The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-07
TALKED TO LABOR.
Gov. CIough Delivers Carefully
Prepared Address.

Gov. CIough Delivers a Carefully
Prepared Address.
1t was well-entertained crowd
which passed the afternoon in the
grand stand. The privilege of listen
ing to Ignatius Donnelly, the orator of
the day, and other prominent speak
ers, together with the prospect of
amusement to be derived from the ex-
tensive programme Of athletic and
track events, early directed the OBJ
servers of Labor day to the grand
stand, and, while brass band of 100
pieces discoursed sweet music, over
1000 people gathered beside the race
track. The committee having charge
of the programme began running off
the events promptly on time, and from
l o'clock until dusk interesting con-
tests were waged. When about half
of the athletic events had been COM
pleted, this portion of the programme
was temporarily suspended to allow
of the addresses of the day. The diff
ferent speakers were heartily received,
and, in their discussion Of topics OF
interest to those to whom Labor day
is dedicated held the attention and
aroused the enthusiasm of all within
reach of their voices. One of the
pleasant amusementS of the younger
folks who preferred other forms of
entertainment than games and
speeches, was dancing, which was in
dulged in throughout the afternoon, III
the space beneath the grand stand
When the interruption in the sports
came, Master of Ceremonies Skoog
made a few remarks and introduced
Gov. Clough. The governor read his
address:
Mr. President and Members of Organized
I.ah MjnnpaD01iS-T
and Gentlemen: l am glad to be with you to
rejoice this day with you over the improved
and improving condition of organized labor
in Minnesota and throughout this country.
Your membership, | understand, is increasing
and your members are taking a greater in
terest in all that concerns their several unions
and that which interests organized labor as
a whole. | rejoice over these facts for a
number of reasons. Among them permit me
to state two three.
And first let me say that as I have OBJ
served this subject have found that Or
gained labor, like all legitimate enterprises
or undertakings. whether of business or of
charity, whether directed by self interest or
in behalf of human helpfulness, suffers Sc
verely in hard times. 1t prospers on the
other hand. like all others, only with the ad
vent or continued presence of good times.
The fact then that your numbers are now
increasing in Minnesota and throughout the
nation they have not for many a year,
is itself strong assurance that country
is re-entering new era of prosperity. This
means much for all of those who are before
me. It means much for all the millions
of toilers whether organized or unorganized
that are to be found in our country. This
fact is cause for profound thankfulnesS on
the part of every well wisher of his kind.
Society is never in a good condition unless
the masses are prosperous. No organized or
unorganzed agencies of helpfulness in
crease in strength unless the individuals who
compose the same are having good or at
least an improving time. The varying num-
bers in labor organizations make them a good
barometer Of the business situation and out
look. The decreased numbers of the active
members in most of your unions the last
three or four years measured fairly well the
intensity of the business depression under
which the country has suffered. The in
creasing number of those members now marks
the improvement in the general situation.
l am glad, therefore, not only for your own
sakes, but for all others in Minnesota, to
learn of your greatly increased numbers since
the last Labor day. Wishing for a growth
of good times for all the coming year, and
knowing that it cannot come to one great
join with you in the wish that next Labor
day celebration will find at least twice
many men and women enrolled in the
ranks of organized labor in Minnesota as
here greet another this day.
l pleased to note the growth of or
ganized labor. not only because it is the
index of a growing prosperity. l am also
pleased to note it since am convinced that
the growth of organization among the wage
earners is an increase In our midst of the
forces that give strength and stability to
our system of government. Good government
in a republic is something more than the
outcome of the goody-goody talk of men who
hold aloof from politics and from contact with
the masses of the so-called common people
for fear of contamination. Good government
can only exist where it expresses the wishes
of the majority of ALL rich and poor, the
educated and the uneducated That result
can only come about through a complete or
ganization of all Organization is the only
way by which the wishes of the masses can
be gathered up and embodied in laws and
policies of state. The organization of the
wage-earners into such unions as are here
assembled is a most important part of good
government whereby the voice of the people
is given expression and MADE to influence the
lawmakers. Such organizations. when well
directed when they really express the de-
sires of the men and women included in the
ranks are aid to every public official
who desires to act in the spirit of our
representative republican institutions. But
union is a curse to society, as 1t is to Its
own members. For we should not blind our
selves to the fact that laboring men may
choose unwise leaders as well as capitalists
can Bad leadership anywhere means an in
jury to those following such leadership and a
curse to society. This is true of all forms
of organized activity among men. Bad leader
ship can wreck labor union as well as a
bank and when wrecked, it leaves suffering
and sorrow in its wake The unWise Leader
unfortunate Pullman strike few years ago
brought more loss and suffering. more grief
and sorrow to the working people of this
this country has ever witnessed. And Just
as a failing bank causes multitudes to lose
faith in our moneyed corporations, so the
bad management or unsuccessful management
!. of a labor movement like a strike causes
other multitudes TO lose faith in organized
labor Each failure works its own mischief
and sows in the pouar mind its crop of dis
trust and suspicion and ill-feeling. With the
great extension of corporate enterprises, the
failure Of one works more mischief and does
more evil than it used to do. With the
growth and extension of labor unions. bad
leadership, bad management and failure of
any kind in Connection with such unions works
more evil than 1t did years ago On the
other hand the wise direction of such unions
as that of the cigarmakers, the carpenters
the locomotive engineers and fremen, ac-
complishes as much human well-being as
the direction of any corporate aggregation
of American capital. Each such success In
its own sphere assists in giving men greater
faith in the success of the labor movement
This is true from the financial point of
view It is equally true from the political
point of view. These unions, when wisely
directed. are an aid to good government. They
educate men in self government. They train
them to submit or yield their wishes and
desires to the wishes and desires Of the ma
iority This is the very genius OF self-goyern-
menf in republic. 1t is for this reason
that labor unions, when wisely directed. are
a bulwark o. free institutions, hut when these
unions are led by men ready to sell their
influence to the politicians for few paitry
dollars. they are a menace 10 free instltu-
lions AID cUlse 10 ~ Con1vfrcu
Labor unions Their. III my opinion. differ
but little from uninI-s among other men; Thelr
history emphasizes the fact that all men
3 fbo eli anG that their