The San Francisco call., 1899-09-05


at once to defend the cup nett Labor dav.
The literary exercises in the theater be-
gan promptly at p. m, under the direc-
ton of z. II. Mccarthy president of the
day. In a brief address of welcome Presi-
dent Mccarthy warmly congratulated the
great thronS of working ngrnen gathered
there on the splendid work accomplished
in behalf of organized labor during the
past year, and dwelt in glowing terms or
the bright prospect the future held out
Tor the men who represent the bone and
sinew of the country and whose labor is
the very foundation of the national pros
perity. He briefly sketched the conditions
prevailing twenty years ago, when union
ism was practically in its infancy, and
compared that period with the present
day, showing conclusively the vast benefit
organization and intelligent cooperation
among the laboring classes has accom-
plished, which, he declared furnished the
strongest possible argument in favor ot
trades unions.
A. r. Andre a member of the Brewery
Workmen's Union and a member of the
the address of the day, and his convincing
eloquence aroused great enthusiasm. H,
said:
Labor day Is not, as is popularity
supposed, merely q holiday of labor.
We do not come together to celebrate
the fact that we are workingmen and
that labor is the end of our existence,
but rather that we are banded togeth-
er to better our conditions and make it
possible for us to enjoy that leisure
which is necessary part of the ciYili-
ZGtion Of our day.
Labor day is a celebration of or
ganized labor-its struggles, its vicis-
situdeS and its Victories And it is
only because we are organized for self
protection that we have a Labor day
at all. Otherwise We should be prob
ably making bricks without straw 365
days in the year, as in the time Of
Moses.
Nor do we celebrate merely the tri-
fling reduction of hours and increase
of wages which our organization has
brought to US. The labor movement
has a grander motive and a nobler
object than that. Let me illustrate by
familiar example: You have all seen
the modern skyscraper in the process
OF construction. First, the laying Of
the foundation by one set of busy
workers; then the rearing of the steel
skeleton by another, and finally the
completed edifice is finished by other
hands and a beautiful building is the
result.
so it is with organized labor The
necessity for self-protection is the
foundation of our movement. The
trades unions, labor councils and final
ly the vast national and international
federations Of labor are the means by
which we protect ourselves from op-
preston to-day and make progress
possible tomorrow.
There are a great many people who
are continually telling you that or
ganized labor, or labor organizations,
are prone TO attempt to win their way
by violence. That is not so. There
was a time, years ago, when harsher
measures were deemed necessary ad-
juncts to a strike, but that time is
past It has been said that we are all
governed by public opinion, and that
( is true to a larger extent than is gem
orally realized. And it is by showing
the public the strength of our posi-
ton and the justice of our demands
that we hope TO win their support in
our contests for fair treatment as
workingmen. We are not opposed to
trusts and corporations as such, we
are not opposed to the Introduction Of
modern machinery in the manufac-
ture OF the products Of the country,
but we demand small share in the
profits resulting from your labor and
my labor, from our toll and our intel
ligence.
''And this grand cooperation of the
forces of labor is the framework of q
new social order which shall give to
the producer the just fruits Of his la
Dor and make possible q grander civ
ilization than the world has yet seen.
This is the real aim and object Of
labor organizations This il the grand
motive that inspires our brothers in
this grand cause and the celebration
Of the progress Of this Worldwide
movement for betterment of the work
ing class and thereby the elevation of
society, is the holiday that has
brought US together to-day
There is no room for pessimism in
the labor movement. Organized labor
is yet an infant in this country. But
if We learn the lessons OF to-day,
profit by the experience of the past
and bring to our work that ENTHUSIASM
that the cause merits, there is no
doubt that organized labor will ac-
complish its civilizipg mission and the
workingman will take that place in so
ciety which he has been struggling for
through all the centuries"
2. Wellin also made a short address in
which he reiterated the assertions and
erS, urging the workingmen of the city
to stand firmly together TO secure the
peaceful accomplishment of their aims
and objects. Organization, he declared,
was the only means by which the rights
of those who labor for a livelihood could
be protected and every effort should be
made to build UP, strengthen and ex-
pand the unions in San Francisco and
throughout the State
At the conclusion of the speechmaking
a short vaudeville. lasting about an hour,
consisted of song by Maud Mullery,
comedy sketches by Bob Lee and Ed
Carter and solo by r. S. Duncan, and
judging from the amount of applause the
was immensely pleased with its
entertainers.
The out-of-door games followed imme-
diately after the indoor exercises. The
running races were of all description and
furnished no end of amusement The
hoSe-cOupiing contest was won by w
Holmes and T. Jones of Engine Company