The labor world., 1919-11-01
LABOR SPEAKERS
START CAMP A|CN
Van Lear, Mahoney and Lawson
Urge Workingmen to Organize
On Political Field,

More than 500 workingmen attend
ed the mass meeting at Owls hall
Sunday afternoon to hear the pro-
gram and purpose of the Working
Peoples Political Non-partisan league
explained. Rousing speeches were
made by William Mahoney. chairman:
Thos. Van Lear, secretary of The
league, and George w. Lawson, 'ecre-
tary-treasurer OF the Minnesota state
Federation of Labor.
John E. Jensen, president OF the
Federated Trades assembly, acted as
chairman and introduced the speak,
ers. Upon motion he later appointed
committee Of 20 members headed
by Henry Pereault to organize TIE
movement in Duluth. Representa-
tives of the committee will visit all
the unions. Another committee will
work among persons not identified
with organized labor. Mr.. Pereault
later declined to serve as chairman
owing to the calls upon his time as
| local organizer for the American Fed
Grafton Of Labor, and S. F. Esse was
selected in his stead.
Mr.. Lawson was the first speaker
and reviewed the experience Of or
, ganized labor in the Minnesota legis-
! lature. He told Of how the several
, big interests were always banded to-
gether against labor legislation and
it was impossible to secure the enact
| ment of decent legislation until labor
bills had been so badly amended that
they were next to useless. The only
hope for labor in the future, he held,
was in the election Of the right kind
of men to the state legislature.
William Mahoney, of st. Paul,
chairman Of the league, dwelt at con-
siderable length on labor's experience
| in politics. He spoke Of the tend
ency among some. labor men towards
! direct action and against political ac-
ton. AS for himself he still had
confidence: in the ballot and he wanted
labor men to try it out unitedly before
! they looked around for more drastic
methods to right the wrongs from
which they suffer.
! Mr., Mahoney pointed out that the
| league was not solely a union labor
| proposition, that it was not bound to
; nominate persons carrying union
! cards, but that it would back any
! person whose record was such as to
| warrant the support of workingmen.
! AS a matter of fact, he declared, the
| league will come near to representing
all the people than any other political
! organization in the state.
It as:left for Mr.. Van Lear to
! close the meeting and he did justice
; to himself with a corking speech. MIR.
Van Lear likened labor to a bird with
| a broken wing. He said that it co','
never get very far by using one wing,
| but when it used both wings it's speed
became terrific. So with labor, as
! long as it depended upon it's economic
! arm alone to wage battle it was fight
| ing under handicap, but when t
| used both it's arms, its political and
| economic power, it would make the
conflict much easier.
Mr.. Van Lear dwelt on the steel
strike and showed that where ublic
officials were fair and took no sides
against labor; where they per ,litted
free speech and the right of assemb-
lage, the strikers were winning, but
that where public officials were under
the domination of the steel interests,
; where free speech and the right of
meeting were denied. the strikers were
under a handicap. This situation, he
said, should be a lesson to the work.
ing people of Minnesota. It is i'm
perative, If labor is to get any place,
that it elect every person to public
office in this state from governor to
the most insignificant office.
After the meeting informal meetings
were held and the workingmen pres
ent started out at once to put the
league in action in Duluth.