The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-12
A DAY OF PLEASURE.
Music, Marching, Speech-Making, and a
Grand BAH in the Evening.

RICHMOND. Va. Oct 11.-This has been day
of music, marching, speech making and amuse-
ment for the Knights of Labor assembled here,
and night of banqueting and darcing is in
progress. The demonstrations have been
successful in every respect. good
deal of disappointment was expressed by
the thousands who assembled at the fair grounds
this afternoon at the conclusion of the parade.
United States Senator-elect John W. Daniel,
Governor Lee, Mayor Darlington, General Mas
ter Workman Powderly, and others, were adver-
tised to speak. Mr.. Daniel sent message to
the committee on arrangements stating that this
being the one hundredth anniversary of the city
charter of Lynchburg, he would deliver public
address there; Governor Lee and Mayor Caring
ton were kept away by official business, and
very soon after arriving at the fair grounds Mr.
Powderly became i'll and returned to his hotel.
There were two speeches delivered by other gen
tlemen, however Mr.. Ralph Beaumont
delegate to the convention from Ell
mira. N. Y, spoke first. He was
introduced by Mr.. VIM. H. Miller, editor of the
labor organ of this city. and talked from the
seat Of carriage in front Of the main building
in the fair grounds There were 5000 or 5000
people on the grounds, and as many on the out
side who hesitated to pay the twenty-five cents
admission fee.
After felicitating the citizens OF the Old Do
minions capital upon the success of the demon
stration, Mr.. Beaumont said that he was re-
minded, by the remarkable contrast of the scene
about him, of the gathering in Reading Pa,
in 1878, of thirty two men, who organized and
put in motion the great order here represented.
This organization" saidhe, 'is not voluntary
one-necessity created it, and made it grow.'
He denounced class legislation, saying it put the
wealth in the hands of the few and made monop-
oily and oppression. Abraham Lincoln declared
this to be "a government of the people, by the
people, and for the peoples" "but now," said Mr..
Beaumont within twenty-five years from the
time of this utterance we find it a gov
ernment of the corporations by the
corporations, and for the corporations" The
Knights of Labor, he said believed, as an organ
ization. that the government can be trusted in
the hands Of the people. There were laws, but
no rights This condition" said he reminds
me of the explanation of it made by
statesman recently. In clearing away the
cause of the oppression on our statutes.
to us from England. They came he OBJ
served in two ships--one was loaded with the
laws the other with the rights. The ship bear
ing the laws arrived safely, but the one with the
rights never found its way here"
Mr.. Beaumont denounced the press and the
telegraph as combining against the laboring ele-
ment. The telegraph he declared, throttled
beneficial information, and created damaging
statements He pointed out at length the con-
dition of the anthracite coal miners in Pennsyl-
vania, saying that where he lived one hundred
and twenty-five miles from the mines, he paid
$3.50 ton for coal, and the miners only received
10 cents ton for mining it. The So. 40 went to
the monopolists. The 250,O00 acres of
anthracite coal are controlled by six
corporations, who had mortgaged the
fuel of generations unborn--aye of generations
a thousand years hence He drew pathetic
picture by contrasting the wives and daughters
of the corporation owners at seashore resorts, in
luxury, while the poor miners, amid gases and
foul air, worked their lives out away down in the
bowels of the EARTH and their families in poverty,
living in slab shanties; yet the latter made it
possible, by indigence and hard work, for the
former to spend their lives in opulence and bliss
full happiness. Work your brains more"
was his advice. 'and you will have to
work your hands less" He did
helped that Jay Gould had his millions. but
thought the time had come for the Knights to
say, Jay. let's quit now, and let's have another
system" The speaker called upon the Knights
to patronize their own literature. Here in this
city, he said, they had an organ, 'and the editor
has to live in garret and exist on cheese and
crackers"
There were many Interruptions by applause
and cries of approval, and when Mr.. Beaumont
had concluded at the end of thirty minutes Mr..
Charles H. Ltchman, of Marblehead, Mass, was
introduced as the silver -tongued orator of the
knights of Labor" Mr.. Litchman's address
was more conservative than Beaumont's. The
economic questions which entered into the du-
ties of voters as we'll as laborers. were dwelt
upon. Laborers. he said. must be consumers
as well as producers yet they can do neither as
they should unless their compensation as labor
ers was equal to the rights guaranteed them by
our form of government. Labor creates all val
ues, and the laborers are entitled to a more
get this by standing together, by stand
ing together in body as did
the people of the North or those of the South in
1861. Mr.. Litchman brought forth yells and
rang, by an alluson to the race issue raised here
during the convention. His hearers were largely
composed of colored people He said that the
organization of the knights of Labor ought not
10 20 conoemneo loF bue acO OF single man,
or the indiscretion Of a few men in it. There
those in tho order who did wrong,
and they were punished whenever found
The knights Of Labor as an organization, stood
between monopoly and anarchy. He cautioned
tho people against driving the laborers to aes-
peration, saying it might lead to the execution
of 700 900 men in many cities as well as the
seven men in Chicago. Recently was asked
he continued, "what, as Knights of Labor, we
wanted. | replied that the Good Book told us
that the earth and the fullness thereof was the