The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-14
THE MINERS Of BUTTE
+. CELEBRATED THE DAY
Never in the History Of the City Have They Turned Out So Well.
The Programme ct the Opsra House Executed Before
IN Hnthusastic Audisnc&

tons in Butte needs no eulogy from
me. With the Miners union and its his
tory has sprung up a mighty city. The
deserves TO be, and because its cause II
just. I spent a fourth OF my lifetime
under the ground in the mines. and no
one ID more competent to speak In be-
half Of the aus Of labor than ne VINO
has had actual experiences. We nave
no grievances to present To-Day, De,
cause we have treated others well and
have been treated well ourselves. The
employers of this camp recognize the
rights Of the miner IN pay him wages
sufficient to maintain himself and ram
lily. We are not unmindful. however. OF
the condition Of our fellow laoorers
elsewhere. The signs of b times In
dictate an effort to degrade abo by the
mighty corporations and money power
OF this nation. This In plain to all reA-
sonable men. Conniving politicians on
the platform attempt to console labor
by saying their condition Is better ,
the condition of laborfng men In other
parts Of the world. That is granted.
but we are entitled to better conditions.
We are not a conquered and enslaved
race, and never will be! In this coun-
try Jack 10 ~ good ~ his master. The
laboring men Of this country are en-
titled to better treatment than the EN-
shaved people Of Europe. They are IN
titled to SUFFICIENT compensation to
maintain themselves and family In
comfort, and hat 10 all they ask, that
is all they demand. Ninety-ive per
per cent of the people of this country
are laborers. The other 5 per cent do
not always labor. The miner has new
er been paid too much for his labor.
considering the hazardous nature OF
his occupation. In fact, his RACES are
little enough, but he is satisfied; his
employer is satisfied.
There are two principal factors In
the creation of wealth in this country
the great natural and the
labor applied to them. Who car say
hat labor Is not entitled to Its just
share in this wealth? The burning Is
sue of the day il the concentration OF
wealth in the hands OF the few. That
public. Those few are becoming
mightier than the government itself.
First in this great and threatening
power are the combined trusts, repre-
senting s., 900. 900. 900 of our wealth: next
is the banking trust. representing ST.
O00, 900. 900, and then comes the railroad
trust, which has looted the government.
representing 81. ZOO. 900, 900. One-third Of
the wealth of this great nation was re-
Gently represented at one banquet. Two
hundred and nifty thousand people in
this republic represent so per cent of
the WSdltH Vi tne udtIOI-tuCy OWu ~
control 1t. That 10 a startling state
ment, but II Is true. 1t pays but one
fifth the taxes. while the other 20 per-
cent pays four-ffths. The money in
~terests are absolutely exempt from
taxation. i am not an alarmist and do
not like to be termed an anarchist. I
am talking dispassionately to laboring
men, who should know these things.
Capitalists are in the habit of designat-
Ing as anarchists all men who dare to
speak in the behalf of labor. I have
never known a man who works for a
living to have anarchistic ideas. There
are anarchists in this country. how
ever, and they are the men j have
been telling you about. An anarchist
Is a man who ignores the law. That
is a definition that applies to the
mighty money powers OF America of
this day who are stronger than the
government.
You cannot pick up a Newspaper
these days without reading of the for
nation of a trust and the reduction of
wages. Every time q trust Ia formed it
means that you must pay more for
what you consume. Small competitors
are driven out of business or are bought
out by the trusts. That is anarchy!
"Labor-saving machinery Is another
serious enemy to labor. 1t was invent
ed by labor itself and eventually has
cut of his bread n butter. When the
laboring man il employed his
ration IL barely sufficient to maintain
. meager existence. When he il IN
employed his condition IL de~plorable
The manufacturers of the country can
In seven months manufacture as much
as the markets of the world can con-
sumo in ~ months. That means that
b is stagnated lve months in a
year.
"O1e individual In this country vas a
poor man IS years ago. and now his
wealth is estimated At SETS. 900, 600, BY
getting a cinch on the coal oil business
John d. Rockefeller compels every per-
son In this country to pay tribute to
him. Is that right? To say that God
created the great resources and natural
wealth OF this country for q few men Is
. libel on the Almighty! The earth
was not created that a few might be
Rockefellers. Vanderbilts and Goulds.
IT was created for all mankind equally!
This nation must be preserved for what
1t was originally designated-a land of
the free and a home of the brave. To
keep IT so. labor must lay its right
share, and must be paid SUFFICIENT to
maintain itself In Independence.
Don't let anybody OF earth do your
thinking for you Do 1t yourself. Your
cause IL just, and justice and right must
surely prevail. De just In your deal
ings with others. for you can gain Meth
ing by being harsA- Dine great curse of
the laboring man - intemperance. Be
temperate n be happy. A great re-
sp~onsibility rests with the laboring men
Of this country. If evils exist. who shal
be looked TO to remedy them? The
bondholders and banking interests?
No. reform must come through the la
boring masses. There n not q million
aire in America who would not prefer
a monarchical form of government in
this country. They believe tbs II the
only government for the millionaire, for
1t IL a government for the few. and pro-
tects Them"
At the conclusion Of NJ. Keogh's ad-
dress Mr.. Furry. In behalf Of the Min
ers' union. thanked all labor organixa-
lions who took part in the celebration.
n Mr.. Mcguire for the free use of
the opera house. n the exercises were
concluded
In the evening there were grand balls
under the auspices e the Miners union.
one at Hibernian hall, Centerville, and