The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-12-14
THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
Should Be M'ds BY Use Of The Ballot!
Box BY Knights Of Llbor.
STRIKES FORCED BY CAPITALISTS
Sovereign Talks ON Slavery OF Wage
Farmers - Powderlys Successor Has
Rather Peculiar Ideas and In Appar-
emily Posing for the Peoples Benefit

shiy OsAn8 sOA s"C eSR1o As~H~A&
BosToN, Dec. 14.-A reception was ten
dered General Master Workman Jane
X. Sovereign and Thomas b. Mcguire Of
New York, c. r. French of Marlboro and
Henry b. Martin of Minnesota, the
newly elected members of the general
executive board of the knights Of Labor,
in Faneuil hall last night by the members
of the order in this city. The attendance
was very small.
General Master Workman Sovereign
was the first speaker He said that ID was
a pleasure to him TO be privileged TO speak
in the hall made memorable by the long
line of Americans who had fought for the
freedom Of -ehattel slaves, but, while we
are all proud and jubilant over the vic
tory that resulted from the movement
thesa men were engaged In, yet we should
not forget that there was at present as
great need for the abolition of the white
wags slave as ever there was for their col
ored brothers.
In America, the garden of the world,
with itsvast and varied industries, We zee
thirras that are appalling. According to
the prcss reports, there are in Chicago
alone 1f7,000 enforced idlers, and a move
ment has been started to raise 81 ,0OO, ,O0c
for their relief. One of our brightest
writer's, when speaking on the raising OF
this fund, said that he would to God that
the millionaires of Chicago would spend
one night with these out-of-work people,
and that in the morning there would be
no difficulty in raising the fund.
Determination In Law.
Why is this distressi No people have
been so industrious as the American peo
pie. BY reason OF our industry and in.
genuity we have caused the attention of
the entire world, but with all our indus
try we have not shortened the hours OF
labor nor increased the comforts Of life.
There is wheel loose somewhere in our
social machinery, and the rich are grow
ing richer and the poor poorer, and there
is rank discrimination in the law against
the poor in favor of the rich.
During The past Is years we have
raised two distinct classes Of society--ths
tramp and vagrant and the dude and
dudelet. The tramp II \ cross between
crime and poverty, and the dude 10 cross
between no one and nothing, but history
has shown that every nation that allows
the rich to grow richer and the poor
poorer has always gone down, and our
country will also 70 down II this con-
tinues. Society is now being shaken from
stem to stern by the labor troubles of the
present day. We are opposed TO strikes,
but in nine cases out Of 10 they are forced
upon us by the hostilities of the capitals.
tic class.
The Power OF vetss.
We believe that our freedom can be OBJ
tanned through the ballot box. Many peo
pie are in favor Of using bullets, but say
It is shame and disgrace to talk about
bullets when there is . ballot The
Knights OF Labor are working for the
amelioration Of the working classes. The
working man with his wife and children
provided with the necessaries Of life is a
very harmless fellow, but when his wife
and children are starving, then is the time
to watch that man, for he il liable to do
wrong.
1t is the duty Of government to make
It easy for the people to do right and hard
for them to do wrong, In order to obtain
amelioration from these dreadful condi.
tions under which the working people are
living they must organize and educate
themselves ~ to their rights, and this can
be done through the Knights Of Labor.
other Speakers.
Henry p. Martin of Minnesota was the
next speaker. He advised the working
people to organize and discuss the vital
questions which would benefit themselves.
There is a wheel loose in our social
structure, as can be seen when so many
thousands are out of work. There is a
grave emergency before the people of this
country aud their welfare is threatened.
The mental power is the motor for hu-
man progress and the working people
must educate themselves 30 that they may
know what their rights are. How In the
thing TO be acccmplished' BY joining
the knights of Labor and learning that
the men who produce the wealth of the
world should get large portion of what
they produce.
Thomas b. Mcguire of New York spoke
at length on the land question, and, in the
course of his remarks, caused much
amusement by an attack on the silver and
tariff questions.