Workmen's advocate., 1888-05-26
NEW YORK AFFAIRS.
LABOR LlCEUM DEBATE.

East Eighth street, on Sunday evening
 last, the American Section had an inter- esting and successful discussion at its regular Lyceum meeting on Labor Politics in lSSS.' Comrade Adam Ros- enberg was in the chair, Mrs. l. E. Hinton, the organizer, called the meet ing to order, and in doing SO urged courtesy and freedom of debate to the fullest extent. The hall was well filled Mir. T. |. Rynders, of Pennsylvania, d leading member of the Union Labor Party, and a delegate to its recent na- tional convention, was introduced as the first speaker. He argued that political action, being necessarily a compromise on available issues, that the Union Labor platform and movement came the near est of any effort now in the field to the demands of the thinking radical Social ists. IL did not at least deny the funda
 mental existence of labor question, and it had declared that labor was entitled to all it produced. It demanded a free opportunity for the use of the soil, was one with the SoCiallstic Labor Platform in requiring the issuing and. handling of all money direct by the government only and it desired the governmental control of telegraphs and railroads as part of the postal system. Mr. Rynders urged that the Union Labor Party, while not an ideal organization by any means, was at least facing the common enemy, the corporate monopolist, and on the road, therefore, to reform. He declared that it's organization in New York would be purged of objectionable influences, and hoped this fall to see the Progressive Labor Party influences united with those of the West. Mir, Rynders declared that labor must secure control of the legislative power; that nothing else would aid the work of radi- cal reform and recon struCtion.
 Mir. R. J. Hinton followed ln an analy- sis of the political situation and parties, | The Industrial Party, So-called, and the | Equal Rights one were simply protests, and showed the living unrest Of the | Union Labor Party this was to be said: | lt is at least on the road of development and progress. It is not hinderer or an obstacle, It means well and thinks | fairly. It represents something at least
 The United Labor Party is no longer worthy of serious consideration. It is only d personal fact, the rumr follow ing of Edward Mcilynn, II you so to their antl-roverty meetings you will see the same oid faces-the dlsgruntled par ishoners of St. stephens, following their discarded pastor, with d few fenans | and the ward pOlltlCastors who maintain for "intl0o nee the sO-called party or ganization But the concern, unlike the Union Labor Party, is not a labor move ment at all It is hostile to labor. It declared at Syracuse that there is no necessary conflict between capital and labor, It sustains usury and competl- tlou. It practically ignores the money and bond issues, questions of vast Slgnl- canoe in the resent forms of economic | life. lts land tax theory is a monopo- | listiC theory, as i'll fact Il would create a privileged class. Under the present eco homie life such a system of taxation, a spacious and sophistiCal attempt to build on the "unearned increment theory would make d privileged class of all small land owners who were situated so as to have little or no social value at tached to their holdings. They would be free from taxation, while all their means of communication would be made free to them at the expense of the whole people. The slugle land tax theory was an attack on the great aggregation of civilization; the consoCiatiOn of enter prise and effort. It would autagOniZe all forces in this civilization whose social evolution must be towards the co opera tive commonwealth, however hloodily its harsh footsteps are now marked. Yet i'll the cities and centerS by its tolera, ton of usury and its relief of all other forms of capital from taxation, il would tend directly to levy burdens on city en. terprise to the advantage of the rura
 operators, and to crush out the smal
 owners of land within the cities them
 selves. The United Labor Party wa, simply sentimental furry when it wa. not designed to sidetrack the labor uues
 tlon. Mir. Hinton then declared that d.
 matters stood he did not see any place
 thls year for a venture i'll politics. It
 work must must be that of propaganda
 There would be nearly 90C 900, vote
 cast. Yet the labor and prohibition
 >otes-the two growing third part,
 muNements-was i'll 1886 less than $50,
 o0O, and in lss1, on the Congressiona