Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-24

the daily papers, calling for an assemblage
Of the workingmen Of st. Paul at the old
court house, last evening. The call neither
stated the object of the meeting, nor was it
signed by any official hand. Notwithstanding
tlis mysterious indefniteness, a large gather
ing resulted, which not only occupied the
full seating capacity of the hall, but taxed
it's standing room also. glance at the
audience was sufficient to assure the observer
that it was a bona .fde meeting of working
men. In the corner where the jury
usually sits, was bevy of strangers,
who proved to be the following deputation
from the worlsingmen's union, of Minneap-
oils. and who were the soul and front of the
movement. and the unknown callers of the
meeting G. w. Curtiss, NJ. w. Glenn, E. a.
Cra,usie, j. II. McNally, L. H. Merrithew,
Ed. McDermott, Charles b. Doherty, VIM
Krech and Thomas A. Clark. the first and
last named being respectively the chairman
and secretary Of the above mentioned union.
Precisely at 1880 p. M, Mr.. c. w. Curtiss,
president of the Minneapolis Workingmen's
uuion, opened the meeting and said it had
been called for the purpose of organizing a
workngmen's union In Minneapolis a
similar organization had been operated for
some time, and having effected much good,
it was now desired to extend it's influence
throughout the entire State. One great
Object OF the society was to bring about
such legislation as would be beneficial alike
to labor ana capital. It was moreover in
tended to exclude the political element, a
fruitful source Of failure in the past with
labor unions.
Ihe constitution of the Minneapolis
Wor<ingmen's Union was then read, and
Mr.. Curtiss proceeded to say these unions
would be strictly local and independent,
though it would be the endeavor to have
thsm work in unison.
Mr.. Curtiss then constituted himself as
chairman of the meeting.
Dir. w. Krech of Minneapolis, said it
would be the best thing to first enroll parties
who would be willing to join society upon
the basis of the Minneapolis union. He
commended that there was harmony be-
tween capital and labor, as the former was
the result of the latter, but the problem
was, should labor be kicked out after capital
had been $ cured. Capital was organized
but labor was not.
It was here moved by a member of the
audience that temporary chairman be
elected, and Mr. Prendergrast of St. Paul
was chosen, who, in assuming the presidency
said he was willing to do anything to aid
10, nd cf,E no rs ~,
their lights. He was not going to antagonize
capital. as he believed the interests Of labor
and capital were identical. Heidi not how
ever, believe that one class should be adyanc-
ed at the expense Of another. Labor
had, heretofore, allowed the government
to be sLaned that it's interests were
t2ampled upon and ignored. He contended
That labor had never been organized and
combined, and that the Minneapolis union
had struck the right chord. He then alluded
to convict labor as one Of the most detestablc
systems III existence, as it took the worst ell
ements Of society and converted them in
to mechanics, and those conyicts, when lib
Grated, come into direct competition with
honest labor. The speaker laid it down as
wrong III principle to send criminal to
prison to reform him, and not to punish.
Another point labor had to contend against,
was the tendency toconcentrate power in the
hands Of a few. The united action of pro-
fessional politicians and office holders
must be overcome. The remedy for this
was organization. All ought to be prepared
to exert their influence i'll proportion to their
numbers. Applause.
Mr.. j. S. White was here elected score
tary.
Dir. 7. A. Clark, secretary of the Mime
apolis Workingmen's union, alluded to the
last July strikes and their consequences,
which, said the speaker, was fight for
bread, III which the strikers were not to be
blamed for any wrong they committed. The
workingmen of Minneapolis had combined
and made their influence SO felt that CAPT
talists had recognized them. The speaker
having detailed the methods of the Mime
apolis society in organizing, went on to show
that the various classes of capital were
each organized, and not one of them ever
had combined to advance the wages paid for
labor, but to reduce it. He believed that
Vanderl lit and Tom. Scott were responsible
for the July riots, and he predicted that, in
five years, man would, by statute, be per-
mitted to vote unless he had property
qualification; which would further tend to
the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the many as against
the few. (Applause)
AIoIl. w. IL. ISdiiuiIS uduie Was called
amid cheers. He said substantially, that,
while he was warmly in sympathy with
those present, he felt himself as kind Of
intruder. It was a vexed cues
ton as to how we should
lift the pail overhanging labor. How far
should we go? What point should we not
pass? Labor caused the earth to yield its
fruits, built our cities and carried on the COM
1nerce of the world. The capital which an
tagonized labor, was the naked and unpro-
ductiVe power which was exercised for self
aggggrandizement and not the power combined
with labor for production. The antagoniz
ing capital ezacted its full pound Of flesh in
all its contracts. Machinery, the product OF
inventive genius, had thrown vast crowds of
human laborers out of place and employ
1nent. The earth cannot yield too much
fruit. The evil was not oyer-production, but
wrong distribution superinduced by wrong
legislation. He did not believe that it would
ever come to pass that property qualifca-
ton suffrage would be inaugurated. Yet, in
his opinion for want of due organization,
workingmen had elected men to Congress
and legislative assemblies, who, in turn had
been guided by the policies of aggrandizing
capital. It was the laboring classes who had
won the victory in the late war. (Applause.)
But the country for which they had fought,
by reason of the war; had fallen into the
hands of capitalists who had demonetized