The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1929-08-30

arrangements, at which John Graham
presided.
On the morning of September 5 the
New York World printed the follow
ing:
at is believed that from 10000 to
10000 men will take part in the
parade that is to take place today
under the auspices of the Central
Labor Union, and the different trades
unions of Brooklyn, Jersey City and
Newark will send representatives"
The World of Wednesday, Septem
ber 6, in referring to the parade,
said:
"The great labor demonstration and
picnic yesterday under the auspices
of the Central Labor Union, composed
of the various trade and labor organ
izations of New York city and neigh
borhood, was very successful. Mr..
John Swinton, Louis F. Post, c. A.
Beecher, of Newark, P. j. Mcclure
and others were speakers"
The New York Sun of September 5
also referred to the demonstration
to be held that day under the aus
pices of the Central Labor Union,
while the New York Herald for We'd
nesday, September 6, told of labor's
"dress parade" the previous day. The
New York Times also mentioned the
labor parade editorially.
The second Labor Day was cele
brated Wednesday, September 5, 1888.
The New York Herald in it's account
of the parade declared it was an
Imposing demonstration of the Cen
trail Labor Union" The New York
World on the same day also referred
to labor's demonstration and said
among other things:
"The monster demonstration and
parade of the trades and labor organ
izations yesterday was an immense
success. The parade was participated
in by the trades unions of this city,
Brooklyn, Jersey City and other ad
jacent cities"
In 1884 the New York Central La
Dor Union decided to hold the Labor
Day celebration on the first Monday
in September, which was September
/. 1t also communicated with central
bodies of other cities to urge them to
celebrate the first Monday in Sep
tember as "a universal holiday for
workingmen.
The New York Herald in its de-
scription of the 1884 Labor Day
parade, called it "a great outpouring
from the Central Labor Union"
The World said that speeches were
made by Louis F. Post, Edward King,
Alex Jonas and Henry Enrich, all
trade unionists except Mr.. Post, who
was great friend of labor. The
next day the World editorially said,
under the heading, "The Great
| Demonstration"
yesterdays labor demonstration
was a great success. 1t was not polit-
ical in its character. Indeed, the at
| tempt of few persons to invite Ben
Butler to review the procession was
Indignantly denounced and repudiated
as liable to political misconstruction. +"
At the convention of the American
Federation of Labor, which was held
in Chicago, October 7, 1884, Mr. A. C.
Cameron, member of Typographical
Union No. 16 representing the Chi
cago Trades and Labor Assembly, in
troduced the following resolution,
which was unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That the first Monday
in September of each year be set
apart as a laborers' national holiday,
and that we recommend its observ-
ance by all wage workers, irrespec-
tive of sex, calling or nationality"
And that day has been celebrated
LdpOl LAY C'Cl
A close reading of the New York
Herald, World, Times and Sun during
the agitation for the Labor Day cele-
brations in 1882 and the years fol-
lowing, shows that not knight of
Labor was in line and neither the
organization of the knights of La
Dor" nor any of its members were
mentioned in any way in any of them
although the general assembly of the
Knights of Labor had met in New
York, September 5, 1882, the date the
first Labor Day demonstration was
held.
Year after year since then Labor
Day parades, picnics at which
speeches are made and sports enjoy
ed, have been the rule throughout
the entire United States.
The program of celebrating Labor
Day has been based on the sugges-
tions made by MrMcGuire in that
memorable meeting of the Central
Labor Union in New York, May 18,
1882--frst a parade then picnics and
speechmaking.
1t is therefore an historical fact
that Labor Day was conceived by
trade unionists; that no other organ
izations or individuals other than P.
J. MCGUIRE, a trade unionist, made
the first move to have day set apart
for labor to celebrate.