The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1874-11-07

the country has been deplOrsd by the OBJ
serving miners, and all sighed for some.
thing to give relief By those ever recur-
ring and ruinous struggles the mining pop
ulation felt themselves sinking in the
social scale and their condition daily grow
ing worse The advanced men Of our
trade had grown heartily tired of the every
day battles that kept them constantly IN
poverty and discomfort. They were con
scious every new fight was sinking them
deeper in the mud, and any rights they
had left in regard to their labor were fast
vanishing away. On the one haI d they
were bound by Intellectual usage on the
part Of their own trade, and on the her
crushed by the irresistabae power of capital.
Ready for emancipation from both they
responded to the call and framed our pres
ent constitution. 1t is not a perfect in
strument. 1t hardly could be- a. it was
the work Of few hours. Hastily got up.
and with all its imperfections, it was put
into my hands, and those Of the members,
AS guide in the work of organization and
the operation Of the institution. Though
the objects Of the association are set forth
very clearly and lucidly in the second arti-
Gle Of the constitution, and must commend
themselves to the candid and impartial
mind, yet the instrument is sadly defective
in describing the method that should be
adapted t. accomplish the ends. This
expect you will consider and so amend a.
to enable your executive officers to go on
with the work, feeling sure they are walk
ing in accordance with your desires and
the wishes Of the majority of the members
whom you represent.
The objects of the association l might
as well quote here, not particularly for
your benefit, but for the sake Of others
who may see them, those who might not
have an opportunity Of seeing them other
wise, and who may be harboring feelings
Of enmity against the Union. believing we
have other purposes to accomplish. They
are ss follows
The objects Of the society shall be t.
promote the interests of the miners, NOR
ally, socially and financially for the pro-
lection OF their lives; to spread intelli-
gence among them to remove. as far as
possIble, the cause for all strikes, and
adopt, wherever and whenever it is practi
cable, the principle Of arbitration to urge
upon all miners the necessity Of becoming
citizens OF the United States of America,
that We may secure, by the use of the bal
lot, the services of men friendly to labor
both in our State and national councils
To create a fund for the support Of the
members of this association. as described
in the constitution and BYLAWS Of the asso-
ciation.
To obtain legislative enactments for the
more efficient management Of mines,
whereby the lives and health Of miners
may be better preserved.
To shorten the hours of labor in the
mines
To protect all branches and members
when unjustly dealt with by their employ
ers.
To secure the true weight of the produc
ton OF the miners material at the mine,
thus giving to them aud the operators
their legitimate dues.
To sue for compensation when It il prov
en to the satisfaction Cf the association
that the negligence OF the employers has
been the cause of members death.
To provide weekly allowance for mem
bers when out of employment, in resisting
any unjust demands.
To assist all similar associations which
have the same object i'll visw, to-wit
Mutual protection of members, and pro-
LtCllOn Oi LdODE 8&dihnt ChpltAl a.
quote the objects Of the institutions,
because the organization has been used as
a pretext by different employers at differ
ent times, for dIscharging their meI and
employing others because the old hands
desired to be part and parcel thereof. The
objects have been misconstrued and ms
represented by some of the public jour
mails, and the ofhcers have been maligned
and abused for having honestly endeavor-
ed to carry tn Sc into practice. We
have been called " agitators,' we have
been called demagogues because We
have counseled the members Of this organ
ization to try and secure those objects. In
same places even the clergy have placed
their anathems upon the society, and whyi
Is it wrong to teach men to seek higher
moral standard If so, let them vacate
the pulpits. Is it wrong to cultivate the
intellect, and inculcate broader and more
Comprehensive views than We now have 7
If So, let the ne W. papers close their Offices,
or refrain from using the epithet "igno-
rant ut us. Is 1t wrong to advance our
financial interests : If so, let those who
operate our mines and our mills and all
others abandon the various enterprises in
which they are engaged in the pursuit Of
wealth. 1t appears to me that that which
if advised by the church, by the press or
by the wealthy, would be applauded to the
heavens, when counseled and advised by
working men, c. nsigns them to perdition
or ranks them in the catalogue of agita-
tors, demago9ues and mischief makers.
If there N one wrong more than another
that we have reason to complain OF it is
surely Misrepresentation. II we are igno-
rant and strive t. improve and culture
ourselves are we not deserving of as much
credit as the educated, when they keep
adding to their attainments Ii we are
immoral and We essay to better ourselves,
il the act, because it springs from our
selves and not through other sources, to
be condemned If we are vicious and
seek to restrain those evil propensities, 10
the effort to bs denounced because ms
sionary 10 mot the instrument From the
opposition we have met ut many points
We do begin to think this is 80. But say
let us not be discouraged. The greater
prize is that for which we have to fight
the hardest If We could see it from an
other stand point, possibly the criticisms
that are passed upon MS are natural. The
first efforts of drunkard to reform are
looked upon suspiciodsly and sometimes
ridiculed, 30 also the religious reforms of
the unregenerated are set down as evi-
dences Of hypOcrisy. So in accordance
with this principle we must, it seems, look
for oppositiOn to do right, until we have
established confidence in all that We are
really in earnest. Let US 60 on in the
good work and dead justly to all men and
TO ourselves, and convince the world that
We are better than the estimate they have
made of us.
And now having paid the little tribute
that owed to those of opr friends who
deserved in this connection passing no
tice, let me turn to the opposition we meet