The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-09-10
ion. and John Carlson, OF the TaIlors


Union
Immediately following the labor
unions was the Charleston and Cliff
ton baseball teams. which were TO
play in the afternoon Following
them was a beautiful float represent
ing the Castle Hall Lodge, x. of P,
OF Maiden.
The industrial parade, in which
many of the business firms of the
city Were represented with floats,
was in the following order:
Firms Represented
Kanawha Brewing Company, Capt.
tai Ceaning and Dye Works, West Vir-
ginia Brewing Company, Henry Smith
Clothing Company, Gates Paint Com
pany, Elite Laundry, Globe Furniture
Company, Elk Milling and Produce
Company, Nelson Transfer Company,
Moore Book Store, West Charleston
Feed Company, Baird Hardware Com
pany, Fisher & truth, Charleston
Utility Company, Chesapeake & Ohio,
Holz Brothers, Charleston Laundry
Company, Ruffner Brothers, Cablish
Brothers. X & NJ, Yellow Pine Lum-
Der Company, Peoples Store, Finnegan
Dairy. Besides these there was the
| city water wagons, the street sweep
1 ers and the dump carts, representing
the Industrial side Of the city gov
eminent, the fire department and a
Gordon of police. At the end of the
parade was a wiid-eyed man in a dec
Grated cart, preaching the doctrines
of socialism with all his might
The meeting at the wigwam was
called to order at 2:30 o'clock by r.
II. koontz, in the absence of Frank
w. Snyder, chairman of the day, who
was seriously injured by a fall Satur-
day night. The Rev. o. D. King, OF
pronounced the invocation Mr..
} Koontz introduced Mr.. J. l.. Heller,
who presided over the meeting After
few remarks, Mr.. Heller introduced
Judge S. c. Burdette, who spoke in
behalf of the industrial interests
Judge Burdette's Speech.
His speech was in part as follows:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
I was invited late in the day on
your time and n behalf Of the in
dustrial interests of this city to greet
you, and to bid you God speed in al!
!audable effort to elevate labor to
the high plane it should occupy as
the chief moving cause of human pro
gress and material prosperity
When I witness these annual pa
radss, these mighty gatherings of the
hosts of organized labor I am re-
minded of the wonderful progress you
have made as 4 result of these efforts
. 1t was not always thus. I remember,
when ! came to this city, which was
then village, 81 years ago, with my
kit Of tools, which consisted of a few
: paint brushes, granting combs and a
couple of pot hooks, such a thing as
trad" union SIN. except in the larger
cities. was almost unknown
If workmen were scarce, fair
wages obtained. If they were numer-
Gus, reduced wages was the result.
Sometimes We had beefsteak for
breakfast. Some days the steak was
necessarily omitted from the bill of
fair and bread and butter was sub
stitured; and sometimes even the but
ter was hard to get and was spread
very thin. BY some a laborer was
looked upon as an undesirable citi-
zen" and only tolerated because OF
the necessity that authorized his ex-
istence.
Then we had no Federation of La
Dor, no Labor Day, no organized de-
mand for the opportunity to live as
the American working man should
live-pToudly holding up his head
| conscious of his worth-the peer of
any of Gods created human beings.
Today, organized labor has planted
its banner upon the soil of nearly
@very nation of earth and today its
| leGions from workshops, forge. fur
mace and mine. are pressing on in its
great struggle Cor the triumph of JUS
tee and humanity and for the recog-
. milton among all men of the brother
| hood of man and the fatherhood Of
| God. Today in many OF the states OF
| this Union Labor Day has been, by
| legislative enactment, declared n
, state holiday. Set apart as sacred to
Q