Year: 1871

A meeting OF delegates from the various
labor unions and industrial societies of the
country will convene on the 7th day Of
August at St Louis. We hope to see a
large attendance. These national consul
tstions Of the delegates and representative
men of the mechanics and industrial classes
are Of supreme Importance. They have al
ready demonstrated the identity Of interests
of every branch of mechanical pursuit !;
that the laws which oppress one trade or art,
oppress all others, and they promote that
sympathy and community Of feeling which
will secure united action among farmers
and mech anics and all other workingmen
for the reformation of what is needed in
the legislation Of the country for its proper
development and for the advantage Of la
Dor and also cooperative capital.


We do not understand that it comes
within the purpose of this meeting to dis
cuss the political relationships Of labor, or
the Declaration Of Principles uniformly ly set
forth in the several national Labor COnven-
tons previously held. An examination Of
the needs of the various trades and en-
ployments which engage the energies Of
the industrial portion Of the people, the
last means to promote the interests Of the
different classes Of workingmen who will
be there represented, the progress whi. p
the Labor Refcrn movement ba4 made
s;lce the les: Conr nj .cc ~ji' prgoAhiv 6s
the ,xt5nf If th. ac..o. of tas A. Louis
nee


y 9 hope there will be nothing done to-
ward changing or altering or modifying the
Declaration Of principles adopted first at
the National Labor Convention held in
Chicago in 1867, and ratified at every ma
tional convention since. We are aware
that some persons may be desirous Of 50
doing so, but the Convention should be
very careful in disturbing or changing the
platform upon which the National Labor
Party has organized, upon which it stands,
and challenges the world to attack either
the justice of its principles or their prac-
tieality. There are two grand elemental
doctrines boldly set forth in the declaration,
which monopolists will do all in their power
to overturn, to denounce which they subsi-
die the most influential newspapers of the
country, ,and which they do not intend shall
be incorporated into the law Of the land if
fraud or force can prevent it. These doc
trines relate to the money question, the is
sue of treasury certificates as money, found
ed on the national wealth, and repudiating
the gold base swindle and fallacy, and also
to the distribution of the public lands, re-
serving these to actual settlers only


The enunciation of the platform is clear
and emphatic upon these and other points,
and it keeps all Legislation under the con.
troll Of the people. 1t will preserve the
public lands for such disposition as the in
dustrlal classes may make when they come
into the possession Of the government, and
as to the monetary system, it allows such
notifications as experience may show to be
wise. Upon this platform the workingmen
will finally, and we believe the time is at
hand, win the control Of the government.
To their wisdom and to their sense of right
and justice may be intrusted the shaping
Of the general principles Of the Labor Re
form movement, as set forth in what is
known as the platform Of the National La
Dor Reform Party.