The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-10-09
Gov. Lees Address to the K. of L.

dress of Gov. Fitz. Lee, OF virginia, 10 INC
tontb animal convention of the Knights of
Labor, at Richmond, last Monday 1t was
heartily applauded by the delegates, and con-
sequently met their approval.
He called the attention of the convention
to the Essential principles of government
as laid down by Thomas Equal
and exact Justice to all men, of whatever per-
suasion, religious or political" This essen
t;al principle of government was not only laid
down by the Father of the Democratic party
INIT has been and is the very foundation OF the
principles of the party SLY from the hut-
tering folds of your flag that sentence" said
Gov. Lee, ''and the ground on which you
march will always be strong and firm
Applying this principle to the controversy
between employers and employees, Governor
Lee said:
.sEmployers have no right to lock out a
whole shop full of men to bring few unwll-
ling ones TO terms, nor have they the RICH, 10
ENGAGE with other employers to fix rate Tor
them to nav or compel all to remain IDLE; put
thew have a right to exercise their just Judg-
ment as to what fair dealing and justice de-
mand and what they would be willing to give
Ivosl1r us ssrtb say they would not be
athletic give so much. Nor can itbe admitted on
your side that you have the right, by combl-
nation or otherwise, to prevent others from
working upon the terms and conditions you
have rejected, if they desire to do So"
In other words, it is not right for employ
ers to lock out shop full of men, because OF
the improper conduct of few, but they have
the right to offer such wages as they choose
Tor the work they want done. Employees, on
the other hand, have the right to fix the price
oflabor for themselves, and if they choose to
reject the terms offered by the employers,
thew have no right to interfere with others
who choose to accept them.
That has always been the position of this
journal ON the labor question. Employers
can fix any scale of wages they choose, and
employees can set price upon their own labor.
The employer has no right to Cypress his en-
ployes, nor has the employees the right to de-
stroy his property or interfere with his busi-
ness.
Neither capital nor labor can afford to be
idle. There is no Just cause for conflict be-
tween them. What differences exist are due
entirely to distrust and suspicion. The en-
ploye suspects the employer of purpose to
. grind him down, and the employer feels that
his employees have no interest in his enterprise
and is in constant dread of strikes or violence.
Capital should be content with fair returns
from the brains and money invested, and the
employee should feel an interest in the bust
ness of his employer and use his best endeav-
ors to advance it. Upon the prosperity OF
capital depends the prosperity of labor.
Without labor capital is useless. They should
work in harmony, therefore, for they are mu-
tually dependent
Gov. Lee divides capitalists into classes.
One class that use their fortunes to alleviate
suffering and use their means to whiten the
ocean with sails and cause the wharves to be
laden with commerce, &c. But he is opposed
to incorporated rascality; moneyed corpora
lions that seek to control legislatures by bri-
berry and corruption for their own ends; money
kings that seek to take possession of telegraph
lines to attempt to defeat the will of the peo'
then claim as their reward the selection OF
men upon whose shoulders shall be thrown the
purple robe of the Judiciary. That is the
capital that labor has to war against, says
Gov. Lee, and in their conflict he is with
them, and he might have added the whole
Democratic party is enlisted in the same
cause.
Jay Gould tried to defeat the will of the
people in the presidential election of 1854
By his control of the telegraph wires he was
enabled to manipulate election returns, anc
was successfully doing ii, until caused to de-
sist by the outraged leaders of the Democracy
The election of 1880 was bought by contribu
tons from star route thieves, national bank.
and monopolies built up by all unjust So calico
protective tariff The return for the ex
penditure, in part, was the appointment of {
Supreme Court Judge.
Incorporated rascality and oppressive mo
nopolies are the enemies of labor and of goot
government as well, and the Knights of Labo
should war against both. Between capitalist
in legitimate business and labor the efor
should be at better understanding and com
promise, and Gov. Lee reminds the Knight
that compromise gave us our Constitution
that revered instrument handed down by the
founders of the government and preserved
and upheld ever since by the Democratic
party, whose underlying principle is "equa
and exact justice to all men, of whatever per
suasion, religious or political"