The Labor enquirer., 1886-08-21
Substance of His Remarks at
the Haymarket
Meeting.
The Court Room Used as q Field
for Propaganda
Work.
A Bold Arraignment Of Capitalistic
Society, the Creator Of Mis-
cry and Discomfort.

From the Chicago Times.
NOW, Mr.. Parsons, going back to the
meeting our steps for mo-
ment,-wllI you tell us please, what WAS
the substance of your speech that night
as fully as you can remember ?"
81 have taken some notes of refer ence
since then to refresh my memory. |
recollect distinctly of mentioning all of
these points, but 1 could not recollect
them seriatim from memory unless did
put them on paper, and that is the rea-
son have done so. Wien | was intro
duced looked at the crowd and l OBJ
served that it was quite large crowd.
am familiar with public speaking and
with crowds, and I should estimate
there were 5000 men present, and con-
slider mYselfa Judge of such matters.
The street was packed firm sidewalk to
sidewalk, north and south ofthe wagon,
but especially south of the wagon, for
considerable distance, faced the south
Il first called the attention of those
present to the evidences of discomfort
among the working classes, not alone of
Chicago, not alone of the United States,
but of the civilized world, and l asked
the question, if these evidences of dis
content as could be seen in strikes an |
lockouts and boycotts we're not indica-
tions that there was something radically
wrong in the existing order of things in
our social affairs.
Il then alluded to the eight-hOur
movement, and spoke of it as a move
ment designed to give employment to
the unemployed, work to the idle, and
thereby bring comfort and cheer to the
homes of the destitute, and relieving
the unrelieved and wearisome toll of
those who worked not alone ten hours,
but twelve and fourteen and sixteen
hours per day. said that the eight
hour movement was in the interests of
civilization, of pr 2speritv. of the public
welfare, and it was demanded by everv
interest in the community, that | was
glad to see them assembled upon this
occasion to give their voice IN favor of
the adoption of the eIght-hour workday.
| then referred to tn general condition
of labor in the country again. | spoke Of
some of my travels through the states Of
Pennsylvania and Ohio, where | had met
and addressed thousands an 1 thOus lnds
Of workingmen.
Il told of the Tuscarora valley aad of
the Hooking valley and of the NJ )non-
gahela valley, among the miners Of this
country, where their wages averaged "a!
cents per day. l showed, Of course,
these were not wages they received
while at work, but that the difficulty
was that they did not get the days
work, and consequently they had to
sum up the totals and divide it ;
throughout the year it amounted to 244
cents day. asked if this was not a
condition of affairs calculated to arouse
the discomfort of the people, and to
make them clamor for redress and for
relief. pointed to the fact that in the
city of PittsOurg report was made by,
think, the superintendent of police OF
that city, stating that at the Bethel
home, charitable institution iu the
city of Pittsburg, from January l, 1884
to January l, 1885, there were 26,374
destitute men, tramps, Ame. lean citl,
zens, who had called for nights lodg-
ing or morsel of food in one establish
ment alone in the CITY of Plttsburg. l
referred, of course, to many other places
and similar things, showing the general
condition of labor in the country. L
then spoke of the eight-heur movement,
that it was designed to bring relief to
these men ard to the country. thought
surely there was nothing in it to excite
such hostility on the part of employers
and on the part of monopoly and cor
porations against it as was witnessed IN
the different parts Of the country. re-
ferred to the refusal Of the corporations
and moDopolists to grant and to concede
this modest request of the working class
and to defeatit. then referred to the
fact that in the face of all these causes,
producing these effects, the monopo-
site newspapers, in the interests OF cor
porations, blamed such men as me,
blamed the so called agitators, blamed
the worklngmen-for these evidences ol
disc Jutent, this turmoil and confusion
and so-called disorder.
81 called the attention Of the crowd
specifically to that fact-that We we're
being blamed for this thing, when on
the contrary it was evident to any man
who was fair that we were simply call
ing the attention of the people to this
condition of things and seeking Ior re-
dress of it. impressed that upon thu
crowd specifically, and l remember ina
IN response to that several gentlemen
spoke up loudly and said: well, W
need a good many such men as you q
right these wrongs and to arouse tn
people, spoke of the compulsory idle
ness, of starvation wages, and how thes
things drove the workingmen to despel
ation-drove them to, commit acts TO