Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-08-04
THE LABOR QUESTION.
Carsey Wants Public schools where
Trades and Arts can be Taught, Is
Opposed TO Cheap Labor, and
Says we Must Have Legisla-
tive Relief, or the
Labor Riots of Last Year will be Re-
peated-He wants More Greenbacks
and a Better Homestead Act
Delegates from the Congress
of Humanity.

New YORK, August 3-The congressional
committee on the labor question continued Its
session to-day. The workingmen's repre-
sentatives were on the stand again, and they
laid the blame of the depression in business
to national and State legislation, the grant
ing of lands to railroads and other corpora
tons, and the granting of large interest on
bonds. They advanced the idea that the gov
eminent should pass homestead law and
throw the public lands open TO settlement,
and assist linen to settle there.
w. A. Carsey, who said he was brick
layer and editor, declared that, in his opinion,
the public school system was bad. The gov
eminent, he said. should establish schools
where mechanical trades and the arts would
be taught. He denounced the contract sys-
tenn under the national, State and city gov
ernments; as consequence, the work was OF
the worst possible construction, and 1t gave
an opportunity to men to grind the laboring
classes and employ Chinese and others,
against whom the American laOorers could
not compete, because the latter cannot live
as the former 90. de thought 1t bad
policy fer any government to encourage
swarms OF foreigners to drive out native la
borers. Carsey appealed to the committee
to impress on their fellow congressman the
necessity of some legislation this winter
which will bring relief to the working class
Kno wing the temper and needs of the work
Ingmen, he felt certain that if congress
did not step In at an early day
with ameliorating legislation, this win
ter could not pass without trouble
without a repetition of the labor riots
of last summer. A good movement would be
the institution of comprehensive system OF
internal improvements, and initiation of the
currency to carry on these Improvements.
He said he would have a strong
central government, which would issue its
notes to assist its people, and be looked upon as
20
popular and protecting. He would have the
seameu and workmen on shore sent away to
the plains, where they are alone needed.
He advocated the green back system, but sail,
that let congress give the country a home
stead act, with assistance to So tie on the
public lands, and COMPREHENSIVE internal
improvement act, and the Wei kingmen
would fight out the initiation question at the
poll. He did not believe the laboring classes
were willing to starve eight or ten years to
prevent panic.
George W. Maddux, of the congress of hu-
mainly, wanted the government to issue four
teen thousand million dollars or so to New
York, to build docks, etc and comparatively
similar sums to other cities, to be expended
in public works. When these works would
have made returns, then letsthem be paid out
and not destroyed as cancelled notes.
J. Osborn Ward, the organizer in Brooklyn
of the soCiaIstic labor party, advocated
grand cooperative christian society, embra-
cling all the people of the United States,
with the government as the nucleus. In this
society verythiDg was to be equal and in
common. Mr.. Ward kept the audience 10
the best of humor by his peculiar answers to
the questions of the committee.
Mrs. S. Myra Hall, who announced herself
a member Of the congress of humanity of the
world, said that the first step necessary to
bring back prosperity to the country was to
grant women suffrage. Give women the
ballot, and everything Will be lovely a I'd per-
feet
Robert Rheum characterized as wrong the
present financial system, and said the laws
should be amended SO as to allow the issue of
paper money to much larger volume than
at the present time.
J. J. O'Donnell, who announced that he
represented his sovereign self, said that the
nonsense of the previous speakers for the past
two days had panied HIM. He wanted
neither greenbacks nor communism, nor an
eight-hour law. He did want some satisfac-
tory method of arbitration between master
and man; restriction Of the rights of pat
entee, and the right to work wherever and
whenever he could get it, and for as many
hours as he chose.
Adjourned till Monday.