Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1896-10-20
OF THE TOILERS
PrOtcotiE FTl Open the Factories and
Ne Them Employment.
II lCoaB HAS DONE FOR lABoRERS
Large AsscmbInpc OF workinEmcu
Listen to Discussions OF Political
Issucs-Freo silver Would lie
luminous to Them.

slyely OF men who toll and 1t filled the big
hall to the doors. There were men from
the shops, from the railroads and from
nearly every industrial establishment in
Omaha Many OF them brought their wives
with them and they listened TO the speak
ers with an interest that showed how thor
oughly they realized the Importance OF the
issues that were discussed. The speeches
were distinctively from a labor standpoint
and that they appealed to the common sense
of the auditors was indicated by the ap-
plause which continually grew more fire.
quent and enthusiastic.
The Continental Drum corps entertained
the crowd while the people were distributing
themselves through the hall and waiting
for the arrival OF the speakers.
X S. Fisher called the meeting to order
and introduced the Webster Campaign quar-
tet, which sang a couple OF selections and
| received the usual enthusiastic encore. II.
NJ. Iliff was the first speaker and his speech
was stirring and effective presentation
| OF the interest of the laboring man in this
| campaign. He said:
! TROUBLE WITH LABOR MOVEMENTS.
Ladies and Gentlemen: II is something
! more than n year ago since first addressed
| in Omaha n distinctively labor meeting, and
l am glad tonight TO have the pleasure of
| again facing my fellow workingmen and
| believed then, and what ! am confident OF
that the great difficulty In the labor move
ment in the past and at the present time
| Ia not the war as between the employer
! and the employe, but as between the mall
| contents and he who neither employs nor
| cares for those who are employed. 1 am a
| firm believer in practical common sense in
| the labor movement.
We hear great deal in these days about
| the classes and the masses, but desire to
call your attention TO the fact that such
| Il state of affairs neither exists here nor In
any other place. The great mass of our
people is made up of the different classes,
and It is the prosperity of all that means
the prosperity OF each one. No particular
class of American citizens can be pros
porous without every other class Is and this
| truism has been proven In the last four
years of disaster brought ON by democratic
rule. | have no desire tonight 10 discuss
the national issues of this campaign Tho
principal speaker Of the evening, MIR. Rose
water, is very much more able than l to
consider that matter, and / wish to stay
right in the state OF Nebraska, and n good
deal of the time right In the city OF Omaha
| for a few remarks that | wish to make. I
heard a speech not so very long ago in
| which the gentleman TOOK us to Pennsyl-
| vania, into the coal mines there and then
| into the cotton fields. and brought up a
! picture of horrors for the Nebraska work.
! ingmani but, my fellow workingmen, you
| and l live In this city. many of us Will
be buried here most OF us expect 10 make
this our permanent home. 1t is important
TO you and to me TO krey wnat - g. 3s
/
| state.
WANTS PRACTICAL EVIDENCE.
There is at this time n campaign, both
national and state, and the gentleman who
| Is at the present time the candidate on the
other side for the office of governor lof
| Nebraska, two years ago made his success
fgi campaign when | returned to Nebraska
after an absence of some years. The gen.
tleman at that time made several speeches
In Omaha. Mr.. Holcomb was then very de-
sirous OF showing the workingmen how
much he loved them, and he told us how
much he cared for the working people of
the state. / have heard that song before
but would not give one ounce of practical
evidence of the care, of the usefulness OF
an individual who had shown that he was
professions of all the lawyers in all the
world, and have no call for lawyers,
either tApplause)
When Mr.. Holcomb became governor of
Nebraska 1t became necessary, among other
things, for him to appoint a commissioner
Of labor Now. the legislature. Of the state
II was intended 10 be of -eTvlce to every
citizen of the state; not only to the work.
Isngmen themselves; but to everyone else,
bread-winners, benefited the whole mass.
II would have been natural to suppose that
the gentleman would have selected for
this office somebody who knew something
about it, / do not believe that either the
people or the legislature intended that this
pay for political services. Evidently the
governor thought differently. and he APP
pointed Mr. John Powers, a farmer, who
knew about as much OF labor, or OF me-
chanics as he did about n great many other
things that he does not know anything
| about. qaughter) This gentleman was
appointed as labor commissioned man
who had spent his life on the farm who
knew undoubtedly all about raising grain
and corn, man who unquestionably knew
all about how to grow cattle. but who
knew no more about mechanics than do
or many OF you do, about farming. This
man received the appointment. Some years
ago, however, the same gentleman
candidate for governor of the state of
Nebraska, and in the city of Omaha he
made speech. During that speech he was
asked from the audience what he believed
about the eight hour-a-day law? The gem
tleman said: THE farmers of Nebraska
work eight hours in the forenoon and eight
| hours In the afternoon"-and | believe he
received something like 200 votes In this
town. After this man had been turned
down by the workingmen of Omaha and
after Mr.. Holcomb had received the en-
dorsement, practically speaking, of a great
Governor Holcomb appointed the man
to his profession of friendship f,r them,
whom the workingmen of this city had de-
clared they did not believe In. Il man who
had shown how little he knew of the labor
movements, appointed this same gentleman
as the labor commissioner TO show the peo-
pie of the state the needs of the laboring-
men. l submit that that one action alone
should lose for Governor Holcomb the vote
OF every laboring man In the state of Me-
At this time Mr.. Sidney ]. Kent who
Is the organizer of the American Federation
OF Labor, was a candidate for this office
The chairman of the meeting tonight Mr.
Fisher, was at that time secretary OF the
Central Labor union, which represents All
OF the organized trades In this town That
body, believe, endorsed Mr. Kent did IL
not? Yes, endorsed Mr.. Kent for the same
position that he appointed Mr.. Powers 10.
and still Mr. Holcomb found II necessary To
go into the country and there pick UP a
gentleman whose principal qualification for
the office Is that he does not know anything
about II. daughter)
During the administration Il became
necessary to appoint an oil Inspector for
the state OF Nebraska. Now was an oppor-
tunity at last to show that Mr. Holcomb
was friendly to those who toll. Did he
appoint lab1ring man for that position?
am not Of the kind who are looking for
the loaves and fishes myself but / be-
. (leve that II Is but lust and proper and
due TO The citizens OF the state that men
should be appointed, as well as elected
to every office who know something about
the business for which they are appointed
But Governor Holcomb appointed Frank
Hibbard, also farmer and the gentle-
man, of course, presume Knew something
about machine oil, having bought few
gallons to oil his reaper, and beyond that
knew absolutely nothing OF the duties OF
the position. Again / believe that that
ought 10 lose 10 Holcomb tho votes OF
everybody who believes that the office
means duty due to the public, and not a
private snap for the individual lApplause.)
PENITENTIARY DEAL.
Then the state OF Nebraska went into tho