Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1886-04-25
A GALA LABOR DAY.
TWO MONSTER MEETINGS OF
WORKMEN.
Knights Of Labor and Their Friends at
Carlfs Opera IIOuse-JUhn Swim.
ton Tells Is Thing or
TW0-Lab0r's Steady
Advance.

Last Sunday was truly a gala day
for New llaven's working people,
and was marked by two large labor
meetings IN Carll's Opera House, at
tracted by the announcement that
John Swlnton, Of New York, the
veteran labor reformcr, was to speak.
The Labor Lyceum at Loomis'
Temple of Music Was about to open
Its session, and listen to Il discourse
by Labor Commissioner Arthur T.
lladley, when deputation from the
X. of l.. meeting at Carll's invited
the Lyceum to ad lourn to that house,
as John Swlnton, who WAS expected
to be present in the afternoon, had
not arrived. The invitation was &C
cepted by the Lyceum Committee,
and the audience nollied of the fact.
Arrived at the Opera House, great
audience greeted the new comers.
After one or two selections by the
Commonweal Glee Club, the Chair
man, explaining the absence of Mr..
Swinton, introduced Mr.. l{adley,
who was well received and listened
to with close attention. His subject
was, 1.-The Stat and the Labor
Question:" and WIS ably discu: :sed
from standpoint, more liberal, it
was thought by some, than former
speeches were, by the same speaker
lie considered employers liability
for clearly and well-guarded shops,
the payment Of wages, contracts for
work and hours Of labor, all fit sub,
jects for State action. lie would
not 20 as far as the Socialists. though
he said that ''for common good the
end can be reached only by common
action" "What is needed is con-
centration on what the State can do
rather than on what people think it
ought to do. In old times people
used to propitiate the gods to relieve
them of distress, but that sort of su-
perstition has now been abandoned.
Yet we have not abandoned the feel
ing that some evils can in some
measure be wiped out by jrdicIous
legislation" That it was not a
function of the State to make people
happy.
Space forbids comprehensive
synopsis Of the Commissioners re-
marks, and the criticisms that fol-
lowed. Several questions by people
in the audience were propounded
and answered, after which the chair
man announced that short speeches
would be in order. A citizen Of So
cialistic opinions, referring to Mr..
Hadley's remarks regarding the
proper functions Of the State, said
that Socialists did not expect the
State to make everyone happy, they
aimed to bring into existence a State
that would create conditions making
it possible for citizens to attain hap
piness, which, in too many cases, was
not possible under the present State.
And as to -propitiating the gods,
why that was done to-day, only the
character of the deity was changed.
As to employers liability, if the State
were the employer it would be re-
sponsihle in the highest degree.
The speaker thought Mr.. Hadley
was progressing finely on the path to
socialism.
When the Labor Commissioner
admitted that socialism was good
in theory he but echoed the senti-
ment of Socialists: and when the
great mass of American workmen
become thoroughly convinced that
the idea of a cooperative common
wealth was good in theory, they
would find Il means to make it good
in practice.
Another speaker referred to the
Commissioners report, criticizing it,
and concluded his remarks bv u trib-
ute to socialism. After Mr.. Hadley
had briefly replied, in witty manner