Birmingham state herald., 1896-03-03
mitted by the hirelings of the corpora

mitted by the hirelings of the corpora | tionS.
 The speaker here read from the report of the superintendent of police, wherein was stated that the larger portion of | deputy marshals employed by the cor porations were thieves, thugs and | toughs. Several of them were arrested | for stealing from railroad cars and others | for committing arson.
 I aver, he continued that in every in- stance where a crime was committed it | was either by or at the instigatlon of l these hirelings. We knew that we could not afford to adopt such methods, as we had all to lose and nothing to gain there | by.
 Strikers were to put work at the point | of the bayonet. This was by order of | General Miles, who was sent to Chicago | to preserve order At banquet ten dered him by the plutocracy after the strike General Miles said: q have sue | ceeded in breaking the backbone of the l strike" Was that what he was sent to | Chicago for? Were troops ever sent out | in the interest of workingmen? (Voice | in the audience: "No!O
 | A Striking Comparison. If railroad corporations have the right | to combine so have the employees. l can prove that twenty-two roads entering | Chicago are combined and have black | lists of strikers. (Voice in the audiece: Same here.o When the officials of railroads get to- gether they are quoted as being in con ference, but when lot of employees l gather together they are said to be in a l conspiracy. I submit in all fairness that l if railroads have the right to combine | the employees are entitled to the same privilege One skeeks to reduce, the oth- CT to resist The worlingmen were. re duced to the necessity of striking. If | one of them hasn't manhood enough to | stand up for his rights and those of his l wife and children he isn't fit to have i them.
 More Intelligence Needed. | I want the laboring men to solve the 1 labor question for themselves. Let them see for themselves. and act accordingly. l I believe intelligence is necessary to the l advancement of their condition. Let l them have reading rooms, or read at l home. Where is there a brighter picture l than that of workingman, who, after | hard days work returns to his cottage | there to find cheerful welcome, bright | light and the comforts necessary to sit down and read and instruct himself and l little ones I believe in associated efforts. | I would have workingmen stand side by l side in the city, village and hamlet I | would have the workingmen in the city l in full accord with those in the agricul- | tural districts. We should have solici- | tude in each others interests. The time | IS coming WDell lillS VIII Dt lic Stdtuo oL l affairs.
 | General Miles said not very long ago in l an interview that he believed it was nec- essary to have a large standing army | to prevent internal dissensions. When read it thought 1t would be more to our | national honor if an effort were made to | prevent internal dissensions. | Abraham Lincoln once said: "The man | before the dollar' We have seen this. l but how? The man was on his pended l knees.
 | woman's Rights. I believe in political equality of the I sexes Women should have as much | right as men. If a woman hasn't the | right to vote. where did you get your l right from? Some say they are not in-
 telligent enough. If that were so a great | number of men would be disqualified. I believe, as a general proposition, women | have more honor than men. But, as
 said before we are making little prog
 ress every day. It will come in its own l good time and that not far off. | Favors Government Ownership of Railroads and Telegraphs.
 | I favor the government ownership of I all railroads and telegraph systems of
 this country. The Western Union Tele- l graph company is capitalized at $100, ,000,-
 900. The entire system of this. country | could be built for $35,O0O,000. In other l countries the toll is 1 cent per word.
 Here if one wants to send a message to l California it costs him 10 cents per word. | If we could travel on railroads at 1
 cent per mile there would be more rid
 ing done. Many people would visit the l Pacific slope and view the beauties of I, California. We could have at least six | double tracks across the continent. 1 Some say that the government cannot l afford to buy the roads. Do you mean
 to tell me that 65,000,000 people are poor | CT than few? The railroads get togeth-
 CT and figure on what it is worth to them | to move a crop, not what 1t is worth to | the farmers.
 | The speaker referred to the coal and oil | monopolies, how they advanced prices | 40 and 50 per cent at their own pleasure. The people, he said, are thinking about