The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-12-03


JOHN BURNS.
| Federation of Labor at Denver, and Mr..
John Williams Benn member of the Lon
| don county council and member of parlia-
mont for St. Georges, east. Mr.. Benn is
! deeply interested in temperance affairs.
Mr. Burns, after he had greeted the com
| mittge, talked with a representative of the
! Associated Press.
| 81 cannot talk fairly of American af-
fairs, said he, "for it would take years
| for me to become familiar with them in a
way that would be satisfactory to me. As
| for the socialist movement in England, it
has come to stay. 1t will grow as it adapts
| itself to circumstances.
| II have been watching the labor move
ment in America as closely as ] could from
| a distance, and l have concluded that
| there must be a little more of the milk of
| human kindness injected into labor af
| fairs if they are to progress as l would like
| to see them progress"
Then Mr. Burns and the members of the
| committee discussed the proposed arrange
mcuts for the coming week, after which
| they adjourned to the upper deck for a
glimpse Of the metropolis through the fog
| of the lower bay. On the dock were gath
cred about two hundred members of the
local labor unions, who cheered loudly for
John Burns" as he walked down the
gngplank.
Then an informal reception was ten
dercd him, and Mr. Dumar, of Typo
graphical Union No. g. made a brief
speech of welcome. In responding Mr.
Burns said it was an agreeable coninci-
deucc that he, who had been so strongly
identified with the docks in England,
should make his first speech in America
on dock
Mr. David Holmes followed with few
remarks, and then the party proceeded on
| foot along West street to the Colunuade
hotel On many of the corners were gath
cred groups of dock laborers and cattle
men, Who cheered for Burns as he ap-
| preached, and many of them who had
, come from London greeted him with the
, | old cry of the London dock strike, How
are you, John2" to which inquiry Mr.
Burns responded by stopping and shaking
hands with them.
Later in the day Mr.. Burns received a
number Of newspaper men and talked for
an hour. OF his own visit here, he said
he came first to observe the condition of
, the labor movement in America and in
: what respects it differs from that in Eng
! land, and second as a member of purla-
J. ment to visit congress and get a grasp of
9 American political affairs.
The workings of the labor department
under Carroll d. Wright We're of great in
terest TO him, and as a county councillor
< he hoped to have the opportunity of in
d specting the various municipal depart
Z ments of the great cities of America.
Mr.. Burns is inclined TO believe that
|. among the cosmopolitan American people
it is possible to bring about concerted ac-
p ton for holding the wealthy in check, to
| prevent them from increasing their hold
t ing as rapidly as heretofore, and he will
devote particular attention to the study of
E that problem
4 The Pullman strike and the report of
the commissioner Of labor Mr.. Burns de-
clned to pass an opinion on until he had
= visited Pullman, which he meant to do
Il In England the strike had been watched
8 closely, and the general sentiment as de
clared was that it had been successful
at is a surprise TO me, " he continued in
reply to a query relating TO the payment
N of salaries to members Of parliament
"that there is not a single direct repre-
sentative of labor in congress. In parlia
ment we have fourteen or fifteen members
who are representatives of the Labor party
III II we can nave l,@OO Wothlleu dA It1lIt
II sentatives in our various county councils
boards of magistrates and governors OF
polytechnics without pay what can We
show when they are paid the small salary
proposod2"
> The eight hour law in the British gov
ernment shops, employing 10000 men
Mr. Burns said, had become fixture ant
O was regarded as great concession. 1t il
r an actual eight hour law and is rigidly en-
y forced thus helping unskilled labol
greatly. Many individual manufacturer
had also adopted the system.
Mr. Burns attention was called 60 re
I Gently published statement that he haC
said Anne rican workmen were 'no bette
than African slaves" He explained tha
his remarks had concerned the condition
of the Hungarians and Italians of the
coke region, as depicted in our blue books
and which if true, he added, is a disgrace
!. to any civilized country ON the face of th
globe.
Mr. Burns will leave New York on Wed
nesday, and will spend six weeks travelling
through the states.