Huntsville gazette., 1886-04-17
THE EleHT-HouR MOVEMENT

Monster Demonstration by the Trades Un-
ions Of Chicago In Favor Of the Eight
! Hour Movement--An Immense Meeting
in the Armory and a Big Overflow Out
side--An Anarchist Addenda That Was
Quietly Ignored.
CHICAGO, April 11.-Fully eight thou
sand workingmen crowded into the great
armory of the Sixth Cavalry on the
lake front last night and probably
four thousand more gathered in front Of
the building. The occasion had been adj
vertised as an eight-hour demonstrate on
under the auspices Of the Trades As
semblr. A large proportion of the as
semblaHe came in organized bodies, pre-
ceded by fife and drum, and carrying
| huge transparencies. Few of the men
wore any regalia, and apparently no at
tempt at display was made except in point
| of numbers. Neither was there anything
resembling procession. The various un-
ions came trooping in from all directions
and first come first served was the rule as
TO seats. Nevertheless, eXcelle mt order was
maintained.
A curious feature of the meeting was
the noticeable absence of youths and aged
men as well. The audience was almost
wholly composed of men between twenty
Ave and forty, comfortably clad, and few
If any, showing sign Of liquor. There
were not to exceed dozen police to be
seen about the hall interest centered in
the transparencies, and as union after
union, at irregular intervals. marched into
the hall and the crowd caught sight of
notices, the speakers voices were lost
In rounds of cheers that were renewed
again and again "Eight Hours and No
Drones," sWork Eight Hours and Boom
the Labor Market" and 'Oppose Child La
bor"were fair samples Among the trades
present the most numerous were the car
penters, plasterers, clothing-cutters and
cigar-makers, but a long list of others
were not far behind in point of numbers.
George A. Schilling acted as chairman,
and ranged about him on the platform
we're the leaders of the local unions. and
men prominent in the labor movement.
Among the latter sat Judge Richard
Prendergast. Of the State bench. Alex
ander Sullivan also occupied a seat on the
platform. The addresses of the evening
were delivered by Thomas E. Hill. who
spoke Of the progress of the eight-hour
movement; w. X. Salter. who dwelt on
the economic bearing of the movement
IN society, aud L. Fl. Sawyer. on its ma
terial advantages to the wage workers.
The crowds on the outside were held to-
gether bv speeches from Richard Powers
and several other prominent Knights OF
Labor.
Just as the overflow meeting was fully
under way burly individual in a long
coat, and wearing a shabby slOuch hat,
mounted pile of lumber in front of a sa-
loon on the outskirts of the crowd and
began a socialistic harangue. About the
same time there emerged from the hall in
which the eight-hour demonstration was
being held file of men bearing a red
flag. having on it an inscription in Ger
man. This banner had been borne in the
hal while the meeting was in progress,
and being of dingy hue and kept furled,
was not distinguished from the half
dozen other flags, all of which were
the regulation stars and stripes. About
FIVE hundred evidently earnest sympathiz-
ers drew close to the Socialist orator.
who proved to he an Anarchist named
Sam Fielding. At his feet sat his negro
wife On the outskirts of the gather
ing of Fielding's supporters were an
equal number of curiosity-seekers, max
ing his audience round thousand.
The first named class of listeners were
easi|v discerned by their hearty applause
of Fielding's sentiments and the fact
that their cries and conversation were not
in English.
He was succeeded by A. R. Parsons,
who violently assailed the Knights OF La
hor, after which his hearers formed in
line and marched to the hall of the Inter
national Society. The only demonstra-
ton for or against the anarchists by the
General crowd were few derisive cheers.
The other meetings, both in the hall and
on the outside, were prolonged much
later Bnt few references were made by
the speakers to the existing railway
strikes, and then principally to point
moral in arguments for the mass to or
ganize till strikes should be made prac-
ticalIv Impossible and steady work at rea-
sonable pay could be obtained by meas
ares such as a general adoption of the
eight-hour system.
Though the strikers were left untouched
nv the speakers, an expression OF the
feeling of the multitude was given in the
following. which was adopted by accla-
nation amid enthusiasm:
nounces the perfidv of Jay Gould In DreaR-
.ng his agreement with the Knights OF Labor
20 settle the causes OF the present strike In
hha Southwest BY arbitration In his letter
If Sunday March %, to T. V. Powderiv, Gen
aral Master Workman Of the Knights OF La
nor Could stated in substance that the
grievances Of the men now on strike on the
Southwestern railroad system would he sub
nitted to arbitration. This was written to
Powderly after two interviews on that sun
dav at Gould's house. and as part Of the
agreement between Gould and the Knights
If Labor In accordance with the same
agreement, General Master Workman Pow
deriv telegraphed the men to return 20 Work
At once. Gould. he next day. by falsehoo9
and double-deaiing, violated 1t. and he did
this plainly for the purpose OF demorailz,ns
the Knights OF Labor. We. therefore, oe-
clare that the conduct Of Gould IN TINS mat
ter Is base in the extreme, and we can uoou
the public everywhere to famtlfarz re tDem-
selves with the facts in the case, and 1ndge
who fs to blame for the continuance OF tne
strfke-Goulc or the KNIGHTS of Labor.
Some of the city papers estimate that
the gathering numbered between fifteen
and twenty thousand. 1t was, probably,
the largest labor demonstration ever held
in this city.
Povderly and O'Neill's Arbitration BID.
WASHINGTON, April 12.-General Mas
ter Workman Powderly writes to Cor