Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-20
LABOR MAYOR TALKS.
ORGANIZE FOR PROTECTION.
tnnt Was the Burden OF Mr.. cha.e,.
address. I'm the House OF Delegate.
Last NiRht-fir.t Assembly, OF the.
Kind in the Capitol for Thirty
Years.

IN the hail. OF the House of Delegates
!sst night Mr.. John C. Chase. ex-MaSor
81 Haverhili, Mass. addressed an Omen
meeting under the auspices OF the Trade
and Labor Council. =,
Mn Chase said: This is my drst t,n,a
IN the South. and while SOU may con-
sider me northerner. yet Tonight Ne
meet on common ground, as fe,leg-
workers. and not as northerrrer and
southerner. e#ss'e'lss
'The working classes are learning
faster to-day than ever before that they
must organize for protection. Time was
when man could go into compare
ti,vly unsettled country and build up 4
business. This is an impossibi.ity TO-
day. Compel ition forces the employers
10 get as mnch out of labor for as, little
All things considered. we are receiv-
ms less money to-day than thirty years
ago. The advance In the cost Of living
years. and some newspapers cay that
the average advance In wages has been
: per cent. This leaves US q per GEM
behind the scale Of thirty years ago
make terms With employers as an in
diyidual. We have all that we can do
10 make terms when VIZ are solid!y,
united The American Federation OF
oership to over 100000, showing clearly
that organization is more of q necss-
SHY eacn cay.
''Fhe idle multitude OF this great re-.
public is enough: to make any American
hang his head in shame. In New York
l saw hundreds of men at o'clock
waiting on cold winters morning for
perity. and unless the idle ma sses are
given an opportunity to toll their num-
oers will be Increased until struggle
pie who build palaces. palace-cars. and
palauaf steamboats,. and still live In
novels. ride freights. or count railroad
les, g are awakenlns 70 their powerr
With the growth OF production ny
arec and improved machinery the OPP:
portunity to labor by hand has o-de:.
creased. and instsad of one orEtwocnrsp
employing oRe or more thousand men.
women. al taildren. The history of
The world proves that nothing has ever
ssa esined for the good OF humanity 1 :
our freedom from England to organza-
don. The great problem Of the world to-
day is not the production Of wealth, but
IS distribution. The average yearly pro-
duct is valued at s.. ISL, and the average
wage of every one is but $3.50 Is it any
wonder we have the Rockefellers. bill
re only. get enough on which to exist
IND reproduce more Of our kind in order
% feed the treao-mill OF the competitive
system2
Inc real anarchist OIL TINS country Is
he American millionaire. who has no re-
!ard for democracy. the welfare Of the
seople. or the peoples institutions. The
time is coming when the workers are
here won be such wide difference BE-
tween the two classes as there is now.
This will be brought about quietly and
oeaceably through organization and edu-
cation. Take the conditions in the Car
iinas where the northern capitalists
have crowded children into the. cotton
mills to grind out their young lives for
he benefit of greed. The same condi-
lions exist in Massachusetts with all its
cilild-iahor laws. where to-day 10000 chill
d7en- mere babies; are employed In the
cotton-mills. In these mills. North and
South. the women have crowded out
the men beca use they are cheaper. Aid
then came the children. cheaper still,
who have crowded both mother and ia
'--es III LABOR AND POLITICS.
ST am not hire to discuss politics. but
he workinemen OF Haverhill. after hav-
ing tnjunc'ions. police. and and, militia
learned to take charge of the affairs and
protect themsstres. When the first hint.
was heard in Haverhill OF running a
cnid the idea, and the EMPLOYERS
thought the men had gone mad. When
the employers woke up the morning after
election ard found that a labor man
after that ehction the Republican
and Democratic leaders got together and
formed a combination. This new body
then went to the Prohibitionists and told
Them that IL they would Join all of The
saloons would be closed. Then they went
20 the saloonkeepers and told them that
If they would help beat the la Dor Mayor
every saloon could run wide 60 all
day Sunday. In this way this new party
hoped to win. but instfad of having
% 900 votes. as in previous year. we had
IS. 900 ma jority. This new party kept at
work and the workingmen relaxed their
vigilance and lost for time. but Tor
time only. as we now have another labor
Mayor In EaNSrhill, and this new party
is In the throes of an internfcine strug-
gle.
.'If we. as workingmen. will stand
shoulder to shoulder. man to man. and
not turn against eash other. I have no
thing to fear for the future. Organiza-
rion is spreading more rapidly in the
North. or west. than it is In the South.
but the southern worker is fast awaken
.ng." -,
cluded his remarks. Secretary w. H.
Mullen, OF the Trades and Labor Coun
eli. was called on and-,nade a short al
dress.
Mr.. Chase will speak again tonight in
Monticello Hall under the auspices of the
Socialist Marty of this city. From here