The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-01-02
A PLEA FOR AID.
The Strikers Issue an Address to tho worl
ing People of America.

The Stiker9 Issue an Auurebs 10 tno hork-
ing People of America.
EEw YoRK, Jan. 1.-The different local
assemblies of the Reading system in this
city yesterday adopted the following ap.
peal, which will be submitted to the dis
trict assembly at Reading:
"7o tse tOorking men and 'uouen Of America
and outside Of il, tVho ire intere,ted in The
solution Of tts great question nOD occupying
he attention of tts entire nation:
ave appeal to you to sustain Us by
rendering US practical assistance in this
most stupendous Btruggle. It has been
asserted that We are partly responsible'
That may bs-we are only human but we
deny that We are responsible. II TO be too
honest, too sincere, too ignorant, too IN.
diplomatic is culpable, then We plead
guilty. We were not sufficiently tricky,
sufficiently dishonest, sufficiently educated
to successfully engage in game Of d.
plomacy with men who practice nothing
else and who live in luxury because Of
their superior capacity to deceive and
pluL der.
1--WE thought that We were dealing with
honest men, who had honor enough to at
least keep their word, and when they en-
tered into verbal agreement with US We
had confidence in them. But, alas we
were deceived. You know the rest. You
know how they manipulated the tele-
graph, how they prevented us from gain.
ing access to 1t, and, owing to the mo-
nopoly Of q public necessity, how com.
pletely they had US at their mercy. We
were unable to communicate with our
people, while they, the agents Of this
monopoly, did il in our name, actually
sending out forged dispatches, thus csus.
ing what appeared to be the demoraliER-
ton of our people.
"This was all premeditsted by the
heads Of the corporation. They had en-.
tered into negotiations with the head oi
another organization two weeks ago to
supply them with skilled labor in case Of
an emergency. Employment agencies
wero appealed to and their owners well
compensated. Hundreds Of men were
kept on hand to put them in our placeE
the moment we dared to assert our rights
Knowing their strength, the company
forced the issue.
"With this brief sGstement We again
appeal to you to cast aside your petty
jealousies, your petty quarrels, to looh
upon this as q fight 10 dlarupt organiEa.
ton, throw US back into darkness, into
dependency yes, into slavery. Every
corporation in the country Is arrsyed
against us. The press will be against nj
Tomorrow, If not to-day. The law Il
opposed to us. Pinkerton's thugs are q
our throats; the police, the military pow
ere, are all on the side OF capital. II Il
true that the militia are our people, II
many cRaes workingmen. We have con
fidencein them"
An appeal for unity Is then made ant
the address continues; "0ur monarchy Il
money, and our Casars are the Corbini
and Goulds. Tbs press OF the nation L
entirely in the hands Of those powers"
Extracts from tho editorial utterances o
leading newspapers throughout the coun
try advocating extreme measures for thl
suppression Of the Knights OF Labor art
quoted as instances o. the opposition o
the press 10 the cause Of labor, and the
address concludes as follows:
"You, MessrB. 0orbin, Gould and Com
pany, who are the representatives o
society to-day, In your madness but sue
coed in arousing the slumbering demon
We have nothing to lose but our chains.