The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1915-02-25
TELLS OF TRIUMPHS OF LABOR
Willard Best of Chicago Delivers Prin-
cipal Address on Closing Session of
''Labor Forward Movement in Ke-
nosha on Tuesday Evening.

The announcement Of the coming of
the six hour day with wages higher
than are now paid to workmen for the
eight hour day, was the feature pro-
nouncement Of the big round up of the
Labor Forward movement at the Rhode
Opera House on Tuesday evening.
More than two hundred and fifty union
men and their friends cheered the
speaker of the evening when he pro-
claimed the coming of the six hour day
within the next twenty years.
The speaker of the evening was Will
lard Best Of Chicago, member of the
Cigarmakers' Union, who came to take
the place Of George w. Perkins, the
advertised speaker. Mr.. Best was an
ardent pleader for the cause of or
ganized labor and his address was an
interesting one. it lacked the snap OF
some of the more vigorous agitators
who had spoken before him, but it was
an excellent defense of the cause of
trade unionism. Mr. Best spoke of the
present time as the age of organiza-
ton and declared that the baby was
brought into the world under the direc
tion of thoroughly organized body of
doctors and that unionized hearse
carried him to his last resting place.
He spoke of the battles Of union labor
for the advancement Of its members
and declared that for the most part
: these battles had benefited, more peo
pie not protected with the unions. He
asserted that the battle for the fifty
four hour week for women and children
did not in any way affect union labor
as the men belonging to the union had
long since won for themselves shorter
day for work. He declared that union
labor was unselfsh and not making
war at any time on the men and WON
en- who were outside of the unions, but
was battling with the employer to make
conditions better for all laborers re-
CARELESS of their connection with the
union. Mr. Best declared that union la
Dor had given to the United States its
free school system. He did not de-
velop this statement more than to de-
clare that the first free school was
founded following the demands of the
Tailor S Union. He declared that
kind of philosophy, that it was the most
ardent supporter of the moral uplift
among working men and women, that
it stood for the equality Of men and
women who toll and insisted that
women who did the same work as men
should receive the same wages.
Mr.. Best suffered from severe af-
lection of the throat, but he was so
earnest in his appeal for his cause that
his address was several times inter
rupted by prolonged applause.
Attorney Calvin Stewart acted as
chairman of the meeting and spoke at
length on the relations between the at
torney and the laboring men and held
that the attorney saw the benefits of
everything that added to the advance
ment of organized labor. Before the
principal speaker was introduced James
Henderson of Detroit, an organizer for
the international Association of Ma
chinists, spoke on the subject of CO.
operation urging the union men to es-
tablish a chain of cooperative stores.
He also spoke of cooperative banks
and declared that within a short time
the union men in Milwaukee would be
depositing their money in single bank
under their own management.
A lot OF yelled statements of coer-
cion by Mr.. Henderson appeared to
have been unnecessary and uncalled for
considering the enthusiastic meeting.
The last speaker of the evening was
Organizer Brady of the Internationa
Association of Bartenders. "Our Pur-
chasing Power, = was his subject.
Music for the evening was furnished
by 8 volunteer orchestra of fifteen
pieces made up of members of the Mu-
stefan IS Union. The orchestra was one
Of the big hits of the roundup meet
ing.