The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-02-02
KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
Their Principles Discussed at
Dubuque by Tom. Barry,
Member Of the General
Executive Board.
Protection. He Declares. Does Not
Protect. Neither Is Free Trade
the Panacea
Organization. Education and Govern
mental Control of Natural Re-
sources VIII Danish Indus
trial Dependence.

Mr.. Thos. B. Barry of East Sagi-
nav, Mich. member of the general ex-
ecutiye board of the Knights Of Labor,
addressed public meeting Saturday
evening at the hall. corner Main and
Seventh streets. The meeting had
been insufiiciently advertised and the
attendance was small.
Master Workman Stafford said the
meeting was to listen to the discussion
of principle of interest to us all. one
which the Knights had labored earnest
iy TO establish. The discussion would
be undertaken by one who had done
more for the common people of Amer
ica than any other man.
AGE OF LABOR AGITATION.
Mr.. Barry said his subject-labor-
was not new. 1t was older than the
birth of Christ. The subject had
agitated the minds Of the people for
centuries and will continue SO to do
until solution was found. For the
past fifteen years the working,nen had
been organizing with a view to finding
the solution. He could remember
when it was almost as much rs mans
life was worth to be member of a
trades union or Knight of Labor. It
was certainly worth mans character
because the movement was not under-
stood. How can there be q social
problem in America when political
equality existsp Because. while
We have political liberty,
we have social, industrial. economic
slavery. Despite our superior political
freedom, there is no form of poverty in
Europe which we do not find in
America. He witnessed an eviction in
Pennsylvania of coal miners and their
wives and children in the dead OF
winter. The press Of Philadelphia was
silent on the subject, but was writing
Of the distress in Ireland. Now we are
organizing to right this wrong, not to
overturn society. to promote civilization.
and we ask all honest men to unite
with us. To-day $4,000 men in Penn
sylyania have been thrown into en-
forced idleness by two corporations.
1t is true that these men. struck but
they struck from sheer desperation.
The average wages of the coal miner
does not exceed $500 a year. A man
can not raise his family to become
ornaments of society on $500 a year.
On the other hand the corporations
have untold millions. There is some
thing wrong when privileged few are
permitted to enslave the millions and
we are organized to resent it.
The lawyers, doctors, bankers, and
preachers have perfect and thorough
organizations resulting in protection to
their interests and comfortable homes.
while the laborers live in novels. We
want to initiate them but q cry is
raised that we want to disrupt society.
The laborer is the corner stone of civil
ization. The middle story is the mer-
chant and the roof the autocrat. We
could get along without the autocrat
but If you take out the corner stone
down comes the whole building. We
are not dsstructionists but construc-
tionists. We have 100000 members.
the trades unions as many more.
There are perhaps 1900. 900 organized
workinglnen in the country, but there
are 100000 wage-workers in the
United States. Considering the i'm
perfection of the organization of labor
it has accomplished much. It has
checked the encroachments Of the auto
Gratis. Labor is organized for sacred
purposes. Are we a dangerous class
Workingmen gave Us free country, a
united country. The wealthy peo-