The Labor enquirer., 1884-02-02
A State Convention of Great
Interest Held in the City
of Detroit.
A Special Account Prepared for
sThe Enquirer" BY Joe
Labadie.
The Gauntlet Thrown Down to the
Labor Organizers Of Other
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Editor LABOR EsaU1RER:

81
Editor LABOR ENQUIRER:
DETROIT, Mich, Jan. 25.-The world
still moves, despite the efforts of those
who would have it stand still. I have
had evidence written the last few days
which proves to me that no power on
earth can stop the progress which the
labor movement is making to-day.
Cowards and knaves and ignoramuses
may cry Communist" 'Nihilist,"
Anarchist" but the sounds fail upon
ears that have learned that these mean
something else besides murder and plum
der. Lovers Of the existing order Of
things will have to adopt new war-cry,
because the old ones have lost their
terrors.
On last Friday week, was convened in
this city the state convention of the
knights of Labor, representing every
congressional district in the state but
one, with fifty-three delegates, I7had
the honor of being chosen the presiding
officer, and in the afternoon of the first
days session there was made two-minute
speeches by the delegates. There was in
that convention gray-haired veterans
who. have fought the slave-power for
fifty years, both in its ehattel and wage
form. Then there was the moss-back
farmer, who prided himself in the name
of ss-back, rough, uncouth and vigor-
ously intelligent. who, by the light Of
his old-fashioned chimney fire had
cleaned from Progress and Poverty
and other books that give men ideas and
make them uneasy, a few great truths
that lie at the bottom of human rights
ndshuman happiness. There was also
the young and vigorous and hot agitator,
radical to the extreme and as revolu-
tionary as were the heroes of rs, who
knew their rights and were not afraid to
defend them even to the death. Men
from the woods men from the mills, men
from the mines men from the print
shops, men from the stores and the
offices and the institutions of learning
Doctors and merchants and manufac-
turers; masons and printers and black
smiths; shoemakers and painters and
teachers, cigarmakers and carpenters
and farmers; black men and white men men
and even those in whose veins coursed
the blood of the red race. This, indeed,
was truly representative gathering, and
the most hopeful thing of it all was the,
unanimity of sentiment and purpose that
permeated the whole. The resolutions
which they sent out to the world mean
something, and here is sample:
Resolved, That the right to till the soil
and work the mines belongs equally to
all; and
Resolved, That any law or custom
which in any way curtails this right we
seek to abolish.
The convention lasted for two days,
and there is no doubt that more good
will come from this gathering than has
come from any gathering that was ever
Ehad in this state, not even excepting that
which met in Jackson, Il think it was in
1861 to form the republican party,
which did so much good for the human
Y
race.
A permanent organization was formed,
and the following elected as officers to
serve until the next convention, which
meets in East Saginaw on the first We'd
nesday in June, 1885:
Master Workman-John Deylin,
Detroit.
secretary-George W, Walthew, De-
troit.
Treasurer-Jeremiah d. Long, Detroit.
An Executive Committee, consisting OF
one elected from each congressional
| district, was elected as follows: ID
i First Joseph A. Labadie, Chairman,
of Detroit. --
| Second-A. J. Baker, of Jonesville.
| Third-W. S. Gray, of Battle Creek.
| FOURTH. R. Hill, of Buchanan.
Fifth-A. F. Schiller, of Grand Rapids.
| Sixth IF. Rulison, of Flushing.
seventh-Jedidiah Spaulding, of Port
Huron. -. t- =
| Eighth. 81. Quackenbush, of South
Saginaw. ~
Ninth-W William Heysett, of Luding.
ton. I
| Tenth William J. Beard, of Bay City
1 Eleventh Thomas Doyle, of Alpena
J, The reports showed that the Order
is in very healthy condition through
out the state. In number of towns
A they take Independent political action
and most always win, notably in Muske,
gon and Alpena, in the latter place elect
ing full county ticket excepting clerk
. This is the place where the Knights cir
} culated 25O copies of Progress anc
: Poverty A few places have, or arr
now building their own halls, witt
amusement and reading rooms attached
! This is a feature of our movement which
3 ought to take strong hold. If in ever
city and town there was a buildinl
devoted to the use of labor Organizations
I Ewhare men could 90 when out Sof work
where lectures could be held viii