The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1914-09-04
From a Few Thousand Men Pa
rading In New York In 1887
the Holiday Has Grown to Stu
pendous Proportions as a Day
Dedicated to the Workinglman,
Covering Every State In the
Union.

HEN on that September day
" thirty-two years ago the
scattered groups of wayfar-
ers along Broadway watch
ed the ranks of w%orkingmen march
down the street, but a few thousand III
number, with little of noise and less
Of pomp and display. the man must
have been a dreamer indeed who could
see from that small beginning Ameri
cas- great Labor day of Monday.
He must have beer a very Joseph Of
Dothan come to view who could see in
his minds eye the limitless lines OF
labOrers. thousands upon their hun
dreds of thousands, until the brain
grows weary in the estimate, that will
Sept. I parade throughout every city
Of the Union. not in thin. %trickling
files, but in broad platoons that stretch
from curb to curb and crowd the gap
ing gazers, and parade. with blazoned
banners Mt their head and brass bands
blaring their notes Of victory, with all
the pomp and circumstance of war.
Over all this looms large the new de-
partment of labor. over which William
B. Wilson presides in President Will
sons cabinet.
And yet it was from the little begin
ming referred to that all this arose.
True, there had been labor unions in
the United States before that. and they
had paraded in their organized form.
In 1927 and in the three years follow
ing the labor societies of New York
paraded in the procession Of the Fourth
of July. and on various occasions after
they turned out in strength.
But as far as can be learned this
parade of Sept. 5, 1882. was the first
time that the labor unions set aside Il
specific day devoted to the goddess ut
whose shrine they worshipped and
turned out in full force that all the
world might see. And this ~demonstra-
ton was confined solely to New York
city.
First Parade In 1882.
1t was on the occasion of the annual
meeting of the Knights of Labor,
which was held there that year. This
organization of labor had been founded
0UOuS AAlCCAl NSdlS DCAolc ~ oIli
striking garment workers of Philadel-
phia. 1t was born at a time when the
labOring man was beginning to do Il
good deal of hard thinking for himself
and wonder quite a deal whether all
this talk about the blessings of power
ty and the lOwly poor being Gods own
was quite as true as its SNUG faced
teachers had for generations been din.
ming into the ears of the IA behind
the hammer and the shovel.
And so the knights Of Labor, filled
with those doubts. throve amain. At
their head was Terence V. Powderly
now occupying a responsible position
in the new department Of labor. being
chief of the division of information.
1T has been stated at various times
that Labor day had this or that mar
for its father" said Mr.. Powderly
when asked concerning this occasion
of momentous birth. but the day hat
no father, or, rather" he corrected
with a smile, 1T had many fathers
and l think l should know, havin.
been present at the birth.
Labor day, as we know it today
was q growth, born from the percep
ton of many men Mt the same time 0
the need of such a day. OF such move
ments, it is, always hard to fix an eX
act moment when they spring into he
ing when. from a vague idea they be