Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-02

time the attempts were frustrated through |
the treachery Of some Of the members,who
cared more for the fieeting smile Of the |
master than the benefits which would fol-
low independence. Whether the master |
paid for the treachery in coin or honeyed |
words the fate melted out to the treacher- |
Gus one by his fellow workers was always |
death, and as consequence only the man |
who was ignorant Of what had happened !
to others dared betray his associates. Ig- |
norance of the past and the future was
what caused the treachery of those an |
Client days. Then, as now, inorance was the |
most dangerous foe to the advance Of free
dom and equality.
Christianity and the Toilers.
with the dawn of Christianity came
an awakening of hope and arousing of the
intellect that nothing in history had ever
occasioned before.
Christ said that the laborer is worthy
of his hire that the land shall not be
sold forever and all through His stay
upon earth enunciated new doctrines on
the questions of labor and it's relations
to those who lived Upon it, Trades union
lists, members of guilds. leagues and other
organizations of workingmen embraced
Christianity and proclaimed it's doctrines
as being especially advantageous to the
welfare of the toiling poor. Thousands
fiocked around the standard of Christian
ity, for the Yeason that it was emblematic
of progress, of liberty and equality among
men. The artisan, the ironworker, the
worker III WOOu anu SlOLe, lIle ldDoieI VI
the village. city, fields and the poor. toll
| ing slave We're all included among those
| for whom Christ died 1t was the first
| time in the history of the world that such
| a doctrine had been proclaimed and it
| is no wonder that new hope, new strength
and energy took life in the human breast.
| Festivals, holidays and fete days were
| celebrated after the dawn of the Christian
! era as before. ard in many of the drunken
| orgies which disgraced these occasions
while honoring the memory of some war
| rior, statesman saint, the same prac-
tees prevailed as in the days when pagan
| ism commanded TIE alteration of some god
| of wood or stone, as the distinctive feat
ure Of the occasion. Slowly the doctrine
| of equality made its progress. Its every
| step was harassed by those who believed
| the many should be the property of the
| few. Long hours of toll made it impossi-
! BILE for man to study after entering upon
| his life work, but here and there some man
| escaped from the drudgery of the tread
| mill and gave his effort and his talent for
| the elevation of mankind. Such men were
| few in the beginning. but the example they
| set found worthy disciples as the centuries
| followed each other The aim of the or
| ganzation of labor in ancient times was to
| obtain better food more of 1t and the rights
/ to the soil The wage question did not
constitute so prominent factor in the de-
! Eberations of the association, for the slav-
cry of the past had precluded the posi-
| blity of obtaining wages as reward for
| service rendered. 1t was not considered
| honorable for a man to accept pay for MS
! Ia Dor. he might accept a present OF more
| than his wage would amount TO, but it
| must be understood that it was not pay he
| worked for
Through the bloody scenes of strife
| which have marked the course of the world
| since Christianity dawned upon 1t the or
| ganization of labor has not been lost sighr
| of, and wherever it has existed human la
| Dor has taken higher ground upon the
| plane of equality and freedom Progress,
| though slow, was steady, until the war for
independence in the united colonies Of
America. The ancient Grecians and Ro-
| mans had no United States to apply to
| when detected in the attempt to over
throw the rule of the oppressor. After the
| discovery of America the daring. fnde-
| pendent, liberty-loving people of Europe
turned their faces toward the new shores,
| and there built up sentiment that event
| ually spread like beacon of hope through
all parts of the earth.
| when it was written in Philadelphia
] and proclaimed to the world that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed
| by their Creator with certain inalienable,
| rights; that among these are life liberty
and the pursuit of happiness a most Won
derful effort marked the development of
the human race.
Where Labor Day Is Recognized.
The agitation in behalf Of labor holiday.
begun in New York, extended to other
states, with most gratifying results. The
following is partial list of states.
compiled by Mr.. Powderly, in which
Labor day laws have been passed So far
as obtainable, the names of the legislators
who introduced the bills, and the dates on
which the measures became laws, are
given. For the convenience of the reader,
the states are named in alpha betical order:
Alabama-Oscar r. Hundley member of
| the senate from Huntsville. introduced the
til making the first Monday in September
| a holiday, to be known as Labor day. The
same was enacted into law. and received
| the signature of Gov. Thomas G. Jones
|
California-Senator n. C. Maher of San
Francisco introduced the measure during
the last session. 1t passed both houses.
and received the approval of Gov. II. II.
Markham March %, 1893. Labor day in
California is held the first Monday in Octo-
Der.
Hoover of Leadville introduced bill In the
legislature and March 10 of that year Gov.
Alva Adams affixed his signature to the
act. after passage through both houses or
the Colorado legislature,
Connecticut-A. p. HUME, January .,
1889, introduced the bill in the Connecti-
cut legislature. 1t became law and was
approved by the governor March 20, 1889
! Delaware-Senator John Pyle of Whining
ton introduced the Labor day bill in the
J legislature of Delaware. 1t passed both
houses, and was approved February IA,
1893. In Delaware the governor is not re-
} quired to sign or approve of laws passed
by the legislature, and the Labor day law
bears the signatures of Charles y: Hous-on
speaker of the house of representatives of
Delaware.
Georgia -The legislature of 1891 passed
into law the bill introduced by E. W. Mar
tin and October 16 of that year Gov. w. j
) Northen signed the bill.
, | Illinois The thirty-seventh general as
, sembly of Illinois passed the law making
; the first Monday in September legal holi
, day The bill was introduced in the senate
. by Albert w. Wells and was approved by
, Gov Joseph w. Fifer, June II. 1891.
, Indiana BY an act of the legislature
, approved March o. 1891, the first Monday
: In September was made a legal holiday te
, be known as Labor day.
Iowa FEBRUARY %, 1890. w. W. Dodge
introduced the original bill making Labor
. day a legal holiday to the Iowa senate.
substitute was offered, and March 10 al
u members of the senate voted for the meas
| ure 1t went to the lower house and was
= adopted there March 26. all present votiI.s
for it, and April 5, 1880, was signed bJ
= Gov. Boies
/ Kansas The custom of recognizing thu
!. | first Monday in September as Labor day
> was established in Kansas in 1880, and thu
. governor of the state made 1t legal by
: procIamat ton. At the session of the !egis
: ! lature of 1891 Gov. Lyman U. Humphrey
E in his biennial message. recommended tina