The Labor enquirer., 1884-02-16
A WARNING.
DR.. De La Marty Issues 1t to
the Workhgmen Of
Denver.
Ee is Listened to by Nearly One
Thousand Attentive, Ear.
nest Toilers.

West Denver Turner hall was crowded
by worklngmen, on Thursday evening, the
occasion being the first of series of meet
ings under the auspices of the Trades As
sembly. All the seats In the hall were oc-
cupied, and fully 200 were standing.
At fifteen minutes to s o'clock j. R..
Buchanan, president of the Trades Assembly,
called the meeting to order and introduced
the orator of the evening, Rev. Gilbert De
LIE Matyr. The gentleman was greeted by
prolonged applause, and was frequently in
terrupted during his remarks by similar OUT
bursts of approval and appreciation. DR..
De La Matyr said:
Mr.. CHA1RMAN:-I am happy to meet
the representatives of labor. They con-
stitute the most honorable order Of
knighthood ever formed.
am accustomed to speak from text.
I read as my text for this occasion the
grandest utterance of the noblest of the
inspired prophets who have risen
among the worlds toilers-Abrahan
Lincoln:
Monarchy itself is sometimes pointed
at as a. possible refuge from the power of
the people. In my present position l
would scarcely be justified were to
omit raising a warning voice against this
approach of returning despotism. There
is one point to which ask brief atten-
ton. 1t is the effort to place capital on
an equal footing with, if not above, labor
in the structure of our government.
CAPITAL is only the fruit of labor, and
could never have existed if labor had
not first existed, Labor is superior to
capital, and deserves much the highest
considerati on. No men living are more
worthy to be trusted than those who
toll up from poverty, none less inclined
to take or touch aught which they have
not honestly earned. Let them beware
of surrendering political power which
a they already possess, and which, if sur
rendered, will surely be used to close the
door of advancement to such as they,
and to fix new disabilities and burdens
upon them; till all of liberty is lost !"
Marvellous prophecy rapidly fulfill
ing; yea, accomplished! The disabili,
ties and burdens of labor have since in,
creased, until to-day tollers are slaves
with no more prospect of rising to po'
sition and power in the administration
of their government than the chattels o.
the south before the war.
Another statement made about the
same time, in Hazards Circular" the
mouthpiece of organized capitalists, il
worthy of notice:
Slavery is likely to be abolished by
the war power, and chattel slavery b
destroyed. This I and my European
friends are in favor of; for slavery is bu
the owning of labor, and carries with i
to care for the laborer; while the Euro
pean plan, led in by England. is, capita
controls labor by controlling wages. Thil
can be done by controlling money. The
great debt, the capitalists will see to it il
made out of the war, must be used al
the means to- control the volume o.
money. To accomplish this the bonds
must be used as the banking basis, L
will not do to allow the 'greenback,' al
it is called, to circulate as money any
length of time, for we cannot contro
them. But we can control the bondl
and, through them, the bank issues"
BY controlling the currency capita
knew 1t could control wages, and con