Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-10-23
RADICAL TALK
Made at a Meeting Of The Central Labor Union
About the Militia.

BOSTON, Oct. 22.-The Central Labor
union at it's meeting yesterday afternoon,
emphatically placed itself on record as be-
ing opposed 20 all military bodies, either
state or national, and denounced them as
an injury to the working classes and a
tool for capitalistic monopoly. Further, it
was urged that all toilers with home to
protect and living to make, If they are
members of the militia at the present
time, get out of it Immediately, as the
militia of today, as has been made evident
on several occasions recently, is nothing
more than death machine whereby the
interests of the moneyed monopolists are
protected at the cost of the employees life.
The cause of this outburst of indigna-
tion against the militia was the introduc-
ton of the resolution which had been
ordered at the last meeting as a reply to
an insinuation made by Adjutant General
Dalton in his order to the state militia
70 assemble in Boston for review by the
governor and staff a week ago last Tues
day. The resolution was prepared by a
committee appointed to do SO, and upon
being read was received with applause. 1t
read:
Whereas, Adjutant General Dalton, in com
municaton to the commanders of the MaSsa-
chusctts militia, recently issued, has, by inn
plication and insinuation, seen fit to attack the
organizations of labor. thereby creating preju-
dice in the public mind, with the apparent
purpose of magnifying the value of the mill
tary arm of the government; therefore, be it
Resolved, That we deplore the evident dis
position of those in authority to increase and
centralize the numbers of state and federal
troops, and to multiply costly and medieval
ErmorieS thereby making more onerous the
burden of taxation which, in the ultimate, is
Borne by the Producing Glasses.
Resolved, That we believe the maintenance
of large standing army, either murder
machine an instrument of intimidation, or for
he purposes Cf display, to be unworthy of the
,gc in which We live, relic of barbarism and
n no utility * 'cpting to assist those who
seek to maintain their special privileges by
birbaric methods, and that we therefore call
lp,n all legislators, state or national who
.avV - heart the interests of labor, to strcnu-
Dusly oppose further appropriations for mill
2ry igcrcasC.
Resolved, That we urge upon worlingmen
vgrJwhcre the propriety of refraining from
participation in military SERVICE and, if al
ready attached, of severing tn ir connection as
soon as they lawfully and honorably may.
Resolved That we repel, with the utmost in
iignation, the insinuation of General Dalton
which has since bren more openly charged by
Generals Schofcld and Miles, that the peace of
the country is threatened by the attempts of
worllingmon to better their condition; but we
10 affirm that such danger as does exist arises
rrom the arrogance Of corporate power, supple
mCnted by the Subserviency of those intruSted
with public office.
r. solved, Thatwe demand that the arbitra-
neut of the social problem shall be by those
free and peaceful methods provided by the
founders of orr national institutions, and
Dlcdxe ourselves to oppose all attempts to es-
tabGsh an arued plutCoratic government on
tlo soil Of America.
I.loyd's Conclusions.
At the conclusion of its reading, Dele
gate Lloyd addressed the meeting: '"The
militia of today" he said, contains no
friend of the laboring man, especially the
union laboror.
Il witncsa7d the parade which General
Dalton presented TO the people of our city
as an evidence of what they could depend
upon in case some starving men who were
fighting for their rights needed shooting
down. The men who took part in that
parade. who are members of my trade,
recognized to be the 'scabs,' while the
beardless youth who knows nothing of the
world he is moving in was quite promi-
neut"
The following resolution was submit
ted:
Resolved. That we exercise all our power to
demand reduction of the annual appropria-
ton for the militia.
Both resolutions were adopted, and they
will be referred to all the local unions for
their separate action.