Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1894-05-12
THE EiGHT-HOUR DAY.

Popular Demonstration In London In It's
Favor-A Procession Three Hours Long
Dlsbands into an Immense Meeting In
Hyde Park-SOciaiist Speakers Play an
Important Role-The Day In Dublin
and Edinburgh.
LONDON, May 1.-Enslish workmen
as usual made their eight-bour demon
stration this year on the first Sunday
after May day. Signs Of the coming
demonstration were evident all yester-
day morning through the East End
and other laboring districts of the
south of London. The worlingmen
began gathering at s o'clock at the
appointed places ofmeeting in Poplar,
Bow, Deptford, Woolwich, Hackney
and Battersea. There they were met
by the musicians and banner.bearers
and the beribboned organizers from
the trades council. Each division was
drawn up in line with full brass
band at the head and was led away at
10 or II o'clock to the Thames embunk-
nent.
by noon the embankmcnt was
densely packed from Black Friars'
bridge to Charing Cross with working
men OF all trades and conditions, with
here and there vehicle carrying lead
ers and speakers with hundreds Of
banners, flags and transparencies wav-
ing overhead. XIX
At 12:45 p. m. the many bands started
as many different tunes, and fifteen
minutes later the head OF the process.
sion moved off toward Hyde Park. The
gas.workers general league of laborers
led. Following them came the dock
ers, then the builders, the riverside
men, the railway men, the printers,
masons and tlilors. Behind the tail
ors marched thousands of others
enough, in fact, to occupy three hours
In passing Trafalgar square. The
route from the square lay through Pail
Mail and Piccadilly.
At the park twelve platforms had
been erected In a great semi-circle.
All the meetings passed the resolution
in favor Of the eight-hour day. They
also resolved that the workingmen
could free themselves economically Y
and socially only after getting con-
troll of the political machinery now in
the hands Of the capitalist class John
Burns and Keir Hardie, labor members
OF parliament, spoke at length, each
congratulating his audience upon the
progress Of the elght-hour movement
in the last year.
The socialist speakers were more MI
merous and conspicuous than in any
preceding year. They advised the
workingmen to attack conservatives
and liberals alike and to try to pre-
vent the parties from passing furthe,
legislation before both agreed TO plac,
In the foreground proposals to better
the condition of the laboring class.
Jules Gerde, the French socialls
leader; Pail Lafargue and the Bel
gian, Volgers, spoke in French
Eleanor Marx-Aveling, Karl Marx'i
daughter. translated parts of thei,
speeches for the benefit Of the English
men. Stepniak, the nihilist, Ber
Tillett and Cunningham Graham
formerly members of parliament, alst
addressed the socialists.
Enormous crowds watched the pro
ccssion. pass 70 ana from tn =
rnere was no ui,vrticn
In Dublin workngmen's meeting
In Phoenix park passed the familiar
eight-hour resolution besides calling
for manhood suffrage and the paymen
of members of parliament
The workingmen's meeting in Glas
gov, after adopting the eight-hou,
resolution. demanded the abolition O
the house of lords and the nationaliza
ton of the railways.
In other large towns Of the United
Kingdom resolutions of similar teno
were approved by the working people