Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-01-14
FEBRUARY 22.
LABOR TO
MEET AND CONSIDER
THE SITUATION.
A Meeting Big With Important
Political and Financial
Issues.

States by the Committee of the Com
bined Labor Organizations.
To all citizens Of the United States, GREETING:
The undersigned have been appoint
ed committee to issue an address
setting forth the objects and purposes
of the great conference of producers
which has been called to convene in
st. Louis, on the 22d day of February,
1892.
The call for said conference origi-
mated with the National Farmers AL
lance and Industrial Union at Ocala,
Fla, in December, 1890, as follows !:
"This body gives it's sanction and call
for meeting to be held about Feb
ruary, 1892, to be composed of dele
gates from all organizations of pro-
ducers upon fair basis of representa-
tion, for the purpose of general and
thorough conference upon the de-
mands of each, and to the end that all
may agree upon a joint set of de-
mands just prior to the next national
campaign, and agree upon the proper
methods for enforcing such demands.
If the people, by delegates coming
from them direct, agree that third
party move is necessary, it need not
be feared. That the next session of
this Supreme Council elect delegates
from this Order to represent it in said
national conference of productive or
CARNATIONS for political purposes"
Committees from the National Farm
ers' Alliance and Industrial Union,
the Knights of Labor, the National
Citizens Alliance, and the Colored
National Farmers Alliance and Co.
operative Union met in Washington,
D. c., January "a, 1891, and chose
national executive committee, and
fixed the time for the coming confer
ence at February %, 1892, and in
structed their executive committee to
decide on the place of meeting and
the basis of representation. The call
for the great labor conference has
since been ratified and accepted by
practically all farmers and laborers'
organizations. The national execu-
tive committee met at Indianapolis,
Ind, on the 18th day of November,
and fixed the basis of representation,
and appointed committee to choose
the place of meeting.
This shows the call to be regular,
and to be supported by millions of
people scattered throughout every
section of this broad land. A move
ment of such great extent and popu-
larity involves great forces and must
WELD great power its causes, OBJ
jects, purposes and methods, there
fore, are important subjects of con-
sideration.
The causes are many and depend
on combinations of circumstances that
have been transpiring for years
many of them are to-day unnoticed,
and to attempt even list of the
causes would be almost an endless
task, but prominent among the causes
for this great movement, causes which
| should fill with alarm and concern
every loyal citizen of this govern
ment, are The rapid accumulation of
the wealth of the nation in the hands
of few, and the general impoverish-
ment and discomfort of the masses;
a financial system that furnishes a
volume of money which at one season
of the year is so redundant that money
is worth in the metropolis only one
per cent. on call, while at another
season it is so inadequate that money
ranges as high as 1SS per cent. on call,
thereby entailing great hardship and
distress upon all classes as result of
instability of prices. The general
and widespread belief on the part of
the masses that the government is ad-
ministered in the interest of a favored
class whether this be true or not,
the fact that such belief exists is a
matter of public concern) in spite of
the wise and just provisions of the
Constitution. Boss rule methods and
the distribution of millions of cor
ruption money by political organiza-
tions; the depressed condition of all
productive pursuits; the menace to
free government involved in the
shameful abuses of aggregated
wealth, using combinations of trans
portation companies to control legis-
lative and judicial proceedings; the
foreign invasion which is received and
allowed to exact tribute on account
of the unavailability of American
wealth in business the plainly visible
wide separation between the govern
ment and the people who seem to
feel that they are pushed aside for the
politician and lose proper interest
in government affairs; that monster,
! the mortgage, which is rapidly de-