The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1886-10-30
BLIISE'S SPEECH.
Ku xs..s Of 'ss.

1ucTc 10 auotilcI qucctioH upou
which I wish to speak to you. 1t
is one which, in my Judgment, in
this conflict. there has been too
much disposition to avoid, one as
to which many strong arguments
have been met by the cry of "the
bloody shirt. Several weeks
ago | called the attention of the
laboring men of Maine, whom |
was addressing. to the fact that for.
midable competitors were rising
up against them in the South, where
were 100000 able-bodied labor.
ers with dark skins. These latter
were employed almost exclusively
in raising cotton, tobacco, sugar
and rice, or in wholly agrieultu-
raj employment. They are now,
and have been for ten years, en-
tering into many Of the mechani-
cal industries. In Birmingham,
Ala, in Chattanooga, Tenn. and
in various parts of Virginia they
are making pig iron, and this they
are making ut wages Of from sixty
TO seventy cents per day. The
product Of their labor has thus far
been so small that the important
fact l am now stating. has attract.
comparatively no attention. But
if the quantity which they manu-
facture attains large proportions,
il will necessarily compete in the
markets Of this country with the
pig iron made in Pennsylvania
and Ohio, aud they themselves
will compete with men who are
paid $l.5O per day. What response
is to be made to that by our
workingmen who receive the bet
ter wages' The answer will be
just this-that either that great
body Of workmen in the South
mus; have justice done them and
be fairly compensated for what
they earn in the sweat of their
hrows, or else wages of every
Northern laboring man must bt
injurlously affected.
This statement, when made by
me, was met with ridicule aud de
rision, but when that great organ
ization Of the Knights of Labol
met In National Convention il
Richmond, Va. the other day, un
der their chief, Mr.. Powderly-
whom l take to be man of extra
ordinary ability and perception
;, lprolonged cheersl-the first thin
, they ran against was absolute
unwillingness on the part Of th'
dominant white race Of the Soutl
to allow the colored laborers o
that region to have any benef
!, from Knights of Labor organiza
tion, or from any other organlza
tons that could protect them II
, their right to be paid the wage
which they earned. BY q strang
coincidence, | received this YER
morning a letter from the Sout
on that subject. My correspond
ent gives me an appalling pictur
= Of the South, and In one porto
of his letter said: "But, after al
we are ahead of you in the Mort
in respect to labor, for in a grea
u many parts of the South we hav
u established the eight.hour rule TO
, the colored men-eight hours !
u the forenoon aud eight hours !
9 the afternoon Universal an
u long. continued merriment.I
: Now, gentlemen, l do not hol
out to you the slightest belief o
my part that the Republicans hav
any prospect of carrying a Soutl
4. ern State. The white men hav
8. the political power Of that sectio
Il. in their grip. At the first the
8. said they would not let negr
'. come to Congress = rs soon a
.. they got the power 10 stop hin
Q. Well, the negro stepped asid,
10 Then they said they would not Il
le q carpet.bagger come to Congress
,e Well, the rpet.bagger elope'
II Laughter. Now they say thu
ID they will not let any native whit
,r man come to the front If the co
,e ored men vote for him. Lang
re teri That closes up the avenue
q. pretty tightly. That would spee'
is lily settle the question. They hay
u. eighty. fve Representatives
ii. Congress from the eleven State
b. that we're in the rebellion. Wit
ID the exception of, believe, one
I'd Virginia from a white constit
IN ency, aud one in Tennessee, the
Mt take in the whole of theI
as although in several of thoI
ef States, three at least, the colort
or race are in the majority.
We Let me correct another thin
81. even If | be repeating what ba'
m said else here. | refer to it b
nd cause regard 1t as Of prime II
'rt portance to correct popular mi
al. conception on the part of the va