St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-10-22
AN OVATION TO WILLIS.
DULUTH WORKENGMEN GIVE
HIM A ROUSING RECEPTION.
He Responds to Their Enthusiasm
With a Brief but Pointed
Address.

Special to the Globe.
DULUTH, Mimi, Oct. 21--Yesterday
Judge Willis, of st. Paul, was guest at
the Hotel ST. Louis. in Duluth. About
S o'clock D. III. a delegation of gentle
men called upon the judge at his room
and informed him that some people
were waiting down stairs to see him.
He at once went down to the spacious
office lobby of the hotel, which was
throDged, at least 500 persons, mostly
laborlng men and mechanics, having
congregated there.
AS the judge was conducted by Capt.
w. II. Smallwood through the crowd to
the farther side OF the lobby. where a
space had been left clear, loud cheering
manifested the good will of those pres
ent Reaching the open space. Capt.
Smallwood courteolsly presented Judge
Willis to the officers and leaders of
organized labor. who were grouped to-
gether; and then Alex McCallum, Sec
rotary of the Trades and Labor Assem-.
bly, of Duluth, mounted an improvlsed
platform. and in most expressive and
we'll chosen terms welcomed the dis
tinguished jurist to Duluth in the name
of organized labor, commended him for
the Jealous concern for the rights of
labor which he had always manifested,
thanked him therefor. and expressed
the hope that Judge Willis would be
triumphantly elected associate justice
of the Supre me court.
Judge Willis then took the platform,
and was received with every manifesto
ton of enthusiastic regard. His re,
Spouse, which was listened to with close
attention. was as follows:
My Friends: To receive greeting
like this from representatives of organ
lied labor is an honor most gratifying.
| am not so vain as to conclude that it
is an honor entirely personal to myself.
| rather attribute TO you desire to
recognize representative of your own
interests-a devoted friend of labor
than desire to pay mere personal
compliment. 1t affords me sincere
pleasure to meet you and to exchange
cordial greetings.
Labor is the productive energy of
society. 1t creates all that political
economists call wealth. That economic
term embraces buildings, clothing,
lCUu. UOOhS-dil tiluC W Ilc
comfort of mankind in a civilized stale.
standard of civilization, and the degree
of wealth depends upon the quantity
and quality of production, we may
readily conclude that the interests of
labor. agricultural and mechanical. and,
also. unskilled labor, are the most
precious material interests of society.
The present may be appropriately
termed the aye Of invention and
mechanical development-the age of
machinery.
Machinery multiplies production II
increases the power and facility of hu.
man production. As a result labor
ought to satisfy the worlds demand by
| fewer hours of toll, and keeping pace
| with modern progress and development
utilizing its proper share in the me.
| chanical energy of the world, ought tt
| realize a vast increase of wages.
That the benefits naturally accruine
| tC labor are not realized is due to the
| fact-unfortunate to relate-that few
who toll not. grasp by cunning stealth
| the soil upon which labor must live anC
| operate, mOnopOlIZe it, make the adj
| vances in human skill and enterprise
| pay tribute to them, and they veil tneil
| schemes under the name of ''land gram
operations and land speculation" The
vast increment in the values of real es
tate, an increment created by labor. i!
| torn from the masses to contribute Il
the luxury of selfish classes.
Again, the selfish few, unchecked by
legislation, seize upon the transporta-
ton systems of the country and convert
them into Odlous monopolies. BY the
issuance of bogus stock, commonly
called "watered stock" they swell thei
own apparent wealth. render it a rea
acquisition by corporate legerdemain
and make labor pay them Tribute
through increased and unjust Charge
for the carriage Of freight aud paSsen
gers. Then, the large importers o
foreign laborers obtain legislation hos
tile to the commerce of the world, hostil,
to the best and fullest development o
the race, so that foreign competition