and the capital I bring 1
shall be the ether nine tenths." What |
would have been the result2 Your civil /
zation left Dick 20 die in that same cottage,