The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-31
EXPECT LABOR DAY WILL
Be GREAT SUCCESS

The committees of the Richmond
unions are finishing up their work in
arranging for the mammoth Labor
Day celebration to be held next Mon
day at the State Fair grounds. The
plans call for an all-daly picnic at
the grounds. featuring the usual ba by
show, automobile, motorcycle. horse
and bicycle races, not to mention the
various athletic events. OF course,
baseball game will be played in the
oval and boxing matches will be on
the program In red letters. Every
thing points to the biggest ceiebra-
tons ever held In Richmond before
by organized labor.
II IL improbable that pageant will
be held. This parade of the streets
by the men in uniforms in past years
served only to make things late at
the fair grounds. Much extra trouble.
too, win result from efforts 70 make
the parade pjust what II ought to
be ana the committee has almost
unanimously decided against 1t.
In the meantime the wives, mothers
and children OF the working men are
preparing for the holiday and feast.
Richmond will observe the day. The
local banking houses will close for the
Va
their employees half-holiday, while
the factories viii close down tight. 1t
II expected that many retail mer-
chants who did not close In previous
years will observe the day this year
and let their employees celebrate on
the 9Th.
Now a General Holiday.
Labor Day. which is one OF the
newer holidays on the calendar. has
been set aside as a legal holiday in
nearly all of the States and territories
In the J1,ited States. In 1889, the
knights OF Labor held their general
assembly in New York during the
month Of September. which on the
5th reviewed a great parade organ
lied by the Central Labor Union. Of
that city The next year q parade
was held on the first Monday In
September. and in 1854. on the resolu-
ton of George r.. Lloyd. one OF the
knights Of Labor, It was decided that
all future parades should be held on
that day and that day should be
known az Labor Day.
Workingmen's organization all over
the country then began m active agi-
tation to induce the State I1egisla-
lures to declare tho day . legal holi-
day, and on March IL. 1857. Colorado
led the way, to be quickly followed
by New Jersey. New York and Masa-
chusetts. Virginia adopted the custom
q number of years later.
The great majority OF States have
accepted the first Monday In Septem-
Der at Labor. Day. In 1904 the only
States In which Labor Day was not
legal holiday were Mississippi. Me-
vada, North Dakota and Louisiana. 1t
IL now observed in the parish Of
New Orleans.
Caused Trouble at First.
In Europe the celebration Of Labor
Day was begun in 1890 with a demon
stration In favor OF the eight-hour
day. II was at that time, and for a
few years later. much feared and vio-
lently opposed by the various gov
ernments and there were many clashes
between the police and soldiers and
the workingmen. 1t In now usually
celebrated without trouble, or more
correctly. was before the booming
OF cannon and shrieking of shrap-
mel announced the beginning OF ths.
European war In the United States
Nav Day Is celebrated bv the So
cialist- Labor party. hut there Is no
attempt to stop work on that day.