New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-09
EELENDN or LIBJR.

The wOrkngman has many protested trlchns
Mt Chicago. The frendliest friend OF them ALL
nv his own account, as he makes speeches from
cars and hotels. urges that the Democratic
Marty uust nominate a friend of the working
nan "A millionaire and lawyer named
Butlcr. Another particularly friendly person,
now Mayor of Chicago, having been nomlhaleu
for Governor because of his popularity with the
gamblers roughs, thieves and dangerous classes
of that city. considers that the workingmen
might well insist upon Carter Harrison ior
Vice President. Beautiful writer's are polishing
pretty planks about Labor, which are TO DE put
into the platform.
This is very well. The workingmcn constitute
about nine tcnths of the voters OF tins country
and they ought to have some friends but II
NIGHT be appropriate To ask who nave been the
real friends of the worhingmen IN this country.
TWENTY-FIVE years ago, IN states covering
more than half the settled area of the country
the workngman was II slave. II not IN person
held as a chattcl by SOME owner he was iOrccu
Inv daily compctiton with slave labor to accept
ONLY such wages as would keep body ana soul
torptbrr All along the border, III Kansas,
Iowa. Illinois Indiana, Ohio. Pennsylvania and
New jersey, there was direct competition also
between free worl,ngmcn North and en>layrd
work,ngmen South. The Republican party de-
clared that this tended to degrade all labor 1t
declared that not only in wages but III social
uo,ition and political influence labor was
wrongcd beyond measure by the existence OIL
slavery Was IT not true 7
The gentlemen now at Chicago declared TINS
doclrinc Infamous, unconstitutional ana con-
trary to Scripture. They held slavery ught'
insisted that il must be pcrpctuatrd, voted WIN
General Butler llty-six times iii the Charleston
Convention to uphold it by the nomination OF
.LT Davis. refused with Mr. Mcdonald to snS-
tain the Government in putting down a Save
Loldrr,' rebellion. organized military companies
that were not for the Union, like the one oil
which Senator Baylrd vas an officer which the
United States forces dsarmed and dlsbanded'
! and "a late As 1854 declared with Mr.. Iildcn
that the war for the Union was fa lure.
! Nevertheless in spite of them, labor was made
| free. The shareholders rebellion was crushed.
! The border llne ceased forever to be ii line of
compclitron between the workngman who
owned himself and the w0rkinsman who WAS
owned by his master. Who were the real
| friends of labor in that natter
Twcptv-three years ago w0rkingmcn were
| living under Il lltc-tfauc lillH' ~ was h""'''
by the gentlemen who are now at Chicago.
Getting the power 10y falseh0od in le1l, they
had fastened this system upon the country, Ia
the destruction of hundreds of manuiactu rlng
establishments here, and To- the great joy OF
England Until these men went ont OF power,
! British notions governed this county, and ON
| workingncn had to be content with such wages
as they could get in competition with British
and German labor. 4 great many workingncn
know what those wages were. DO they want to
70 back to thcm7
The Republican party declared this system an
outrage. IL held that American labor must be
not only free, but protected in its freedom. The
tariff then enacted by Republican votes has
brough; To workngmcn such wages, such III
crease of work. such prosperity and happiness,
"a can bc found nowhere else in the world
But il was enacted. and to this day has been de-
Tended against the votes Of nearly all the
Democrats If the gentlemen now at Chicago
can have their way, they will begin To tear
down the protective system At once, IA four
ffths of their Representatives in Congress tried
to do few weeks ago. Are they true friend,
Of labor
Fine words butter no parsnips. The work
ingmcn of this country have sense cnouSl ia
rate the professions of dcmagogucs at their real
value They are not likely to forget that the
party which has done something for them IL
the past is the party which can be- trusted tC
do something for them in the future.