The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-06-09

Trevellick upon the subject of labor and
laborers.
The speaker made an exposition of the
ever existing conflict between labor and
capital, and incidentally touched upon the
recent strikes.
MIR. TREvELLIcK
was introduced by Mr.. j. b. Danforth,
who referred to the lecturer as former
sailor and shipwright. He is the vice
president of the Shipwrghts' union, and
has been a prominent labor agitator. MIR.
Trevellick is a fine built, selfreliant, well
appearing gentleman, and an orator of no
mean pretensions.
THE LECTURE.
The eight hour law was first dwelt upon,
and the speaker claimed that it was in fact
law, but the authorities had set it aside.
Be would himself not again act as an
emmissary to Congress. Let the working
men elect their own men to Office. The
present was an opportune time to discuss
the labor question. Equal rights must be
given to all, and the man who takes more
than his share of rights robs some one
else
In discussing the question he would
make use of the arguments of intuition,
tradition and history. The working men
of America must do more thinking and
reading than they have unless they desire
to be the asses for other men to ride. 1t
is the duty of every man to enquire into
the causes of poverty and riches the differ
ent conditions of men. He would oppose
all violence. In every country in the
world he had noticed that the people that
worked the most and the hardest were the
worst off in worldly goods. History
showed that nations greater and stronger
than ours had fallen, and SO will
this Udion go to pieces If we
do not watch over the purity and honesty
of our institutions. 1t was the duty of
every citizen to know and understand right
principles of government; and if they are
ignorant they must suffer for that ignor-
ance Land is the property of the people
as the Heavens belongs to God and the de-
sire to keep land away from the people has
oeen the cause of every revolution. The
late rebellion even was an instance through
the unjust principle of slavery.
Poverty was the one burden that was hold
ing down the working men of America; if
work was stopped they would starve in
thirty days. The love for their families and |
the desire to keep them in comfort causes |
a laborer to submit to any terms.
SUCH MEN
were not freemen. There are 4, 400, 900
workingrnen in this country; they averaged
$50 days work year, and the years wages
were under $500 The average family is
five persons; less than one-half own their
houses; the average rent and fuel makes
800; clothes $50; leaving only $240 for
food and all other necessaries. making the
average cost of a meal four cents
apiece. Labor earns 1850 for each laborer
the question is where does the difference
go? Trade organizations were necessary
to the best advance Of the me-
chanical arts. A national militia
is nothing but whip to drive men to the
wall, Violence the speaker deprecated;
ment; the proper means is legislation.
Miners were paid less than forty eight
cents ton for mining coal, give the own
er fifty cents and fifteen cents for other |
expenses and coal can be put on the cars
at 81 10 a ton. Coal costs $500 at Cleve- {
and through watering stock realize unfair
dividends on their investments. He would {
not say that Vanderbilt had stolen his
money; Vanderbilt was not the govern
ment no one man was the government
the men of the country were the govern I
ment and it was their own fault if they
did not get all they earned. +
THE CITIZENS Y
have the power to change the laws and it !
is the right and duty of every citizen to |
vote for right laws. Ireland was pro- I
ductive country and yet through wrong
laws was poor one. Her resources were :
abundant but the people were not paid for
their work
The Credit Mobelier steal was then
shown up in forcible language and the
assertion made that the people allowed it
with their eyes open. The speaker took G
the ground that railroads were 3 blessing
and had right to a fair return on their
investments, but the law should look to it
that it was not extortionate. An imitation
of the currency meant imitation of the price
of labor, of the price of living, the value
remained the same. Men contract debts I
in the time of initiation and when contrac- I
ton occurs his debt is simply doubled
through the reduction of the price of la
Dor. 8
The speaker claimed that the cry for a l
specie basis was the cause of the panic of ,
1857; seeming to forgot that history tells
us that lack of specie basis or basis of ,
any kind for the state bank money then |
used was the cause? He then. probably ,
unwittingly, paid burning eulogy to the
present national bank SYSTEM and the eff ,
fectual aid it rendered the government at
the time of the rebellion. He styled it q
time when credit was dead and hard money