The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-07
Monster Demonstration Is
Held in Topeka.
Long Line of Union Men Pass in
Review.
GOVERNOR IN PARADE.
Rides in Carriage With Mayor
BergundthaI.
Is Also the Orator at Mark
hams Grove.
TWO BANDS IN LINE.
Christian Church and Jack
sons Furnish Music.
Boys BugIe Corps Leads the
Procession.
Christian Church and Jack
sons Furnish Music.
Boys Bugle Corps Leads the
Procession.

This is Labor Day. It is also Mon
day. 1t is the first Monday in Septem-
ber Because it is the First Monday In
September is what makes it Labor Day.
Labor Day is so-called because it is
the day on which a lot of people do not
labor. while a lot of other people labor
harder than usual. One of these latter
is the reporter who is writing this. His
usual stunt is to write politics and use
his Imagination. but this morning the
City Editor said he would please write
a few lines about Labor Day-only he
didn't say please-and would he also get
the Facts in the Case. That's what
makes it a case of labor for the po-
litical reporter.
Labor Day is a real holiday There
are three holidays in Kansas and this
is ons Of them The other two are Me-
mortal Day and Washington's Birth
day. The law says these three are holi-
days but no more. The governor also
gets out proclamation about Labor
Day. Just why nobody knows, but
some governor away back in history ala
it and every other governor has done the
same. Governor Bailey almost forgot
it, but his memory was logged in time
for him to\write few lines about 1t and
proclaim that today is Labor Day, just
though the law did not make it La
Dor Day anyway.
The governor also belongs to the class
who is working harder than usual to-
day He is Wbrking at making a speech
at the Labor EDay celebration. He US
usually sits al his desk and reads let
teIs from people who tell him he is no
good as a governor, and that a cross
eyed brindle pup could do q better job
at governing than he does. Reading let
ters like this is a dead easy job. 1t
used to make the governor sweat under
he collar when he first came off the
farm and wasn't used to anything hard
er than pitching alfalfa, but now he sits
in an easy chair with electric fan at
his back, and as he remembers the ap-
pointment that he didn't give the man
who wrote the letter he happens to be
reading he enjoys it. Making a Labor
Day speech is hard work beside it.
Labor Day is the day on which the
people who belong to labor unions get
a chance to get out and parade. on
other parade days they either have to
work or just stand and watch the pa
rade go by, but on Labor Day they
march right behind the band Then
they have a picnic. with speeches about
the dignity of labor" which nobody lis
tens to, and then sack races and tat
mems races and all sorts of races, and
everybody has a lovely time and gets
all tired out.
NATURE SPR1NKLES STREETS
Appearances early this morning indi-
Gated that the weather today would be
extremely disagreeable because of the
high wind and great clouds of dust. but
some time before the parade formed
Jupiter Pluvius became prOpitiouS and
q light rain sprinlxed the streets just
Sufficiently to lay the dust.
The parade today was one of the best
Labor day parades ever given in To-
peka, especially in point of numbers.
There were a thousand men in line.
More than twenty different trades were
represented. and there were two unions
from Emporia, aggregating a hundred
men, in line besides the local unions.
The parade was formed in four divi-
sions. with l. w. Bakersfield as chief
marshal and J. Florence and S. Bayless
as his aides. 1t was headed by a pla-
toon of police. followed by the Boys
Bugle corps Then came carriages
carrying Governor Bailey and the other
speakers. Mayor Bergundthal. and the
presidents of the Building Trades
council and the Trades and Labor
council, followed by the fire depart
mont.
The Third Christian church band
headed the second division, and the
first trade represented was the paint
ers. decorators and Daperhangers.
Their union had prepared float which
was the feature of the parade. 1t was
elaborately decorated and carried a
number of little girls dressed in fine
designs of wallpaper.
Following them came brick and stone
masons. and then the electrical workers
n
with telephone cables and with various
kinds of electrical apparatus hung
about.
The retail clerks union carried a fac
simile of the union card on a banner
and asked people TO patronize only
union stores. They were followed by
the uoholstere ers. the BARRIERS and the
CiRarmakers.
Prof. Jackson's Twenty-third Regi-
mental band headed the next division.
In this were the wood. wire and metal
workers and fathers union, the horse
shoers, both master and journeymen;
the boilermakers. and the sheet metal
workers. These latter attracted consid-
eraole attention on account of the tin
caps which each wore and the tin canes
which they carried. They were followed
by the tailors, the machinists, and the
carpenters and joiners The carpenters
carried a banner calling to mind their
recent dithculty with the management of
Nlnewood park. 1t read: we are gi-
ing to Vinewood-in a horn.''
The two Emporia unions headed the
last division. 1t was made up of the
bakers and confectioners, followed by a
long string of bakers delivery wagons,
the plasterers and the plumbers, steam
filters and gasfitters.
The parade formed on Quincy street
and marched north on Kansas avenue
from Ninth street to Gordon street in
North Topeka, countermarching to the
Rock Island depot, from which point
special trains were in waiting to take
the crowd to Markham's grove. north