Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1891-01-24
PHILADELPHIA.
FRUITFUL AGITATION IN THE
QUAKER CITY.
A Well Attended Meeting Held Under
the Auspices OF the American
SrctiOn-Speech Of 4. CahAn.

Sccti0n-Speech Of 4. Cahan.
Another good meeting was held here
to-day under the auspices of the Ameri-
can Section of the 5. L. =. of Pmladel.
phia. Comrade DeBruyn OF the
Flemish Section presided and after a
short speech introduced Comrade Cahan
OF New York, who thourouShly explain
ed the meaning of the word "Socialsmb
and also the aims of the party. He said
in part:
Times have been when Socialism was
generally rIdiCuled, even by intelligent
people, who had no other reason for
despising it than that it was foreign
origin. 1t is different now natives and
foreigners have the same grievances
for which they also need the same RENE
dies. Every wage-earner is IA Socialist
at heart. They are all dissatisfied with
their condition, tired of being imposed
upon, and robbed out Of what should be
theirs What is this feeling of dissats-
faction? 1t is simply Socialism that is
gcrmlnating within their own breasts
and they do not know it. Once the peo.
pie realize this fact the movement is
bound to spread even faster than in
Germany, The progress has been shown
in New York already at the last election.
when the labor candidate obtained 1l,0O0
votes; which means that among the
Socialists in that state, there are II 600
citizens Chicago is the next place
where we propose to enter the contest.
and California may be the next ON the
roll.
Born Americans have heretofore
been preiudiced against foreigners. But
the latter, once natur tIiZed, have "A voice
and vote in the ruling of this country,
aud they must exercise their rights as
citizens in order TO help their American
fcllow-Workmen to shake oil the opprea-
sion and tyranny under which both
have to suffer.
"Some people thiuk that the Social
lists want too much in demanding that
the government should take possession
Of the railroads, tclcEraphs, expresses,
etc. I}ut these industries are carried on
by government in other countries; why
not in Anlrrlca! Now, suppose am
newly arrived foreigner here, and
All American whom ! get acquainted
with shows me about the city. III one
place he'll pont ont "Mr. Wauam8krr's
store" ljut iIttie further on the same
street he'll raise his hand and say
"Thrre il 0iW post office" What does
that "our' mean; 1t simply implies
that til" "GoNerumHH, IN other word.
. l.. 4.
every citizen have shut IN it; that
uo'wjthstandiugt thriow fatc4 0f postage.
the employees Of If are better paid and
better treated them if ii were in tine
hands Of al lmdividuai or 4 corporation;
that the profits made out Of itHre turned
back to the people instead Of being
Iorkcted bv buodlrrs.
"Il Mr.. Wanamakpr WAS to own the
Postal Service, how long would it take
before the rates would 20 mp. the mum
her Of working hours he increased and
general CutdoWn III salaries tax" place?
Not long, indeed; and the letter car
ner, who now gets from $50 to S25
week for eight hours day, would soon
have to be content with the same treat.
ment as the Adams Express Co., 3 en-
piuyts. The Post office being "SOcial
IstIC institution, III other words con
troIIad by the 'Peope' why then should
uot the 81 600 900 inhabitants Of this
country in the same manner manage the
sending Of packages and the carryingof
passengers and freghts.
Something strange is the large and
steadily increasing number of tramps
the country is Overrun with. Is it be
cause the position of tramp is desirable
one, or is it because people are driven
into trampism against their own will
Every day some new machinery is in
trOduced, which is bonnd to throw out
OF employment a certain number of men
or women. Some are successful in ST
curing another job, others are not, and
when the latter means are exhausted,
(Which thanks to the capitalist, they are
not too well supplied ~ithl they are
bound to depend upon the generosity of
those whom fortune has favored with
better luck.
Manufacturers often boast of their
machinery, never in the least plying
the poor wretches whom they have de
prIved of the means of livelihood by
IT, anu W "hotI an Tue ldtcnl hlN'HtloHS
Of the age are nothing without break
fast.
Take the cigarette manufacture as
an instance. Five large factories were
competing with one anothfr. They en-
pIoyed hundreds of girls. BY the intro
duction of a machine that required only
feeding, the larger portion of the girls
were discharged, their services being no
longer needed. More than that, the
employers found that compe tition was to
their detriment, and they formed a