The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-08-24
LABOR DAY WORK.
Earnest Committees Arranging the
Many Details.


Many Details.
The arrangements for the celebration
Of the coming Labor day in Seattle are al
ready almost completed. Every detail is
being looked after by men apparently as
deeply interested in the success of the ar
rangements as though their individual
success in life depended upon the result:
and there is every evidence that the
demonstrations will be of character of
which Seattle's working people may well
feel proud. Harry Leland, secretary Of
the committee, is now making
tour Of the cities around the
lower Sound for the purpose of
arranging to have excursions run in from
various places and inducing the labor or
CARNATIONS Of those places TO turn out in
body. He reports having met with con-
siderable encouragement at Port Town
send, Anacortes, Bellingham bay, Vic
toria and various other cities visited, and it
Is probable the largest body of working
men ever brought together in the city will
be in the line of march in the parade. The
speakers have not yet been decided upon,
but an effort will be made TO secure men
who are above the methods of the ordinary
political rattle-box and whose opinions
ton and respect Of all classes in the COM
munity.
Labor day was first generally observed
throughout the United States in 1885 and
was the result of demand on the part of
labor organizations for a day devoted es-
pecially to the interests of the working
peoples day on which they could ali
come together with their wives and chill
dren for social enjoyment and building up
a closer alliance between the men engaged
in different trades and callings and belong
ing to different organizations. 1t was con-
templated, too, that existing evils should
be discussed at the gatherings throughout
the country ON this day and remedies
suggested and considered, and as every
newspaper in the land would devote more
or less space to giving an account
of these gatherings, it would
be the means of drawing the
attention of all classes of society to cues
tons affecting the interests of the tot lers
and in this way be potent in overcoming
the wrongs of which they most COM
planned. In New York and a very few
Eastern cities the day was observed in a
haif-hearted way for some years before,
| but never until 1885 was it made national
| IN Its character or given any particular
| design. And now in almost every CITY in
the country in which there are any i'm
| portant industries requiring large labor
population the day is observed in Q man
ner that reflects credit upon the working
people.
An effort to have the letter carriers par.
| ticipate in the parade was unsuccessful. az
| Postmaster Davies maintains it would be
| violation of the rules Of the department.
inasmuch as the day is not national hol.
iday.
Abe Spring is working lard on the off,
cial programme. which will contain as
much solid reading matter as daily news
paper. He is preparing q complete his
! tory of the labor movement in Seattle, in
Guiding review of the Chinese trouble,
for publication in it. The programme viii
be ready for distribution by September l.
None OF the Knights of Labor assemblies
propose to turn out in the parade. An eff
fort was made in the Teamsters' Assembly
TO pass a resolution to compel the mem.
bers 10 turn out. but the move was de-
feated.