Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-02-03
THE woRKINGMEN's RALLY.
Large neutrality-suspicious. and Notices
Declaration Of Principles - Poem snd
Speeches,


Declaration Of Principles - Poem snd
Speeches.
Pursuantto announcement Work
ingmen's Club No. l, OF Los ADge-
les, held meeting last night in
from: of Temple Block. A hand
some platform had been erected,
which was surmounted by gas jets
and surrounded by transparencies
OH which were n number of eff1gies
and notices. They were pretty
we'll gotten up, were of a highly
humorous cast aud directed at the
Chinese, at the practice of
buying votes and slightly at cap
ilal. A band was in attendance
which discoursed music at inter-
walls during the evening and bon
fires blazed up brightly. DR.. X. D.
Wise, Dr. Luppo, Judge J. S.
Thompson, the Messrs. Pitt, Nor
ton and Quinn, were amongst the
labor notabilities on the platform.
Mr.. l.. Page, the President of the
Club, opened the proceedings by
stating that Los Angeles Working
mems Club No. l proposed to let
the people of Los Angeles know
what their designs aud principles
were. Their aims were comprised
in the magic word "peace." Their
declaration of principles would be
read shortly.
Mr.. Page then introduced Mr..
Butler, the poet matchmaker, who
read poem entitled, we believe,
"The Workingmen's Bond.n Poem
and reader We're applauied at the
conclusion of the reading.
Mr. Page next introduced Mr.. r.
d. Pitt who, after few words
euloglstic Of the labor movement,
proceeded to read the following
quite lengthy platform of prin-
ciples:
Whereas, The present widespread
discomfort and suffering Of the
working classes, millions of whom
are out of employing mt and unable
to obtain the necessaries of life,
and millions more of whom have q
dark struggle to keep the small
earnings of years of toll while
monopolies increase in mum bers and
grow in power and aggregated cap
ital and are prosperous and arrogant
conclusively prove that our laws
and law makers favor capital at
the expense of labor.
Therefore we, the workingmen
of Los Angeles, in mass meeting
assembled, declare as follows:
First. That labor is the creator
of all the wealth, the civilization,
and greatness of nations, and it is
the duty or all governments to
guard it's rights and secure to it its
full and just reward.
Second. That governments have
hitherto been administered in the
interest of capital-giviDg it, as far
as possible, the rewards due to la
Dor, while laying the principal
burdens of the support of the State
in peace and its defense in war
upon workingmen; and while we
recognize the usefulness of capital
and freely concede its right to pro.
lection and fair return for its
proper employment, it must not be
m AIDE hereafter, as it has been here
tOfore, an instrument of oppression
to those who labor.
Third. That while we do not
favor paternal government which
shall care for the slothful and pro-
vide for the improvident, we claim
that it is not less the duty of gov
ernment to aid its citizens in times
of great financial and industrial
depression than it is the duty OF
the citizen to defend the govern
ment during the perils of war; and
that now, when more than three
millions of the laboring men of this
nation are out Of employment and
wanting bread, it is the imperative
duty of the general State and mu-
nicipal governments to aid all use
full and needed works of public
improvement, whereby the wheels
OF industry may again be set in
motion, the idle find work and the
hungry obtain food.
Fourth. That it is the duty of
government, as far as possible
without the Infringement of pri.
vate rights, to give all children in
the State an equal chance in the
race of life; anu that in order to do
this, it is necessary to maintain
free schools with free text books,
and 10 compel the attendance, at
some school, of all children be-
tween the ages of five and sixteen
years.
Fifth. That is Is unjust to tax
the people TO maintain schools for
giving an EDUCATION in the higher
branches of study, useful only to
the few who are preparing for the
learned professions; out that a sys-
tenn of industrial education should
be established throughout the
State where every child may be
enabled to acquire knowledge of
| SOule uselut tTauo VI eul piOy ueuti
and that the large sum now an
nually expended in maintaining a
costly State University for the ed
ucation of a few rich mems sons,
should he used for the support of
industrial schools.
Sixth. That the alarming in
crease of corporations and the i'm
mense power usurped by them in
the affairs of our State and Ma
tional Governments, the con slant
encroachments of such corpora
tions upon the rights and liberties
of the people; the monopoly Of the
public lands as we'll as all means
of transit; the concentration ofcap-
ital in the hands of few to the
great detriment of the laboring
class and the introduction of cheap