The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-05-02
Etds paper Is Democratic IN principles
and Is Independent IN its vtcags ON all
local questions.
Labor's Great Battle.

HHBS AeA00A 0ACS&N
The imposing demonstration at the
Tabernacle last night shows that the
workingmen Of this city are in line
with their fellows all over the world
in the demand for a reduction of the
hours of labor. The numbers and the
enthusiasm of the gathering left no
room for doubt on this point. The
meeting was not wholly of handi-
craftsmen either. There was a suffic-
ientIy large representation OF the
general public to show the way the
general sympathy inelines in respect
to the great reform which labor has
undertaken
Mr.. PowderIy made a strong, elo-
quant speech. 1t embraced a master
IL presentation of the eight hour
question, and an Irresistible appeal
to right feeling and reason in behalf
OF the movement, His indignant
denunciation Of electoral frauds had
the true ring Of outraged citizenship
too. His views on the single tax
theory we have no sympathy with,
but it would be out of place to at
tempt to controvert them here.
AS regards his condemnation of the
present rapid immigration, it is hard
to make mp ones mind with certainty.
There are certainly two sides TO the
subject. The great area of undevel-
oped territory in the West seems to
make restriction of immigration un-
desirable; the overcrowding of cities,
the over-competition of men in var
ious trades, seems to make its unre-
strained continuance a source OF
danger. 1t is not possible for the
government to control the settlement
Of new corners, yet it seems hardly
right to build up a Chin ese wall
against foreign labor.
1t is well to remember that not only
is the rapid development of the
country due to its liberality to inlmi-
grants, NOT only have some of the
immigrants themselves proven to be
citizens of the highest value to the
country, but Furthermore, the con
slant influx tends to force those al
ready here upward in the social
scale. The ignorant peasants of
italy and Bohemia who flock to
shores drive better men out of the
lowest class OF work-mere digging
and delving and the like, and compel
them to earn their living by labor of
a higher class. Mr.. Powderly is quite
right in his opposition to contract inn
~portauion Of labor, but we rather
think he has not found the secret of
the existing troubles of working men
in the immigration element.
Mr.. Powderly Is too shrewd an OBJ
server not to see that yearly-one
might say daily, the condition of la
Dor is improving all over the world
most Of all in the United States.
Things are righting themselves by
degrees, asperities are wearing them
selves down by a natural process.
The present fight will be won in part,
II AI0b kA WAACASy AA0 bACAA WOkhOAD
will look for some new step on which
to climb to better things. Where Nh.
Powderly breaches this gospel Of pro-
gress, we are with him heart and soul.
When he lapses into pessimistic ex-
p~ressions, we feel that his best powers
Of mind are not In operation.
In the eight hour contest we are
with him and all its other leaders,
heart and soul. THE JERSEY Cry
NEWS earnestly desires the welfare Of
the working people. It does 50 out Of
kindly feeling in the first place, but,
even more, because 1t believes that
the advantage Of all classes Of
the community at large aud in
AL its parts win be for
warded by the gain OF those
who are the bone and sinew Of the
nation. This present movement we
regard as specially good because in its