The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-02-29
A WAR SPECTER HELD UP
AND "MOyOPOLIsTs- SCORED AS AD-
vOCATES OF MILITARIsM.
Toilers Urged to "SpOt" Members of
Congress who Vote fSr Pending
BilIs-Mr. Gompers's kilograms.

the proposed expenditure of $110,0 200 for
coast defense as well as more millions for
an increased navy
jerome O'Neill,- secretary of the Central
Labor Union, acted as chairman. He made
a brief speech explaining the object of the
meeting. The first speaker was then in
troduced in the person of Charles w. Hoad-
ly. secretary of the Building Trade Associa-
ton, Mr.. Hoadly declared that nobody
wanted war except. perhaps, the inventor
of a new rifle. the smokeless powder manu-
facturer. or the maker of the bunting used
on land and sea. The common people did
not want war, and as the United States had
never provoked war, he maintained that
we were not open to attack from other ma
tons.
John McLuckie, of Homestead, who was
connected prominently with the strike at the
Carnegie works. followed Mr.. Hoadly and
spoke Of the armor plates manufactured
for the navy. He said that belt line armor
plate KS" now located on the Monterey.
had one hole in it as large as the face of
an ordinary eight-day clock and which was
filed with forty plugs. What reliapce, he
asked. could be placed such armor. He
mentioned as other ships on which fraudu-
| lent armor had been placed, the New York,
| Oregon, Amphitrite, Terror, Massachusetts
| and others
| Herman Hetzel. of Philadelphia said that
| he came from the "City Of Brotherly Love
| and poor wages" He begged all men in his
| hearing never to join a military organiza-
| ton and to stand together, of each other,
| and for each other. Ernest Howard Crosby
! said he wished to congratulate the Central
Labor Union on having inaugurated
struggle against militarism. An appropria-
ton of sSS,OOo.0O0 for coast defenses, he said,
meant war, whatever some people might
| say to the contrary. He asked why Ameri-
| an workingmen should be against English
workingmen for instance. If the wage earn
4 ers here and in other countries would only
| say the word, he said, there would be no
more war. We need protection in the coun-
| try from the faults. vices and imperfections
| of our social system rather than coast de-
| lenses. Mr.. Crosby asked If, after a hun
| dred years without coast defenses any ma
| ton would now begin to attack the United
| States. Cries of Eyes came from the audi
ence. and when moment later he asked
| if we should build up our navy because Eng
| land was building hers, the same cry came
back. We had need. he said, of all the
1 charity and brotherly love we could COM
| mand, instead of warlike spirit.
A DEFINITION MISCONSTRUED.
Henry d. Salisbury was tne next speaker
| He said that Benjamin Harrison. lecturing
| on law, had given the best definition extant
| of capitalist legislation, when he said that
the object of a law was to make the rich
| secure and the poor content. An appropria-
ton of sSs,OOOOOO for coast defense. he said.
| was to make the rich secure, and when the
| poor looked down the muzzes of the guns
they would have to be content.
| A letter of regret from General Master
Workman Sovereign, of the Knights of La
hnr
| then read a set of resolutions denouncing
| the proposed appropriation, which were
adopted with but few diSsenting voices
| those in favor of the resolutions and those
opposed should rise in turn. Those opposed
amounted to hardly mores than two dozen,
and Mr. George. after saying that ne re-
| spected the ants for the courage OF their
| convictions. said that he had no doubt that
represented the great body of the working
people of the country. Although denying
that he was Socialist, Mr. George said
that in one respect he could always be
| counted with the Socialists. and that was in
| his opposition to war. President Cleve-
lands message on the Venezuelan difficulty
| ne characterized as insane" and said that
| when 1T made public. one would have
| thought from the newspapers that New
YSrk had gone mad The proposed I9Sasa aPpro,
carefully laid plan TO build up standing
army which will crush labor Whenever it
| dares to raise its head. las citizen of
reason and convictions he said. Il would
| rather see every locomotive thrown from
u aTe than to see order reserved by the bayo-
| nets of the standing army. Order is heav-
| ems first law. but there is one thing prize
| before order and that is liberty.
The other speakers were Henry Weiss
mann. Daniel Harris and James Fitzgerald.
THE RESOLUTIONS.
The following resolutions were adopted
unanimously:
h whereas, The undsguised purpose of the
monopOliSts and rings who have grasped
| political power and are robbng the workers
| under laws passed at their instance and by
| their purchase IS 10 so increase and mass
| a standing army that they may rule by in
functions backed by federal bayonets; and.
| whereas, As a means to this end bills
are pending in Senate and House for the
! appropriation of a hundred millions for
| coast defenses and other millions for more
| ironclads, the money to be drawn rom a
treasury kept from bankruptcy by the issue
| of bonds unauthorized by Congress and
johbed out TO favored capitalists. ultimately
TO be repaid with interest by fresh taxes on
labor; therefore,
Resolved, That we pledge ourselves and
| ask our brethren in other places TO pledge
themselves TO vote against every member
of Congress, no matter what his party or
profession, who shall support any OF these
| bills, and that We especially call on Thomas
Il. Reed. Speaker of the House, to act as a
true tribune of the people in preventing
| their passage.
Resolved. That the American Republic
| is great enough and strong enough to set
20 the world an example of a nation that
fears no foreign foe and that refuses to
join In the monstrous ornaments that are
bolstering up the thrones and crushing down
the masses of Europe; that her true glory
and real safety lie in securing the right to
gain an honest and ample living to every
willing worker. and that threats of war
and preparations for war-means that the
classes have always used to distract the
masses from the demand for social reform
and to induce them 10 aid in their own en-
siavement--are prompted by the fear of
Justice on the part of holders of i'll gotten
wealth, and should be resisted by every
friend of the rights of labor and OF Ameri-
can institutions.
Resolved, That the times call for the or
ganization OF a political party that will
demand the abolition IF an aristocratically
organized standing array and navy, and of
the means that have been insidiously taken
to put under control OF a centralized gov
eminent the militia OF tle States: and that
shall devote itself TO the crushing of monop-
olies that are rapidly Bringing on us all
the social evils OF taa oil world that our
fathers thought they ha1 escaped.
Resolved. That vS call the attention of
preachers OF all denominations to the fact
that the workingmar who was crucfed
eighteen hundred years ago for his denun-
Citations OF the unjustiy rich was for peace
| at any price. and that a truly Christian ma
ton would no more have standing armies
and standing navies than IL would have
soup houses and tramps.
A dispatoA from Detroit says: Secretary
Orr. OF the Amalgamated Association OF
Street-raiiway Employees. refused to-day 10
confirm or deny President Mahons state