New-York tribune., 1878-04-27

under failure and defeati The histories of these
| two events lock.
| NIL
| The stirring time of 1872 was followed by
| other season of quiet preparation. A bold expert
ment had been made. 1t had failed 1t was neces-
sary to try a new deal. The Winter of 1S72-73 was
unmarked by any notable demonstration of labor
agitation or Internationalist schemng; but early in
the Spring of 1873 there significant indica-
tOns that the interval of apparent repose had been
skillfuy utilized by the uneasy plotters in March
| and April of lat year outglvings came from wash
ington to the effect that the leaders of the Trade
| Unions had held secret conferences, and that some
new movement was contemplated. Early i'll the
following May the story came ont. The secret con-
ferences had resulted in the formation Of body
entitled "The United Workingmcn OF America"
which first announced its existence by the publlca
tiOn of programme setting forth the details ct a
system of National and local organization for the
purpose of guarding the interests of labor. The
organization declared its purpose to be the ele
walton of the American workngman, intellectually
morally materially and socially, and to secure con-
sideratiOn and justice III legislation. In other words
a noi party had challenged public attcnton-the
| Party Of Labor, without political PLATFORM GER
Ginly, but hopeful of an increase of strength by
the speciousness of its appeals to the personal inter
csts of n great class.
| II soon became apparent how the organiZa-
ton intended to begin its work. During the Spring
| of 1873 the eight-hour movement had been re-
vived in New-Yor and elsewhere, and the lnterna-
tonalist delegates had again appeared ut the meet
ings of the trades But no decided steps had been
taken up to the time Of the issue of the Washington
manifesto. 1t remained for the new party to
assume the leadership. The formeut had been care
| fully uurscd, III preparation for general and con-
certcd demonstration when the time should have
become ripe for IT. In the Spring aud early SUM
mcr of 1873 the eght-hOur agitation was continued
from month to month with varying degrees of sue
ccss but the party did not show its hand
boldly until July, when an Industrial Congress"
! was held in Cleveland. Ohio. which was composed
| of seventy delegates from Trade Unions, representing
| firtlrc States. The presiding officer announced
that il was the purpose of this body to
form new political party. The declaration
was bold one. but ii was made shrewdly
a, well as lollly-for the counsel given to
the great body of the Trade Unionsts of the United
States was moderate, and even diCnhed The
| worknCmen were advised 10 adopt general system
os arbitration for the settlement of difficulties be-
tween employers and employed and theprincipe OF
| co;;peration was earnestly commended to their at
! tcntion The discussions of the Congress were con-
ductcd. decorou~ly; its wise counsel was spread
Inionists had shown signs of returning sense.
Lullcd into security by the fair exhibit, the great
| mass of our people thought the International was
dead and the Trade Union fanglcss. The scenes OF
July 1877 were needed to diSpe this dangerous de-
! lusion.
The Fall of 1873 and the Winter of 1s73-74
brought out new and alarming developments.
The Communists had been busy. They had deter
mined their line of operation. and meant TO follow
| IT, and while men slept they had diligently sown
| tarcs. Gathering courage from immunity ther
/ leaders. in January, l97I thought the hour had
come to throw OF the mask aud to display their
strength. Out Of thi. thought grew The famous mass-
| meeting held at the Cooper Institute on Friday
night January 30, 1s7l-a meeting ostensIbly
called 20 utter public protest against the suppress
sion of an incipicnt riot at Tompkins-squarc, III
| which act of suppression, all honest men now
| know the municipal authorities acted wisely rs
wcl' ~ promptly At this mass-m'eting, the prhci-
rol speech in the English tongue was delivered by
! Mr. John Swinton His companions on the rostrin
| were chiefly French and Gcrman-all OF them pro-
| nounccd Communists. To this company, claiming
| 10 bc workingmcn, came Mr. Swinton charged with
a speech which was one of the most extraordinary
recorded in the annals Of oratory Given with
calm deliberations; maniicstly prepared with I'M
usual care by an acute. logical and COM
prchen,ive mind: adorned with illustrations
| exactly calculated to fire the inilamma-
| bic element To which 1t was addressed;
appealing with nervous cloquencc to the passions OF
an excited multitude that bowed edinstinctiyey under
! the magnetic influence of a superior mind-was 1t
wonderful that Mr.. John Swinton's harangue STIR
red that Communist gathering 10 the ptchof frenzy;
or that he was offered taud accepted the working
mems" nomination for the Office Of Mayor Of the
I, Ia,
niled leader Of the Commune when Communism rose
ooaiu.- law and order. Not at all. Ii
natural as that water should run dOwn-hill. Mr.
Syinton opcnly affiliated with JuStus Schwab by
marching in public procession with him in 1874,
and again by appearing on the same platform with
him at the TOmpkns-squarc meeting IN 1877. The
! interval between these two appearances was TWO
! aud-half years. Mark how this considerable inter
val of time was occupied by the leaders Of the Com
munists, and the effects produced by their machina-
tiOns.
The disastrous consequences of the panic of Sep
| temher 1873, had given the Communists strong
hold upon the minds of the labOring classes. That
hold they were determined to retain. lnsdlous APP
meals To the passions of the multitude were con-
.tantly put forth through the columns of the So
called Labor journals, in public meetings avowedly
Communist. in circulars and pamphlets-and unfor'
tunatcy too often in the editorial columns of widely
circulated daily newspapers. The great unthinllng
mass of our workinomcn, suddenly thrown out OF
employment by the suspension of factories and the
stoppage of large business houses, saw their families
drifting into want. and they turned willing ear TO
the snooth-tongucd varcts who sought to convince
them that property was robbery, and capital
tyranny II il needless to rccapitulate here the pro-
ccsses through which this poison was instllled INTO
the workingmen's minds. The records of ls7l-5-6-
Y are familiar to the general reader. 1t is however
hut common Justice 10 add that a large proportion