The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-07-26
WANTS DIRECT VOTING.
Labor Orator Davis Tells
the K. of 1. How Legisla-
tive Reform is Possible.

The third Of a series OF meetings oper
TO the public was held by Local Division
No. 3,09s Of the Knights of Labor In
last night. Counsellor Clarence Ladd
Davis. OF New York. delivered an address
advocating legislation by direct vote Of
the people. He said that any person oil
eighteen years and average intelligence
could po.nt to a hundred detects in our
system of government. IL was easier to
point out the evil than the remedy.
This purpose of government Is
banded together for the purposes
of war. TEen they discovered the need
of internal protection, and courts and
police systems were established. The
shrewd and cunning learned early that
it was easier TO compel others to labor
for them the TO labos themselves. The
priest and the soldier ruled the people.
Methods of government were at first
simple and democratic, but class distinc-
lions were formed and power accumu-
lated in the hands of the few; republic:
were transformed into Kingdoms aud
empires under absolute rule.
HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF.
A division of society was now going on
among us similar to the separation of tbs
ancient Romans into patricians and
plebians. Aristocraey is founded OIL
wealth aud maintained by landed prop.
erty handed down from generation tc
generation. Within 400 years grsa,
economic changes havs occurred IN this
country. One hundred years ago every
village and community WAS a little world
by itself. 1t had a variety OF industry
and supplied its own needs. The inven-
ton of the steam engine. the telegraph
md tptanh0na havn hrnnHhf fhA world I'm
close communication. A change In one
part quickly affects The rest. The pos
session of machinery has become q new
basis of wealth.
AS civilization advances the rich and
powerful seek to gather for themselves
more and more of the good things of life.
There never vas a civil war that was
not based on a LABOR question. a strife be-
tween the rich aud poor. We were now
fighting to see whether the white work
ingman shall O forward or 90 BACK
to the condition from which the blac Il
laborer has been freed.
A FIELD u REFORM.
You have had a practical illus.
tration right here in New Jer.
lation of Legislatures by shrewd and IN,
s%crupulous men, who advance their OWE
interests in defiance OF public opinion
II the race track laws had been submit
ted to a popular vote they would have
been overw helminely defeated.
Il believe that all reforms would be
contained in the reform or legislation by
having the laws made by direct vote OF
the people. You can bride the masters
of the people, but you cannot pride the
people themselves We suffer not from
too few laws but from too many. 1t IL
not the millionaires who say the public
be blanked so much as legislatures.
have been on the floor of legislative halls
and heard men say openly as loudly as
now say it. How much is there in thi!
bill for me- You may have four-ffths
of the people and yet may not get thu
law you want. You have the bes'
field In the world here for such a reform
Whom the Gods wish to destroy, they
first make mad Your legislature of las
winter acted as ii it were insane"
Mr.. Davis exhorted the knights to work
for the reform of direct legislation. He
cited the race-track laws of last wintel
as an instances of the defiance of public
opinion by legislatures. An informa
discussion followed. James A. Stewart
presided.