Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-09-02
THOS. B. INQUIRE
THE WILL KNOWN KNIGHT OF LABOR
LECTURER,
Addresses q Public Meeting at Trades Assembly
Hall Last Eyening-An Interest
ing Talk.

Trades Assembly Hall, a fair and repre-
sentative audience Of wOrkingmen being
IA has been stated, Mr.. Mcclure ID an
able and interesting talker and those
present last evening we're certainly glad
they went to hear him, while those who
did not 20 may feel that they missed
rare treat. The gentleman's talk
was by no means an ordinary one, and it
combined history, wit and solid common
sense and indisputable assertions in such
way that not a listener but was vastly
benefited by it. Mr.. Mcclure talked
over two hours, and not the smallest part
of his remarks proved uninterestiUg They
would make splendid reading, but only q
disiointed synopsis can be given here.
MR.. MCGUIRE's REMARKS.
Mr.JH. Burtt was named as chair
man of the meeting, by Mr.. Richard Rob
ertson, and in a feT well-chosen re-
marks introduced the speaker, Mr..
Mcclure started out by saying that the
history of civilization has shown that's man
who is not progressive may as well be dead,
as far as society is concerned. We have
people who say we should not change; that
we can all get rich on labor and become
bankers and millioDaires. OF course II
we all had bank and railroad stocS, we
could afford to say that, aud see no need
Of progress.
Let us 20 back to the romantic state OF
society, when men lived by hunting
ANIMALS. They had enough TO
live on when animals were plenty,
but they had no conception of
providing for themselves when animal life
was scarce. Then some one proposed to
raise animals TO live upon, but others
shouted, No that would be Socialism. Do
not make a change. People in the present
day say the same thing, but we have made
changes, and look at the result. Selfish
ness is a savage in tinct, nothing more and
nothing lees, and it is the history OF the
world that the strong have
LIVED OFF THE WEAK.
Then came the pastoral condition and
people raised cattle to live upo1. Bat the
same selfishuess prevailed, and when one
man saw fine cattle in his neighbours field
he covsted them and the fiue pastures they
thrived upon. Then some one proposed
the agricultural condition, that hay be
raised ID feed the cattle, and though 1t
was opposed as sn act Of socialism and Q
step out Of the path their fathers had
trod. after conflict it Won. But
that same cursed selfishness prevailed, and
the stronger triumphed over the weaker,
and the nobility began to be recogni zed
because they had secured lands aud seris.
Then came the commercial condition,
and when people thought of making hats
and coats it was pronounced as socialism
but il came, and with it that same cursed
individuslism, aud it was claimed that we
could all be rich if we took advantage Of
our opportunities. What are your chances
ofb.comjBga millionaire? They are indeed
very small. Your chances OF being
STRUCK by LIGHTNING
are much better.
Under the romantic condition Of things
the father had the right % kill his child
ren, and forced them to do his will, so his
sop. daughter and wife were his slaves.
The f,ther was the autocrat aud while his
slave. did the work he bOssed the job.
He also had the right 10 cot down their
wages by cutting down their food.
Later, men destroyed each other that
they might be bettered. But let us look
at a higher order of civilization. Take
the Spartaus. That age was wrong and
the philosophers and Others asserted that
slaves only had bali a mind. 1t has
always been a ca Of the hammer and
the anvil, the master being the hammer
and the slave the anvil.
The same conditions existed in Rome.
People went into debt so they could be-
come the slaves Of the Government instead
of individuals. We see the same thing to-
day. There ore lots of men who would
rather be slaves Of the Government than OF
tue individual.
There were only ten revOlts Of slaves
against the Roman Government, and but
three Of these were important, and the his
tory Of the leaders Of those revolts shows
that they only desired TO kill their masters
that they might take their places. There
was neyer'a thought of changing the cOndi-
ton of things, because the slaves cOnsid-
cred their condition a proper one. The
same selfihness prevails to-day. We want
our wages kept up, bat We do not care
about the wages of others What does
man in a shop who gets high wages care
for
THE COMMON LABORERi
who only makes 81 10 day. The devil with
him, we cannot bother with him. II wac
lust the same with chattel slavery, the
man who works for the man with the
largest number of slaves considers that be
is O little above those who work for
smaller establishments. We all want to
he employers, and we want to get en-
ployes as cheap as possible, and TO do this
the man gives away to the boy, and the
boy to the girl. It's good deal like the
Iriahman and the negro. A man who had |
a pile of wood to saw asked an Irishman |
what he would take to do the work.
The Irishman wanted $l.25 bus the man |
offered him only $1.00, which he refused. |
Presently he returned and found the
negro at work, and the latter offered him |
81 % to do the work. Then the
owner appeared, and when he investigated |
the matter he asked the negro how he
could pay ST. % for the work when he only |
got 81, "Why said the darby it's worth |
twenty-five cents to be boss. Aud 60 we
are all aiming to become bosses, because
we have that same self Illness.
If when Spartacus conquered Rome, he
had changed the condition Of things, as he |
could have done, our condition would be
different to day. We would have indus
trisl Il publics instead Of political ones, |
aud men would be working for themselyes |
Are we not arrsyed for the purpose OF |
DESTROYING each other? Gointo any fac;o- |
~ aud you will find men fighting each |
other in an industrial way. / want TO /
show you am able to do more work than |
you are, and thus prove to the bose that |
am more valuable than you. There is |
that same cursed selfshnsss again.
As THE RISK OF YOUR LIFE
YOU would slve me from drowning. but
let us 20 into the shop the next day and !
Won will do more work than do in order
that you may stand in a better light with !
the boss. You do net care if l am dis
charged and that my family dies from
starvation.
You recogniza that the wsge system is
correct, and you want to save yourself
even if You sacrifice me. | want to prove
that chattel slavery was brought about by
social conditions and the wage system is
but one remove from chattel slavery and
we could have changed our condition.
There are three factors-rent interest
and rroff-fhaf eat mn evervtbinr that