The Labor enquirer., 1883-10-06
AN ADDRESS.
II Is Issued by Some of Our
Fellow Wageworkersof
America.
Having No Representation Among
the Law Makers, We are,
Therefore,
Legally Robbed Of Our Rights and
the Fruits of Our Honest
Toll.

workers of this republic of America,
driven by continually decreasing wages
and continual advance in the cost of liv-
ing to a consideration of the reasons for
such state of affairs some years since
began to investigate the subject.
They found that although this is sup
posed to be government by and for the
people, that the real people, the produ-
GERS Of all the wealth of the land are not
really benefited by that government.
As a matter of fact the congress of the
United States which is supposed to rep
resent us has in its councils only two
wage workers. The balance, nearly four
hundred, are lawyers and capitalists. Is
it not, therefore, reasonable to expect
Just what has happened, that all laws are
made in the interest of capital and non
producers
The judiciary which interprets these
laws is composed Of representatives of
capital. Is it not therefore natural to
expect that all interpretations of Law will
be made to favor capital as against labor ?
The executive power is also in the
hands Of the wealth gatherers instead of
the wealth producers. The police, the
national guard and the regular army
stand ready, being paid by capital, to
enforce their decisions.
No laboring man in legislative halls,
none in judicial seats and none in the
executive chair. How, then, can this in
truth be called our government?
There is no question but that each year
the rlch are growing richer and the poor
poorer 1t has become matter of self
preservation for US, if we desire to even
live in deCency hereafter and preserve
ourselves from absolute want, to inVesti-
gate the reasons for our condition and
endeavor to remedy the wrongs perpe-
trated against us.
We work from early morning until
late at night As hard and well as we are
able. As result of this labor we feel
that if things were right and We were
not swind'ed or robbed we would at least
have as a result enough to purchase at
least the necessaries and possibly few
Of the Injuries Of this life of ours But
We find as a fact that it is a continual
struggle even to get get along. What
are the reasons for this
Say that you are machinist. BY one
weeks labor you produce machine that
sells in the market fDn $500. For that
labor you receive $40 to SIS the material
costs similar sum and the balance of
the price of your labor goes into the
pockets Of your employer.
But this is not all. You take your SIS
home. You pay SC for rent, for place
to live in, for little section Of Gods
ground. Why?
With the $l2 left, You support yourself
and family Ru: how? Every article
of necessity that you use is taxed fully
100 per cent. Does this tax 90 to the
support Of the government? No!
Take any article, say cotton goods
taxed 80 per cent. The cotton labOrers
are paid the same price as in England
for their labor, but the goods cost here
so per cent more! This 81 per cent is
gobbled up by the manufacturers And
every time you buy a yard Of cotton
cloth at 20 cents, fully Is cents Of
20 cents goes to the manufacturers
clear profit
These are merely a few Of the evils
under which labor groans.
1t was a consideration of these things
that induced some laboring men some
years since to organize society for the
purpose of discussing these things anG
finding come remedy for them.
That. organization is called the Knights
of Labor. There are assemblies in this
city and We sincsrely hope and trust
that many more may soon be formed.
To that end we ask your earnest and
immediate and active aid.
Well directed labor is mans inherited
germ of independence and the natural
antagonism of poverty.
We may easily understand that com
plete equity leven-handed justice) is ac-
complished when each candidate fol
earthly happiness IMAM has an equal
opportunity to labor and its fruits. Then
the created becomes subservient to, and
not master Of the creator.
The Knights of Labor is an Organiza
ton composed wholly Of laboring men
of all callings, working solely in the in
terests of labor with a view to a com
plete unitication of all industries and tC
secure to each denizen of the world 6
free use of his natural powers, and JUS
what the individual produces. The
Knights are formed in various assem-
blies scattered over the country, guidec
by clear rules, based on universally rec
ognized principles of organization, cuI-
ture and political eco nomy. Co-opera
ton, productive and distributive, is al
important factor in the scheme of relic
and second only to that of education.