The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-09-07
LABOR DAY
CELEBRATION
A Success-Ma1 S. Hayes the Orator of the
Occasion-First Frost of Season for
Capitalists, Sept 4th

They came from everywhere, iron
workers, steel workers, glass workers
| cloth workers-all kinds Of workers
including the workers who work
workers. They were there too, and
occupying, as usual. the more con-
spicious places.
| me parade was a most imposing
sight 1t was led by those horny hand
ed sons of toll, Governor William f.
Glasscock, Senator William f. Chill
ton, Fred Paul Grosscup, and several
| other equally distinguished leaders
| and lovers of organized labor, riding
| In fine carriage. Behind came the
I workers, walking, as usual. And by
the way, isn't it queer, that Labor
parades are nearly always headed by
Capitalists or their hired tools, and
| that the only men who walk are the
! laborerS?
but still 1t was a great day for the
laborlng men. For they had a chance
10 meet together, to talk over their
problems, to realize their strength,
| and best of ALL to hear Max Hayes
| make a speech. And thereby hangs
! a tale.
1t was beautiful scheme that the
| committee in charge of arrangement
had concocted. Here was a great
number of workingmen, and here was
Max Hays, Vice President of the
American Federation of Labor, Union
| organizer, and avowed Socialist. 1t
| would never do to let him make the
principal speech to these workers. He
might tell them some dangerous
truths. So they simply put him on
Tor the last speaker, trusting that by
the time Glasscock, Chiffon, Darst,
Grosscup and others got through
spouting platitudes the crowd would
be tired, and attracted away by the
baseball game, Edgewood Park, swim.
ming, races, etc. But the Schem e
didn't work worth a cent, for no SOON
er had Governor Glasscock finished
his platitudinouS address of welcome,
than the crowd began to yell for Hays
Hays, Hays, we want to hear a labor
man, they cried. So loud and contin-
uouS was the uproar, that Chiffon
DarSt. ct al were forced to cut their
speeches short, and let Hays have the
platform.
Hays speech was a clean cut ex-
position of Socialism. He reviewed
the evolution OF industry from the
hahd to the machine tool, and describ-
ed its effects on the laborcrs. Once
workinSman if dissatisfied could
pack his tools into a trunk. 90 to
some other part of tue country, and
be practically sure of making a liv-
ing. But by the evolution of industry,
all his is changed. Hand tools are
done away with. and the worker is
abSOlllt civ ~, III, ,,,,oI,;,x
! owner. He has evoluted from an in
dependent to a dependent worker
once there was the great West, with
| its fertile land to be had for the ask
ing. Now there are no more free
| lands, and there are more unemployed
III the West than in the East Every
avenue OF escape has been cut off, and
at the same time, new machines are
| constantly being introduced which
Supplant the workers, and reduce
! those stlll employed from skilled me-
| chanlcS TO mere appendages to the
| machines. Thus the army of IN
| employed grows; thus the struggle
| between Capital and Labor grows ever
| sharper.
And in the meantime, what are the
two old political parties doing for the
I ldDOrefS! FOR years they assured
| them that the tariff was the important
| issue. Just put tariff wall around the
| country, said the Republican Party,
| and all Will be well. They did so,
! and the distress continued to grow
| Then came a great agitation to reduce
the tariff. and it was reduced, and a
great panic followed. Suddenly the
two old parties discovered that it was
not the tariff at all that was the i'm
rortdnt question. 1t was finance
Again the workers divided themselves
and battled at the polls as to whether
or not we should have free silver or
a gold standard. The gold standard
wch-aud the workers continued tc
starve and suffer.
| The money question settled, another
great discovery was made. The i'm.
portant issue was not tariff, not fin
ance, but lmperilism VS.. trade eNpan
sion. And again the workers divided
themselves into. two hostile armie;
and fought at the polls to SETTLE
whether or not we should captur,
other smaller and weaker countries
by the simple plan of reaching GU
, and gra bbing them-which is Imperil
| ism-or beat the, Devil around tn