The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-06

John z. Meakin in his own magnlncent
manner contributed much to the success
of the day by rendering a song and two
recitations and the crowds re-echoed the
cheers that punctured Mr.. Fosters very
excellent address. Then there were the
aquatic and other sports, the terpsicho-
rean contest and musical programme all
of which served to make the day grand
success.
The people began to arrive in force on
he 2:15 train Most of the visitors went
in for a dip. the water being delightful
after Which the athletic events We're
pulled off. 1t was nearly o'clock before
the literary exercises began. Professor
Meakin called the assemblage TO order
and introduced the president Of the day day
J. C. Hayes. who is the head of the Utah
Federation, being its president.
PRESIDENT HAYES ADDRESS.
Mr.. Hayes made a brief speech of well
come in behalf of the Federation of Labor.
He alluded TO the necessity of organized
effort on the part of the laboring classes
The speaker referred to the great coal
strike which resulted in the killing OF so
many men ct Hazelton (Pa.) by Sherln
Martins deputies and drew the lesson mat
it was tins for the laborinS men to
strike. .....-. 81.
At the conclusion of his speech Mr..
Hayes read telegram from senator
Frank ]. Cannon. stating that owing 70
the demise of President. MILFORD woodruff
he did not feel equal to making a speech.
The message was dated at Rawlins, Wyo.,
route to his home at Ogden.
HON. WARREN. FOSTER.
Hon. Warren Foster was then intro
duced and was the recipient OF q hearty
round of applause as he came forward.
The editor of Living Issues is popular
speaker and the crowd manifested It's
pleasure by repeated cheers throughout
his address.
Mr. Fosters talk was on the subject of
the Relation Between Natural Oppor
tunity and Wages" He started out by
declaring that something must be wrong
in a country where present conditions
obtain and although it was hard thing
to say it was nevertheless true that
tendency to .retard rather than assist US
in our advancement He said: Take
100 industrious. economical men with their
families and place them on fertile
island thousand mics from civilization
without railroads or telegraphs or schools
or churches. or any OF the Things mat
mark our advanced condition, including
money or tools, leave those men one year,
and when you return you viii ind 81 per
cent of them living in his own house. In
flve years SO per cent OF them, IN tact,
dustriouS Will live beheath his own vine
and fig tree, surrounded by all the COM
forts of life. But you may take the same
100 men and put them in Salt Lake city
in tbs same condition. surround them
with railroads and telegraphs, and street
ears, and electric lights and every other
COlNeIllSHce, anu IL you
return in one year you would find SO per
cent of them living in rented houses. Re
turn again in five years and not less than
% per cent Of them will still be paying
some one for the privilege of staying on
the earth
He then reviewed briefly the early set
Element Of Utah and called upon those
present to say whether or not it was
easier for a poor man to get start IN
1S4S than it is in 1898? This. Mr. Foster
declared is due to the fact that natural
opportunity has been cut OIL, through
monopolization.
He illustrated what he meant by
natural opportunity. When boy" the
speaker said. Il was very fond of rabbit
hunting. There is. as all know. a certain
time in the year when rabbits are poor
and unfit for meat. To test the matter
whether or not the rabbits were fat we
had only to kill one. If that one was fat
we knew that all were fat for the simple
reason that the conditions that would
enable one rabbit 10 get fat was open to
sense enough to gather what he pleased
from the field. Nature offered him that
opportunity-and he took it. Now had one
rabbit larger and more powerful than the
rest laid claim TO the field and had
denied TO others the use of what nature
had provided for all. then the rabbits
animal has done. No rabbit attempted
such a thing for two reasons. one was
that no. rabbit was mean enough TO exact
it and the other reason was that the other
it.
Again; let a half dozen men seat them
selves along stream TO catch fish. One
mar may catch more fish than all the
rest, but it does not follow that he
should take possession of the stream be-
cause he IS better fisherman than the
resi-. No one would say that because a
man is a poor fisherman that he should
be denied the opportunity OF fishing. The
stream of water containing the fish is
natural opportunity TO which all men
should have free access, at least should
have access on equal terms with all men
else. 1t would be wrong to require that
the poor fisherman, without opportunity
to fish. should be required TO catch fish
enough to pay for the opportunity TO fish
Yet that is what we practically do in
many cases. and that is the condition
that many laboTing men find themselves
in today. One man working for another
is an abnormal condition Mans natural
condition is TO work for himself and he
should be in condition that he would work
for others only when he chose to do So
only thing left for him to do is to accept
labor from others and on such terms as
his employer may name
PROFESSOR MEAKIN.
Professor Meakin was then called upon
and rendered solo in beautiful style II
was entitled Il Love You In the Same
Old Way
peared next on the programme and the
crowds were all in q state of expectancy.
but they were doomed TO disappointment
MIR. King did not speak; but sent the fol- |
lowing nee OF regret. which wcs read by
Salt Lake. Sept. d
ton Of Labor:
1 appreciate very much the honor con- !