The Portland daily press., 1886-03-20
MONOPOLY.
Parker Plllshury's Lecture Before
the Knights Of Labor.

Parker PillsbNry's lecture, under the aus
pices of the Knights of Labor, drew large
audience to City Hall last evening, and with
the exception of few rows OF settees in
the rear of the room, every seat was occu-
pied when the lecturer began his remarks at
ten minutes before eight AS Mr.. Pillsbury
spoke in a low tone and at considerable
length, however, the greater part of his
hearers had left before the conclusion of the
lecture.
The subject upon which Mr.. Pillsbury
spoke was the evil of land monopoly. He
referred to the vast tracts of land held by
the English nobility in that country, and
spoke against the grants of land made by
Congress to the different railroads, which he
said aggregated larger extent of territory
than that comprised by the New England
States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylva-
mia, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio and Indiana.
This country has completed but the first
century of its existence, and yet, with all its
unbounded resources, we find today thous-
ands and thousands of men and women, able
and willing to work, but without employ
ment. New York and Massachusetts, two
of our most densely populated States, have
only about one-quarter as many people to
the square mile as Great Britain. Were the
United States as densely populated as Bel
GUM, it would contain larger population
than that of the Globe today, and yet, if the
sea were to so reduce our territory that the
population of the country should equal that
of Belgium in density, the people would per-
ish in the first hard winter.
The speaker then referred, at considerable
| length to the spirit Of caste, which he said is
| growing, and centres in the capital of the
nation. The simplicity Of the republic has
| been lost, and hardly man can enter the
Senate of the United States who is not a
| millionaire The Spartans punished thieves,
not because they stole, but because they
were not sly enough to escape detection.
| We punish similar criminals not because
they steal, but because they do not steal
enough.
Mr.. Pillsbury thinks that the Knights of
Labor have started a great movement, and
| have platform ON which they can afford to
| fall great many times. He referred to
their efforts in behalf of women, that they
| should have as much pay as is given men for
the same work. He recommends the ballot
as means to settle difficulties, but said that
the right of revolution was admitted by
Daniel Webster to always exist. The slave
holders rebellion was put down by the bull
let but the North waited for the South to
strike the first blow. tThe speaker advised
that in any conflict the laboring men should
notIbe the aggressors.
Mr.. Pillsbury said that the Democratic
party was for years the supporter of the
Shareholders, and that for the past twenty
five years the Republican party had been the
uphoIder of monopoly. He closed with
reference to the rights of children.
Mr.. John M. Todd was called for, and
| spoke upon the aims and organization of the
knights of Labor. He said that they were
| opposed to strikes favoring arbitration as a
| settlement for difficulties between the capt.
talist and laboring man. They thought favor
ably of the government control of the tele-
pranh and railroads.