Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-03-17
THE VOICE OF LABOR.
LARGE RALLY IN PHILADELPHIA

1AAAA<AA~~A&AAAADs
Over Five Thousand People Lssesa % Dr.
cussion OF the Cause OF Labor.
The labor demonstration at Horticultural
hall last night was by large odds the
largest affair of the kind ever known in
Philadelphia indeed, the crowd became
| so great before nine o'clock that every
avai!able.inca of room in the hall was 0c-
cupied and several thousand people, who
were unable to get in, held enthusiastic
meetings on the street. Fully five thou
sand persons attended the meetings and
| listened with attention to . number Of
speakers from various parts of the cOun-
try. The speeches we're conservative and
sensible, and there was noticeable alb
sence of the Communistic tone. Notwith-
standing the immensity of the crowd there
was little or no disorder during the meet
| ing, which continued until after eleven
o'clock.
| The demonstration was held under the
auspices of that powerful organization,
the Knights Of Labor, but hundreds of
mechanics and working people who are
not connected with the order named were
present.
| The members of both branches of coun.
cils accepted the invitation to be present
and Were seated in the reserved space in
front of the stage. About One-half of the
lower floor was reserved for women, and
the one Thousand working women who
belong to the falpinine assemblages of the
order turned out in such force that before
the speaking began every reserved chair
was filled and dozens Of women were com
PEELED to stand in the aisles during the
remainder of the meeting, for the crowd
| ivoSi N
it was almost impossible to get out. There
are thirty eight assemblies of the Knights
of Labor in this city and Assembly No.
Ga has over 1,SO0 members, while
the weakest assemblies are said to
have from five to seven hundred
members cach. Each assembly marched
to the meeting place headed by a band of
music, and the arrival of each delegation
was tho signal for loud and continuous
applause from those already there. What
with troops of marching men, dozens of
bands of music, countless torchlights and
SCORES of appropriately inscribed trans
parencies, Broad street presented a scene
of life and activity that will not be soon
forgotten by those who witnessed it.
Tailors, shoemakers, machinists, stone.
cutters, carpenters, piano makers. cigar
makers, painters, plasterers, s(ate-r0ofers,
gold -beaters, morocco dressers, cabinet
makers, and indeed almost every class of
artisans were represented by large delega-
tions, each of which hid transparencies
bearing such devices as "In union is
strength we have tried and proved it ;:
eve invite the investigation Of thinking
people - "Cheap labor is not nations
wealth, but its direst calamity "A fair
days pay for a fair day s work - Honest,
intelligent labor and fair wages ;" elm
coin freed the blacks-who will free the
whites % "Opposition to convict labor y
"COmpulsory education" and Full pay
| for wOrkingwomen."
Charles W. Mooney presided and Joha
y. Allen acted as secretary.
John Swinton, of the New York Sun,
said that pusil!animous political parties
shrank from the consideration Of such
questions as were before them last night.
Coal mines, legislation, the state itself
was in the possession of the workingmen,
if they only knew it; but they did not.
The war department., he charged, was
used rs a labor department to reduce wages
to starvation rates. II the growth in
unity of effort among the laboring classes
continued in the future as it had been in
| the past the people would soon grasp
their birthrights now held from them.
| Paul Lossau, of the Philadelphia Ger
man Iage5latt, followed with a speech in
German.
Philip Van Patten, OF the Detroit trade
council, was then introduced. He would
summon the workingmcn, he said, to prac-
tical agitation. Every man at election had
in his hand piece OF paper which for the
time made him a piece Of tho general gov
ernment. But so far wOrkmen had vOlun-
tarily chosen to enslave their votes and
themselves to capitalists. Let those men
but have their way, and in 4 short time
they would be found declaring the very
Declaration of Independence an infamous
conmunistic document, and attempting to
deny to their employees the right Of bal
| lot.
z. J. McGuire, of the St. Louis carpen-
tcrs, the next speaker, declared that the
minute gun had been fired at Omaha, and
that he had come to attend the meeting
because he had thought it was his duty.
They were all there not to do violence to
capitalists, not to divide the goods of the
world, but to agree to elect such represen-
! tativcs as should defend the wOrkingmen's 5
rights in future.
The following resolutions were adopted !:
1. We demand of our lawmakers the
passage of laws legalizing and incOrpor-
ating trade and labor unions.
3. The establishment of a National De.
partment of Labor, including bureau Of
labor statistics.
3. The establishment of eight hours as a
legal day s work, and punishment for all
violators thereof.
4. The abolition of the contract system
Of convict labor.
5. The substitution of days work for
the contract system ON all national, state
and municipal work.
6. The passage of law making educa
ton compulsory, and prohibiting the en-
ployment Of children under fourteen years
of age in manufacturing, mechanical and
mining pursuits.
Rssolued, That We heartily endorse tho
action of the Senate Of tho United States
in passing the anti Chinese bill, and that
the officers of this meeting be instructed to
forward to the Speaker of tho House of
Representatives, rs the sense of the work.
ingmen of Philadelphia, a petition for the
passage Of the bill, and thus remove a
menace to the welfare of American work.
men.
Resolced, That we earnestly ask the sym.
pathy and aid of our fellow workingmen
in other sections of the state and nation,
and pledge our active cooperation in any
movement looking toward the ameliora-
ton of tho condition and tho elevation of
tho laboring classes
Tho Maryland Minors Reported DiSOrderly
and Defiant.
| Renorts from the strikers in the Cum