The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1888-03-15
Mn. LITCHMAN'S ADDRESS.

mn N""iieS H. hitchWhn, grand Secre-
tary of the knights OF Labor of the United
States, delivered fine address at the Court
House, on last Friday night, to q large au.
dience. His speech was Interesting from
beginning to end. and at times eloquent in
grand aud lofty sentiments. He is smooth.
fluent speaker and his conservative and sen.
sible thoughts, stamp him as a man OF no
ordinary intelligence, but fully acquainted
with the labor question in its varioua phas
es To appreciate it, the address must have
been heard Mr.. lsitohman said
There are certain elements that enter in
to the prosperity of every nation. They are
production, distribution and consumption.
These three elements form the triangle
the basis OF the principles OF the Knights of
Labor
Labor is the great creator of values
II does not make wood, gold, iron, etc be-
cause these are natural gifts. But labor
digs up this gold and iron, and takes this
wood, and by its magic wand transforms
them into values. Labor creates Labor
is capital in suspense, The dollar in your
pocket represents honest labor done by
somebody. True, corporations create ficti-
tlous capital-but capital OF itself creates no
actual value Labor can take care of itself
only by reasonable exertion of its powers
All wealth would be left undevelop.
ed but for the sturdy blows OF toll which un-
locks the hidden treasures and releases nat.
ural resources from the earth. Labor in.
cludes three fourths Of the population of the
globe. II not only produces, but consumes.
and labor demands that the production shall
be proportioned to the necessities Of con
sumption. II rs useless to produce what is
not consumed. This leads to over produc
ton.
If q man Is paid but fifty cents day for
his labor, that is precisely the measure of
the kind OF food he eats, the kind of clothes
he wears and the kind OF home he lives in
Increase that pay to one dollar day and
you double his power of consumption In
crease II TO two dollars day. and you quad.
ripple the powep Of consumption making
the man and his family more contented,
and the country more prosperous. / have
sympathy for the man who earns only filty
cents "a day He who gets i've dollars a
Gay needs no sympathy
IL the laborers OF this country got so cents
a day and theil wages were raised rs cents
the whole social fabric OF the country would
be raised with the wages. That would mean
raise Of SIS, 600 900 a year in this coun.
try. This would mean just that much adj
ded to the power OF consumption of labor,
Whatever labor earns gives labor power to
consume.
Thirty years ago only one machine was
used in the making Of shoes have lived
to sec a great revolution. Seventy ma.
chimes are now used in putting shoe to.
gether, and man is about one sixty-fourth
part of shoemaker
This fault lies not in machinery but in
the ownership Of machinery. Capital owns
the machinery now but if the workinamen
Of this country shall be true to themselves
the time will come when labor will own the
machinery.
The first result Of the introduction Of ma.
chinery was the degradation Of labor Wo.
men and children ran machinery cheaper
than men, and capital for dollars and cents.
employed them. Men had to work for the
same wages, or join the tramps. But the
honest wages are better than tramping. The
fault is not SO much With the tramp 1t is
with the system which produces tramps.
Industrial education is the great need
Educate the hands more and the brain less.
Skilled labor is what you want. You need
shlfiNu Ohllltu ihDOr Will de-
veyelop the vast natural resources of the
south. II will blossom like the rose.
Don't make mistakes in the education OF
your children. Mechanics are born lust as
poets and artists are born. When your bow
is born mechanic and you make fifth.
rate lawyer out Of him, you spoil both a
good mechanic and good lawyer. The
country is now overstocked with fitth-rate
lawyers.
Of course man has the right to drown
himself in liquor-but say that the work.
lngman who spends his earnings in saloon
thinks more Of the rumsellers wife than he
does OF his own wife 1t is better 10 mi
warm clothing on the backs of your wives
and children than TO use it in putting sea
skin sacques on the backs of the wives o
rumsellers lGreat applause. Don't spenC
Your money for liquor Don't drink N,
stuff. The earnings which you waste on liz
uor will build You home where you car
rest your weary bones when your capacit,
for labor is gone