The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-08-31
wo RKINcMEN AT THE ISLANDS.
The Excursion Of the Knights of
Labor Yesterday.

| Knights of Labor and their friends ha
heen carried to Peaks Island on the boats o
the Forest City line. From Biddeford an
Saco there was a large representation of tn
,noa9bers of Biddeord, Parnell, Victo
, hugo, lafayette, Lin,oln, Saco and Stephen
ss0omDs. Large delegations were presen
I'm sppa, Cumberland Mills, Spring
'''lo anu o'.iIi haces, besides the great mum
Dolo " nsns: n',m I'm this city. The Insti
tute Band of Biddefol- heIned the Foros
City Band in providing nie.:rp 4 Co.. M 49, o,o1,,d
| who skated and danced in theSs, iii, T,
the forenoon, besides football ai-4. o+ho
sports, there was foot race, in which Ge~-<
Facey won, with the six other contestants
mile behind when he had completed the fy
miles of the course.
In the afternoon there was speaking Il ne
rink by Mr.. Frank K. Foster, editor the
Hayerhill Laborer, and Mr.. Ralp Beau
mont, chairman of the congressical com
mi.tee of the Knights of Labor
The meeting was called to Ger py MT
Geo. Fl. Dyer of Biddeford, at a'ut Quarter
past three. Mr.. Dyer introduce MI roster
as the first speaker
Mr.. Foster talked for abor twenty min
utes, confning himself mostl'o the demands
of the Knights of Labor, aIuding 10 the
tariff before the conclusiopA HIS remarks.
The speaker said that theabor question is
re-manent one, althoug the love Oh the
laboring man evinced + poiitieiss--- i- >.4...--
fined to the duration D the political cam
naion The leading stesman Of Maine has
declared the labor cletin to be side ISSUE
II seems to me. aid Gr. Foster, that we
know better thai that. These are living
anestions represnted by the Knights of
Labor We ask tuli DAYS pay 1or III
man woman child. We ave been told
that assOciatjns like ours cal do nothing to
regniate III labor question, because the
whole mattr is subject to the laws OF sup
NV and emand. Colonel Wright in his
faRor statstics says that on every day of the
mast yea 100000 men were out OF work in
HIS this cosntry. and we propose to reduce the
SnnnJ- to suit the demand by making ten
5npr a days work in this State, at least, so
thatthe tramp in the street may have work.
Yeir factory system makes more drunkards
tan all your temperance law can prevent.
The Knights of Labor also demand that the
child under Is years of age shall not be
allowed to work in the factory, and that pay
ment of the money earned by the working
man shall be weekly.
leader is telling of the tariff it would be well
to remember that in the country over the
sea. where they have had free trade for over
a quarter of a century the child of thirteen
is not allowed to work and 56 hours make
the working week. Y is not because OF the
tariff, but of the vast lands of the country,
that we are prosperous. Our prosperity is
rather in spite of the tariff. The courts
have become solieitnus about this order, and
G prevents id 1Iee9Om nSi1a 3f contract The
cising the right of freedom. o. contract in
asking for five cents in addition "a. her daily
pay. If alone in her request, sfleis most
likely to lose her job, but through sacn
organizations as that OF the -, knights Of
Labor the just demands OF the WORKING
people will be respected.
Mr.. Beaumont, who was introduced at tne
conclusion of MI. Fosters address, is man
of middle age, who. spoke in rasplng voice
for about twenty minutes. He SAID that the
Struck in this State, and he supposed the
other soon would be. He felt at liberty to
sneak of the key note which had been struck
and said that Mr.. Blaine has inslnuated the
eighteen planks in the platform Of the
knights of Labor were ready to meet the
ISSUE The leader who struck the key note
for the Republicans has no new remedy TO
offer. but he has an old nostrum and talks OF
the tariff The speaker then lnstanced the
cases of the hands in the lumber mills on
the Penobscot, the women who make cloth
ing, and the coal miners, claiming tnat tnelr
nav was not near the amount it should pc IN
proportion to the duties on the materials:
Mr.. Beaumont then rehearsed the history OF
the land grants to the Union Pacltlc railroad,
and the formation of the Credit Mobilier:
The speaker told OF the Legislation OF
- fA.s-. e,--s>~sv l-br ,-rfa'e rs y
millions of acres of these lands were de-
clared forfeited by the House. He claimed
this legislation was due to the knights OF
Labor.
MIR. Beaumont referred to the treasury sur
plus and the Morrison resolution providing for
a monthly bond call of $10,000,000 He said
that the resolution, after its passage in the
House. went into the hands of Senator Sher-
man as chairman of the committee on finance
and was amended by making the power OF
the Secretary discretionary, giving him pow
er to suspend the payments. "Mr. Reed
says the President pocketed the bill, said
Mr. Beaumont, land l say that it was no.
BILE act; although | was opposed to Grover
Cleveland and worked against HIM" Mr..
Beaumont claimed the Presidents action to
be because he believed the bill as amended
did not voice the sentiment of the country.
In concluding he told the Knights to be Re-
publcans in Republican districts, and DEM
Ocrats in Democratic districts, but against
corporations every time.
Ay73O O'Clock in the evening only 100 OF
200 of the crowd remained on the island but
Mr. Beaumont addressed about twenty-fi five
of them in the rink, speaking of part OF
the platform of the Knights of Labor and
going over much of the ground covered in
his afternoon speech.