Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-19
BENEF1Ts OF ORGANIZED LABOR.
Representative Davis Talks to a Mass
Meeting of Carpenters.

A mass meeting of carpenters was held
last night at Typographical Temple Under
the auspices of Carpenters Council. 1t was
largely attended by union and non-union
carpenters. The object of the meeting was
to induce ali non-union men to join some
one of the labor organizations and to dis
cuss the condition of trade. Mr.. Suter.
president of the council, called the meeting
to order and explained the reasons for it.
He said that they all proposed to work in
harmony and under one card. They want
ed to encourage each other and to gain all
reasonable requests as to hours and wages.
Mr.. Sea, representing the amalgamated
association, was the first speaker. He ad-
jured them all to work under one head and
explained the benefits of labor organiza-
tons. Men could not go it alone, 1t was an
age Of consolidation; but even IL a man
could go 1t alone. 1t was not just to So
ciety. Individualism was an exploded fall
lacy. He did not mean to crush out indi-
viduality. Their motto was education, or
ganization and fraternity. He stated there
was very little activity now, but society
could not long continue in this passive
state. People were bewildered with the
chaos Of today Man was a gregarious ami
NAL and should not go it alone. Instead of
rowing. as was peculiar to men Of the build
ing trades, they should settle down, take an
active interest In public affairs and build
up themselves. their union and their COM
munity.
He stated emphatically that trades unions
did have the right to deal with politics, be-
cause there was no place to draw the line
between politics and the labor question, by
which he meant public affairs There were
awful breaks. he said, in our representative
system, and he pointed out some of what he
termed its imperfections. One was, he
said, that here In the capital Of the country
people were much disfranchised as the
Chinese. He talked of the money, railroad
and land questions from a labor stand
point He advocated governmental coop
GRAFTON and the government ownership Of
telegraph. railroads and other corporations
Representative Davis Views.
Representative Davis of Kansas was the
next speaker. He expressed his pleasure in
meeting intelligent working men, who were
digging deep down for the truth. Labor
must organize, because the other fellows
do. IF they don't. we won't" People
never righted their wrongs while those
wrongs were sufferable, and when the peo-
pie cried out the people were always right
Labor could be pressed down only so far as
1t would go. He then told of the necessity
Of labor organizations. Organized capital
fought labor very much Great britain
conquered other nations: she got one-half
of the natives to fight the other half
Strikes could not succeed when the market
was falling, but would always succeed IL
the market was rising. He cited the case
of a lawyers admission to the bar as an
example of trade organization.
The battle ground of humanity was in the
legislative halls and the courts. He ad-
vised them to organize into herds, as did
the donkeys of the far south, who In order
to protect themselves against the coyotes
and panthers, formed circle. put their
heads together on the inside and their heels
on the out. Never fight friend while you
have an enemy. He advised fraternity
among all men. He dwelt at considerable
length on the money question and talked
1t forcibly from a silver standpoint. Com
merce could not live without money; 1t was
the blood of civilization. The dark ages
and the population of Europe was reduced
one-half by wars. and famines was due to
contraction of the currency caused by the
failure of the mines of Spain and Greece
The awakening and glory of the times fol-
lowing the dark ages was due to the ex-
pansion of the currency, caused by the dis
covery Of the gold and silver mines of the
new world. Contraction Of the currency
meant falling prices and the killing Of
future contracts.