The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-04-19
President Dan Mcdonald So Declares
Thursday Night.
NO CAUSE FOR DIFFICULTY
President of the Western Labor
Union Delivers an Eloquent Speech
to Record Breaking Crowd
Unions Are the Sole Hope of the
Laboring People.

One of the largest audiences that
ever gathered at a public meeting in
this city greeted President Dan Nc
Donald at the Opera house, Thursday
night. Long before the time set for
his appearance the crowd began to
orator began his address, the large
hall was packed to overlooking, all
seats were taken and standing room
was at premium. The audience
was not composed wholly of members
of the local union, but embraced
many others, who were present to lis
ten to the principles of unions as
expounded by their ablest leader. 1t
was a representative gathering and
included many whose ideas of the
purposes of organized labor had been
gathered from it's opponents, and
who were present simply for the pur-
pose of finding out for themselves
what unionism really meant and if it
was as bad as pictured.
The meeting was under the aus
pieces of the Kalispell branch of the
Western Labor Union, and the Off
GERS of the union occupied the stage
President Avery of the union had
charge of the speakers and made the
opening address. He was followed
by Mr.. Behan and J. L. Thurman,
who spoke briefly on the good that
the unions have done for the labor
ing people and of the desirability of
labor and capital going hand IN hand,
in order that each might be benefited.
When President Mcdonald was in
troduced roar of applause greeted
his appearance. Many in the audience
had seen him before, while the rest
knew him by reputation. He is an
easy, forceful speaker, and at all
times held his listeners closest atten-
ton.
In his opening remarks he spoke
of the pleasure he felt in seeing the
large number of people who had
gathered to hear the truths about
unions. He had been told, he said,
that the audience would be a small
one, but this statement had been re
futed in most satisfactory manner.
He first spoke of the general condi-
lions of labor throughout the United
States and strongly dwelt upon the
fact that all efforts of labor to organ
ize for it's own advancement has al
ways met with strong opposition from
the employers. From the earliest
date recorded of a union being
formed, he said, down to the present
time, this has been the case; but in
spite of this fact, organized labor has
advanced with giant strides, until at
the present time it was power that
had to be reckoned with.
The speaker referred to the strike
of the longshoremen at Boston, in
1772 when the men demanded that
their hours of labor be II hours in
stead of IA hours. At this time he
said the employers had formed an
association to fight the union and
had passed resolutions saying that il
unions were formed the commercial
| life of Boston would be seriously
crippled and perhaps killed entirely
The men won, however, and as far as
known the city Of Boston was not in
| iured to any great extent by theil
doing so. The speaker declared thai
the same proposition is existing il
Flathead county today
| In 1886 he said, a resolution was
introduced in the congress of the
a.
labor from II to 10. This was op
posed, he said, by numerous mem
bers, who declared that if it woult
pass the government of the United
States would be ruined, and as re
suit of the opposition the measure
was placed upon the table. April 10
1871, however, President Van Burel
issued a proclamation making thu
hours of government employees tel
hours per day. This was done with
out consulting any of the government
officials, as strange as it may seem
said Mr.. Mcdonald, and the govern
ment of the United States still exist
in spite of the evil prophesies of tn
opponents of the measure.
AS another instance of the opposi
ton organized labor has to encounter
Mr.. Mcdonald spoke of tie attemp
of the Carpenters and Builders trade
council of New York to reduce tn
hours of labor from II to 10. At tina
time 106 contractors of the cit
formed an association and passed res
olutions declaring that if the carper
tiers should win the city would b
ruined and all building would immt
diately be stopped. The carpenter
won their fight, and, as far a
the speaker knew the city of Ne'
York was still on the map.
These instances, he said, he had r.
ferred to simply to bring to the aud
ence the fact that all efforts of tn
laboring people to benefit themselve
by more pay or less hours was a
! ways greeted with the cry that to d
so would sain the particular con