The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-09-05
LABOR DAY MEETING
BROUGHT OUT
MANY
Weather Did Not Prevent a
Large Attendance at the
Afternoon Program

The drizzling rain ON Monday. al.
though 1t spoiled the proposed picnic
at Riverside park, did not by anv
means spoil the day for the men Of
the Trades and Labor council. ss Nv
excellent foresight arrangements had
been made for the use Of the Grand
Forks Oratorio society auditorium in
case Of Indictment weather, and the
program Of speeches, music and sports
was carried out in that place.
In spite OF the weather q large NUM-
Der of the citizens of Grand Forks
were In attendance at the afternoon
meeting and tho windup of the davis
celebration, when the first annual bali
of the Trades and Labor council was
held in the evening. was largely at
tended and Is said to have been a sue
cess In every way.
After q preliminary concert by the
Grand Forks Military band. Rev. w.
H. Matthews opened the program in
the auditorium in the afternoon. After
the invocation, Rev. Matthews in a
few we'll chosen words, spoke of La.
Dor day and tho place 1t holds in this
country. In. his remarks he gave the
Idea held by the ministers of the COS.
pol on TIC labor problems. He then
introduced Mayor M. F. Murphy as the
fret speah ! .f'the afternoon.
Mayor &~:!'hy declared that labor
was In maA., ways responsible for the
great growth of the country, that it
was the laboring men Of all classes
that had produced the great wealth
of the United States, and that organ
lied labor, in which he firmly believed,
was the cause of the lettering Of con-
ditions, especially 80, because among
the many things it had done away
with was the accursed child labor.
Mayor Murphy was Of the firm be-
lief that the laboring man is one of
the most interested in the lettering
lof tho community in which he lives
and that while mistakes have been
made by the unions in some instances,
taken as a whole, the organization of
the laboring men has created a new
dignity of labor.
Attorney O'Connor Speaks.
Rev. Matthews next introduced At
torney ]. F. T. O'Connor, who has ac-
quired more than a local reputation
as a speaker and an orator. Mr.. O'Con-
mol told a we'll chosen anecdote and
then delved into his subject. He
spoke in a logical and eloquent man
ner and traced the organization of
labor from its inception. The pres
ent system. according to Mr.. O'Connor,
was built up after a long struggle in
which labor had finally triumphed. He
spoke of cases which have. been tried
in the courts and cited a case decided
by the New York court of appeals, the
case Of the National Protective asso-
citation of Steel and Iron Workers vs.
Cummins, in which the question was,
''have laboring men a right to say who
may work with them." The case was
decided on its merits, to the effect
that a man employed in any line of
skilled labor such as building sky
scrappers OF other hazardous work,
was entitled to have an assistant
whose incompetence and carelessness
might mean death to him at any time.
This point in which the laboring man
gained a right to say who shall work
with him was one of the great steps
upwards in favor of the workers.
The speaker then pointed out the
meaning of labor day. He stated that
there We're but few national holidays
and passing over each one briefly |
pointed out their origin. Mr.. O'Con-
nor stated that a labor day should be
set apart when the people might
pause and consider the matters peril
pent to the men Of toll, the real
builders of the nation.
In discussing the growth of the Ia
Dor organizations, the speaker point
ed out that the labor unions are the
direct results of the development of
machinery. The use Of machinery