The Labor enquirer., 1883-05-26
WHAT Is 1T .

WHAT Is IT.
The trustees of the Brooklyn bridge
unanimously voted to table petition
from an organization styling itself a
labor union, to postpone the public open
ing of that structure because the day Sc
lected for the ceremony, the twenty
fourth instant happens to be the birth
day of Queen Victoria. The bridge
trustees did we'll. The petition was a
brazen impertinence. What business
had this alleged labor union to interfere
in the matter? Who asked for their
opinion? What has this country to do
with the queens birthday? They must
be foreigners, those labor unionists, or
they would not have spite against the
day simply because Victoria first saw the
light upon it. The American people
have nd spite against the queen or her
birthday. They regard her justly as one
of the best and greatest women who
ever occupied throne, and the grumb-
ling of any number of her dissatisfied
ex-subiects will not change that judg-
ment The twentyfourth was not
chosen for the bridge opening because it
is the queens birthday, and the date of
the ceremony should not be changed on
that account. If the labor unionists do
not like the way things are done in this
country they are very welcome to pack
their satchels and 60 lack to the land OF
their irth.-Rocky Mountain News.
At last the truth is out, and the man
from Milwaukee, the importer of cheap
reporters has told his true feelings for
union men. I'VE purpose to look calmly
into theEforegoing extract and give our
readers plain analysis of it, showing
the animus of the writer, the falsity of
his statements, the abject, degraded
toadyism and the miserable attempt to
conciliate the trade unionists of this city.
From an organization styling itself
labor union" We leave our readers 20
fieure out whether that is intended to
serve as slur upon all unionists, or to
make believe that the writer considered
the petitioners imposters, and condemned
for that. 1t looks very much like cut
both ways sentence. Be the object what
it will, there is one of two things quite
certain: The writer was either ignorant
of what he was writing or Wiltully lied.
The petition was presented jointly by
Central Labor unions of New York and
Brooklyn. The former has member
ship of $4,000; the latter, $4,000. Add
to this the protests of the boards of al
dermen of each city, that of the Grand
Army and nine-tenths Of the citizens
and you have the people who object to
opening the bridge on the twenty-fourth.
The solid truth kind o knocks hole in
the News fiery attempt.
THE petition was a brazen imperti-
nence." "Who asked for their opinion ?'
So it has already become "a brazen i'm
pertinence" for $4,000 Ito say nothing of
the others) taxpayers and owners in a
piece of property to object to three men
marring its beauty and insulting them.
Remember the Brooklyn bridge is not a
private or stock company enterprise, but
belongs to the people. We need not ex-
plain who are the people. And the peo-
pie must not give an opinion until it is
requested by the magnates who are the
servants, but presume to be the peoples
masters. Wonder if the News was al
WAYS asked for its penny opinion by the
managers of the Denver exposition-a
purely private enterprise?
The desire to make us believe the
writer thinks the Central Labor unions
are composed entirely of foreigners is so
strained and labored as to appear really
excruciating, and had we less contempt
we might pity him. The per cent OF
foreigners in the labor unions in this
country is we'll known to be very small
and if every one were of foreign birth
it appears that they could teach the
editor of the News in Americanism and
respect for his native land
Certainly, "the American people have
no spite against the queen" but the man