The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-09-08

Politicians and Socialists Improved
the Chance for Talk


Labor unions of Minneapolis had their
outing at Minnehaha falls yesterday.
The programme was divided into two
departments, sport and speech-ma king.
A wagon built specially for campaign
speaking was provided. It was driven
to an unoccupied quarter of the grove
near the dancing pavilion opposite the
falls and all the speakers present were
given full scope to air their views. The
speakers were divided among the sew
eral labor organizations, but with one
or two exceptions they spoke from the
standpoint of socialism rather than
that of trade unionism.
e. e. Stevens presided and introduced
the several speakers. The first to take
the platform was w. E. Harmon, of
the Minneapolis Typographical union.
Mr.. Hammond is a socialist. He spoke
of the present condition of society as
badly in need Of repairs, and urged the
laboring men to stand together. He
took the position that the surplus pro-
duct Of labor which the capitalist gets
as his share, is the great milestone
about the neck Of the laboring class
The only way to get rid Of this incubus
is to organize the cooperative common
wealth, as soon as the socialists have a
majority of the working people in their
way of thinking
The next speaker was George Gulbin
a member of the stage employees union
He said they were organized three years
ago and about year ago they had a
strike. in which the labor organizations
of the city stood by them manfully
Their troubles are still unsettled
Peter Laurence, of the bricklayer's
union pointed out the advantage OF
labor organization. He said it was not
always in the strike and the boycott
that the working mems organizations
were most effective. They aided in
keeping up wages and in improving the
condition Of the members Of the crafts
interested in many ways.
Amos Johnson, speaking as a mem
Der of the carpenters union, said that
his union alone had raised the wages
of the members of that craft in the
United States, in the aggregate So, O0O,-
coo.
A. L. Lee, university student and a
socialist of the most ultra Views. was
the next to address the people. He
said that the celebration of a distinc-
tive Labor day brought to mind the
fact that there was in this country
now distinctive labor class. 1t also
developed the fact that the laborine
people realized that they had wrongs
to right and that they were thinking
of the best way to improve their con,
ditions. He insisted that the first prin-
ciple to be learned is that the interests
of capital and labor are not, as Is
sometimes claimed before elections
Identical. They are by their very ma.
ture antagonistic and the capatalistic
class recognizes this.
Then he turned his attention to the
politicians, who. he said either through
ignorance or dishonesty were not the
friends of the people, but by the very
nature of their environment would
serve the capitalistic classes. He
urged the people present not to take
any halfway measures to correct the
industrial inequalities, but to make a
fight for principal and stick to that
Thomas H. Lucas was the last speak
er. He is also socialist. He said sc
in his address, and he devoted his time
entirely to q philosophical analysis OF
the effect of the introduction of steam
upon industrial conditions. He said
that the capatalistic class uses it's sur
plus wealth only when ii can be en-
ployed at a profit. 1t was, therefore
to the surplus wealth Of the capitalistio
class that he pointed as the cause OF
every money panic since 1S43, and he
insisted that this wealth was not the
creation of the eapitalistic class. but
of the workers who, out of every loo
per cent of their productions, were
forced at once to turn over to the
capitalists fOrty-seven per cent as soon
as the production was completed This
kept on until the markets were giutted
there was too much of everything and
| panic followed. The only remedy
he would point out was the co-opera-