Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1913-09-04
LABOR's REIGN
WAS SUPREME
The Day a Great Success

! The Day a Great Success
j Upward of two thousand per-
sons assembled yesterday be-
meath the beautiful trees and
on the race course of the Har.
rison County Fair Grounds to
celebrate Labor Day in Mis-
souri, Valley. And it was a
celebration that, according to
officials in charge, has seldom
been equaled here, or in any
other town vf this siz.. Tne
dominating feature of the day
was constituted by the numer-
Gus races Of almost every de.
scrlption, ranging from a ludi-
crous sack race to q motorcycle
contest against time, the latter
being one of the most thrilling
Exhibitions of nerve ever seen
ION the local race course.
A high wind that began late
in the morning and sent great
clouds of dust flying over the
lefty, threatened for awhile to
mar the occasion to a degree,
but it only served to Sc. d hun.
dreds of persons to the grass
covered. tree stre~n Fair
gronnds, where they escaped
the dust blown from the city's
streets
A or dit*ble parade of union
men headed bv thu Mo. Valley
band, open d the days festivi-
tiles L. f rmad at Ski and
Erie streets and over two
blocks in length. m srched t.,
the Fair grounds with Ell En-
wa ds. of the Machinists union,
as marshal. The workers were
fro quontlv applauded az they
trud= ed to the seen Of ,he cele-
bratinn. and hundreds followed
the rsa~ guard If the parade,
in which most '.f the men were
members OF the Roilermskevs'
and Macninists' unions. Men,
women and children, heavily
laden with baskets full of good
things to eat, were in the
throngs that wended their way
to the grounds, but there were
hundreds who arrived unpre-
pared aud finding that no pro
vision had been made for a
general dinner for those Who
did not carry baskets, return
ed to the city, only TO come
back to the park later in the
afternoon
In the meantime, Mayor ].
C. FEATHER had delivered a
stirring address Of welcome to
the union men. He Landed Ia
Dor, told those present that
they were the very backbone of
American life and congratulate
ed local unions on their
strengh and the high type uf
men within their ranks The
Mayors address was cheered
vigorously. and soon thereaf-
ter scores Of groups of merry
makers spread their picnic
luncheons upon the grassy
lawns and the feasting began.
| was nearly two o'clock
when the main exercises of the
day began with the address of
the occasion. delivered by the
Rev C l. Carter. of the First
NJ. E. church. He was intro
duced by W A Rilev, of the
M lchinsts' union and proved
himself an orator of no mean
liability. There were fully
| "a 500 people in the grand stand
when the minister arose to de-
liver his address, which was re-
plete with history. His main
points wers that the idea of or
gained labor is not one of com
paratively recent years; that
Moses really was the first great
labor leader of whom there is
record; that the day % strikes
is passing and that the work.
ing man who encourages VIC
lent strikes, rather than peace
able set,ls ment of labor diff
cullies, is an enemy, rather
than friend of his fellows.
He reviewed the great coal
strike in West Virginia in 1903,
telling in graphic terms of the
horrors of conditions and the
|injustices of that period. He
then described the labor sitUa.
tion in San Francisco after the
fire and earthquake in that
city, and returning to West
Virginia, he told of ire Paint
Creek strike of recent date ard
what he believed to be it's