Newspaper Page Text
VOL. I-ITO. 42.
For Tie- I.al.cr HeraM.
BETTER PAY.
Whilst travelling round this world of ours.
Trying to improve its Hooting hours ;
lly knowledge, whose hamuli ill power.
Governs the world fr. .in hour to hour,
I -aw the poor of every m ii
Working their way midst sweat and.toil,
For ten long hours day by day,
"Till they did strike for better pay.
1 s.iw the rich, the proud, the great,
Bending beneath the serene sway;
And thus they would lavish all their gold,
On these fair creatures day by day.
Hut when the ones wonld conn along
Who ma le the gold tfpm day to 'lay,
Tney would"receiv*tlie cold reply,
'• We Cannot give you better pay "
And one amongst that hui ible throng
Would homeward pick Ins wearied way;
May he he'd find his dearest one
Dying beneath starvatirn's sway.
Perhaps another liomewaid sped.
To find his mother" aim, -t dead,
And children too, of tend<r age,
Would seek their parent's bumble lion c.
lYrehanee they'd find w V ■ they got there,
That they were on t> ■ earth alone.
Oh, Great Creator, mos» l ivine,
To- thee the humble nii'lious pray
That thou wilt make their burdens lighl,
And also give them beftol pay.
THE BRONZE FROG.
BY LOUISE J. 11 :>>OKS.
"If there is one thing pleasanter
than another on a nld, frosty New
Year's eve," said Mr. Caruth
ers, leaning back andrgazing- medita
tively up at the pah- beauty of a su
perb Sistine Madonna, that hung sus
pended over the carved mantel, " it's a
luxurious room, an < pen fire, and a
bottle of the richest Minthern vintage
that France produces.'
And no wonder Mr. Castleton Ca
ruthers felt complettiy fatisfied with
himself and surroundngs A soft car
pet was under his f et, tinted walls,
and treasures of br.c a brae satisfied
his beanty loving eye, and an open
grate fire added lighl and warmth to
the already luxnriom apartment In
fact, every detail of romfort was com
plete, from the velvst lounging-chair
and back rest to the terracotta tray
filled with costly .' \"a,xn, and the little
__ "rAioile brd^feefrw^- —*ut so patient ,
ly on three legs, ans ', :e ld out an inge
nious receptacle for burned matches
with his fourth and only remaining
member. But a few moments before,
Mr. Caruthers had risen from a well
spread table covered with glass, silver,
and daintily served viands, and graced
by the presence of v faithful wife, a
pretty daughter, and i couple of fine,
half-grown sons; so see, all things
considered, he was 8- very fortunate
man. '
This room was his own peculiar sane
turn, where he smoked, read stacks of
newspapers as high as the table, and
dreamed over the rise and fall of stocks,
for Mr. Castleton Caruthers was a
great personage in hi£ way, and vyas
held in high estimationlby the world in
general, and himself in' particular. It
was still early in the evening, and he
had just lighted a frairant Havanna,
elevated his feet, incased] in handsomely
embroidered slippers, a comfortable
height, and opened the cHill damp even
ing journal to its most interesting
page, when a timid knock sounded on
the panel of the door, ajnd roused him
from his luxurious position. Mr. Ca
ruthers frowned darkly. ;
"It's that stupid waiter," he mut
tered impatiently, " or Polly, the house
maid? with some silly message from my
wife. What a nuisance these womeii
are! " Then Mr. Carutliers removed
his slippered feet from their aira eleva
tion, threw open his paper, readjusted
his glasses, and growled, " Come in."
It was no waiter who entered, nor
again Polly, the housemaid, with her
freckled, honest face and carroty lock's,
but a diminutive figure, clad in a drejss
. some soft, unifi'ty bine stuff, wjLo
• co oii~tr*rrlMiß*Bfi,-ti#rnigar;
-her father with brigMPyes and just the
pretties* dash of color in each smooth
cheek.
" Oh, bother! it's only Carry," ejacu
lated Mr. Caruthers, taking up his pa
per again. " Well, what is it that you
want? Speak quickly, child, for I'm
very busy."
Taking advantage of this gracious
permission, Carry Caruthers came into
the room and paused by the side of her
paternal parent, with one hand laid
hesitatingly on the arm of his chair.
" I came to ask— she began, and
then her voice grew husky, and she
gave a little cough, and commenced
again. " You know is New Year's
eve, father, and it is klways the custom
at this season to give gifts to those
who—" /
" Why, don't you get all that you
ask for the year round ? " interrupted
Mr. Caruthers, inipmiaAy : " it seems
to me that give tßrHWvhat you will
women are always weeping lor more.
Well, state ycur djesire,'' with a move
ment of his hand/ toward the pocket
containing his well filled purse.
"It isn't monay," said Carry, her
cheeks reflecting the red of the fire as
brightly as thongp they had been twin
looking glasses. (Then, plucking up
THE LABOR HERALD.
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF DISTRICT ASSEMBLIES 84 AND|92, KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
courage, she plunged rigftft into the
heart of the subject with • spirit worthy
of a larger woman.
" Father, Frank is cuning to night
at nine to see you, and his honest pur
pose is to ask my hand in marriage. I
love him far his upright, truthful na
ture, and he loves me. He is a great
favorite with mother and the boys, and
we only n<ied your permission to be
happy.
Mr. Carujthers laid down his paper,
and looked at his diminutive daughter
with eyes in which anger and amaze
ment that w_ere ludicrously! blended.
Never before in his life had: he heard
Vuo girl speak cut with Bh'cfrpiainDPss
and decision, and astoniHW&ent, for a
moment held him silent.
"What/" he stammered. "Frank
Remson coming here to ask your hand
in marriage, and I give my consent!.
No, madam! Never! Why, the fellow
hasn't a thousand dollars to his name!
When you are wed, it will be to a man
who can show wealth equal to my
own."
" Frank is not a beggar," cried Car
ry, indignantly, forgetting for a mo
ment all fear of her father. "Heis in
possession of a good salary, and you
yourself said more than once that he
was a fine young man, of more than
average business capacity, and he
comes of good family besides."
Mr. Caruthers sat and still gazed at
his daughter. "I am master in my
own family," he had often affirmed,
with visible pride in the fact, and this
was the first time in his experience that
any member of the household had ever
ventured to contradict hi in in his own
words.
"So he has taught you already to
show disrespect to your father," said
he, grimly, " the rascal! Well, let him
come! I'll give him a dose that he
won't recover from for some time."
" And prove him more of a gentle
man than you are yourself," sobbed
Carry, her gentle nature for once
thoroughly roused, and then she turned
f.nd went out of the door, overcome at
1 er own temerity.
" Well, upon my soul! " exclaimed
Mr. Caruthers, " what is this world
coming to! I always knew Carry was
a pretty little thing, but I didn't think
that she had a spark of spjtit in her.
Why, she MtuallvJrnilj—^A^_<«bo, afi
she stood there with her cheijks aflame,
the vixen. But she won't marry that
Frank Remson, all the same. I'll see
if I'm to be thwarted by my own chil
dren."
To solace his wounded spirit, Mr-
Caruthers poured out a goblet of the
ruby liquid that sparkled in the cut
glass decanter on the table at his side,
and sipped it slowly. Then, with but
partially recovered equanimity, he
leaned back and gazed up at the Sis
tine Madonna again. The air of the
room had grown very close and warm,,,
and the cushions of his chair seemed
to wax softer and softer to his yielding
frame, and still he sat, with eyes wide
open, looking up abstractedjy at the
divinely beautiful face above him. The
slender Egyptian urns on the mantel
appeared to grow smaller and smaller.
The tick of the Swiss clock sounded \
further and further away, and it seemed
to Mr. Caruthers as if he was just
about to sink into a dreamy, delicious
doze, when a slight movement at his
elbow caused him to turn. The ruby
wine in the costly decanter still sparkled
on. The cigars reposed peacefully on ;
the terra-cotta tray ; but where was the
little bronze frog!
Mr. Caruthers didn't have far to look.
There, perched on the topmost bar of
the silver grate, with form swelled to J
five times its original size, heedless of j
the fervid heat, sat the creature, with I
a malicious gleam sparkling in its small
green eyes.
" So you won't allow your daughter
to marry Frank Remson," it| croaked, j
in a voice as hoarse as a voice could
well be. " And he's a rascal, because ;
he hasn t made a fortune whi'fe h;s hair I
Itf-jot i, i:'l : U3 tug • ' '■-
less than thiarb i Why, you were not
so very much on a time yorrself, old
man!''
Mr. Castlaton Caruthers _. ■ him
self up to his full height, anl his out
raged dignity v. as something imposing
to contemplate.
"Come, nt>w," said the froe;, turning
a somersault into the fire and landing
on the silver bar again, "you don't re
member a liUle-cabin in a country lane,
do you ? and a barefooted boy, with an
untidy tow head, who used to roam
around, helping himself freely to the
contents of fruit orchards, i Jul whom
the peste ed villagers used to call 'lit j
tie Billy Caruthers "? "
The form In the chair softened its
dignified aspect a little, and an actual j
smile hovertd around its lips. Ah !no
days would ever be again liko the care
less, childish days of jore!
" Good ! " croaked the frog. " Now
behold the' wild urchin, grown a shy, I
awkward lad, starting out mi the world i
to carve hhj own fortune, fie comes
lo the grent city, begins work in an
office, and, by patient application, ad- j
vances step by step to a clerkship, and
wins the confidence of his wealthy em
ployer by his honest integrity and fine \
business capability."
"THAT IS THE MOST PERFECT GOVERNMENT IN WHICH AN INJURY TO ONE IS THE CONCERN OF ALL."
c Tlie smile faded from Mr. Carntbers'
y face, and a look of gratified priTjle shone I
there instead. v
it | " One day he is thrown into the com
r j pany of his employer's daughter, and j
I he loves her. She is rich ; he is com
i- paratively poor, but advancing. He:
,t goes like an honest man to her father
i and states the case. What does the i
c parent say ? He says: ' William Ca-; I
ruthers, money is a good thing, bqt it >
r, will sometimes take to itself wing' 1
r flee away. You have honest hands find I
i- a good business head, and the possiaj- ]
L sion of those are equivawt to any for ]
1 i tune. Take her and "*'
a' old man's judgment tj.- is»;xa On «
i the death of his employer '
clerk became head of the firim, > -jd i
i took his wife's maiden name of *
I ton to precede his own ; and thle vArs t
?. went on." J
r Mr. Caruthers leaned forward 'md
! gazed into the small, green eyes before
i him as if completely fascinated.
f " But success marred the nature of i .
this man instead of elevating it, and he |
- became despot over a small kingdom ; j
- and his subjects consisted of two deli- .
i eate women and a couple of half grown
t boys. These he tyrannized over to his
3 heart's content, till his presence, mi
i stead of being welcomed, came to be
j feared and dreaded."
And the hoarseness suddenly died
i out of the creature's voice, and it took
i on a stern, accusing tone.
, " And what is the result! The wife,
i who gave up wealth and position to
; marry a poor man, not knowing that
• she would regain both in the future, is
a timid, shrinking woman, starting at
every sound of her lord's autocratic
voice. His only daughter knows noth- .
! ing of a father's sympathy, and the lads .
i are beginning to hate the elegant home
i where no boyish freedom is allowed .
them. The man who sacrifices thous
ands to satisfy his own ambition is
comparatively noble. Murder and rob
i bery are great sins, but a petty, do
mestic tyranny—waugh! " and the frog .
waved the leg that had done duty as a
burned match-holder disdainfully in the
air.
"I'm sure," stammered Mr. Caruth
i ers, shrinking to half his size, " I "
" Silence, sir! "
The tone was such an exact im'iiation
of-bis qtmj iJ._t.he wcfr— ','£^l ar m *—- *>.
" Why," he repeated, " I "
The frog turned one of his favorite .
sumersaults into the fire. J
" How long would you remain at
home, if you, a high-spirited lac', were
spoken to like that by a father ? "
Mr. Caruthers sat with a shamed
look on his face and wisely said—
nothing. t
Suddenly the frog disappearec, leav
ing nothing but the bed of glowing
coals.
" Listen," said a voice so sweet and
'i sad, that the dreamer thought it must
be a messenger from the spirit world.
" Some day there will lie in the stately
parlors below a wan face whiten than
the satin pillow that it rests against.
And Castleton Caruthers, strong man
as he is, will weep to think that ro lov
ing word that he can ulter now will
| ever penetrate those dulled ears that
listened eagerly for such words in life,
and listened in vain. And the fine lads J
; will turn away from him and go out in
to the gay world again, and in pleasure
and dissipation strive to gain the hap
j piness that was denied them it their
! home. The daughter will look tk him '
i with accusing eyes, eyes very likejthose j
the sods are so soon to cover, but his
grief will not be her grief. As he
! sought happiness alone so must he '
i \ bear sorrow."
F A sudden crash caused Mr. Car nth -
i j ers to spring to his feet, and it seethed
II to his bewildered senses as if the wftlls '
! were tumbling about his ears. He bad '
1 overturned the light table with his
i I elbow, and trey and decanter lay jtn
[ i fragments on the carpet. He did not '
s j trouble to pick the pieces up. Not '
•j tbii tie v\as still sleepy ; on, no. Oas- '
i th r _5 U
I if he had never been at any other period ;
lof his life. ' ' '
When the door bell of the stately
mansion gave forth a sudden peal, the
little figure in the dainty blue dress, |
! sitting so demurely in the parlor shojpk
with a nervous tremor, and the delicale
; looking woman resting in one of the '
j easy chairs glanced up with a worried <
- expression in her eyes that brightened | i
, wonderfully when she caught sight of '
i Frank Remson's manly face. <
II " Ho, ho, fine sir, what brings you '
s1 here this hour '. " said a deep vtjfb in j i
i! the hall, and Castleton Carßiers j <
j walked in to the utter astonishment of I i
all present.
J " I might as well tell you, t-ir,' said i
1 Frank, " I have come to ask you for '
) • your daughter." i
■ "Then, Renison,'' said the other, re- i
gardless of Carry's tell-tale roses, "if I
r| in two years you can show me proofs; i
,! that you can maintain in 11
I j comfort, you shall have her for your ; :
I I own. I was not always a rich man
i j myself. The hour my real prosperity ! I
-1 began was the hour my own bride put
1 her hand in mine and promised to share :
-1 my life for better or for worse. To 11
31 look at those pale cheeks one might say
I that it had been for the worse. In the I
Va., j"G r isr__] 19, i88;6.
.1 • «
spring, Mary, we must journey to
i warmer clime and try to coax the rose?
back, that is if a woman has any
to roses who possesses a danghh
gaged to be married."
And as he passed the easy efaa
leaned forward and touched the its of
■ the frail-looking woman, leaving
a lookon the gentle face as ha
been seen there since her own we..
day years before.
Then Castleton Caruthers went
to his own sanctuna; and three hours
later the infant Nc Year standing on
_ie threshold looking la, with yon^
newly acquired glory, beheld - 1
man sitting there, for Castleton (■
ruthers had seen himself as others hatr
seen him, and like a wise man had dej
termined to benefit by the sight.
-•-•-—».-•.
Capital and Labor.
The futility of strikes is becoming so
apparent to the American tradesman
that the day is not far distant when
they will be an institution of the past
A day spent in idleness is a day never
to be recovered. When workmen have
a grievance of which they have joet
cause of complaint they should never
undertake to remedy it by suspending
production. The suspension of pro
duction effects injury to both employer
and employee. According to the old
school of economy and the school now
taught in our leading colleges, the in
crease in the gains of either employer
or employee can only be effected at the
expense of the other. This theory
might suffice for a people who deemed
mankind a failure, who lelieved the
world was flat and aspired to nothing
higher than existence under a good
king. But in a country which has so
much brain power at its command as
is the case with the United States, such
theory will be brushed aside with a
fudge. Observation, statistics and com
monsense prove that the interests of
employer and employee are identical.
Wherever in the world the employer
finds large returns from investment
then also (provided monopoly does not
interfere) the employee also receives
large wages. It matters not where the
country or when the time the
or capitalist and employee earn larje
or small profits together. Wlip*L___l
tal s returns are large or Small in auefv
country the returns of labor are in con
junction large or small. There is no
exception to this rule. In considering
capital the reader must not make the
mistake of confounding it with money.
Should a man possessing one thousand
dollars desire to launch into a stove
business he would exchange his money
for a foundry, implements, etc. After
the money had passed from his posses
sion his capital would be the foundry,
etc. Now apply the rule to this thou
sand dollar foundry man. Whenever
the foundry earned large returns and
was doing a prosperous business the
employees would be meeting with simi
lar results. On this account whenever
a foundryman finds his business unra»
munerative, he should not proceed to
decrease the pay of his help because
such decrease is liable to result in a
suspension of production which would
prove disastrous to both foundry and
help. Nor should the men when they
find their wages unsatisfactory attempt
to increase them by refusing to pro
duce anything. Employer and em
ployee should join hands in an investi
gation of the laws of on our statute
books, which would show that the want
of sufficient remuneration to both em
ployer or capitalist and employee was
the result of rascally acts of legislation
and not directly the fault of either.
Employers generally know no more
about the true cause of business de
pression than their help, because the
right school of economy is as foreign
to him as employee. Employees and
employers should Fpend more time in
studying the laws of trade, and less in
hunting scabs and fighting unions. If
law one another and turn ib< J
I tention to our halls of legislation the/
would discover why the harder thj
times the greater is the luxury enjoyed
by a certain class. — Clarion.
Some ten years ago a union maa
was tried in one of the courts of Lon
don, England, for intimidating a "scab'
for going to work in a strike shop. In
summing up the case against the pris
oner, the prosecuting counsel said:
" According to these unionists a ' scab
is to his trade what a traitor is to his
country : and though both may be use
fill to one party in troublesome timet,
when peace returns they are detested
alike by all, so when help is needed, a
' scab' is the last to contribute assis
tance and the first to grab a benefit he
never labored to secure; he cares oniy
1; for himself, but he sees not beyond th)e
extent of a day, and for worthless appro
bation would betray his friends, his fani
ily and his country. In short, he
traitor on a small scale, who first sella
his fellowmen, and is himself afterwards
i sold in his turn by his employer, until
i at last he is despised by both and de
serted by all. He is an enemy to him
self, to tbe present age, and to pos
i terity."— Ex.
for The Lalior 11. ■
rHEWQaKIKGMAI AHBTHE FARMER
The true end of government of course
should be to give equal protection to |j
I 1 citizens in tt eir efforts to acquire
property, in then pursuit of happiness
; and in the enjoym of life and liberty.
The danger ia that government has
b-on and is evei ikely to be monopo
ed practically by an autocrat, by p_j
garcby, by an aristocracy, or by sortie
i other class, ruit . domination off a
__X3werf_^iinorOv pver the ejreat • m-
•.-,„., v, „f p^j
■cation, v -jAth, or organization.
•* .Yonr labor organizations, primarily i
f designed to protect labor in the
. business relations of life, proposes,
as I understand it, to interfere witb,
politics, (that is, with the affairs' of
civil government,) in their organized
capacity, only so far as may be neces
-1 sary to correct abuses. You are only
' watchful to prevent our republican |
1 government being perverted, as above
■ suggested.
r There is in the efforts of the work
! ing people to secure a better condition
•TH things no danger to the liberties of
r the country, nor to its present or future
I well being. The labor movement is
' defensive, it is for protection. It says:
L "poor labor should not be at the mercy
' of capital, when capital attempts coer
' cively to screw out of human muscle
' maximum service for minimum pay.
r There ought to be, and humanity de
-3 mands there shall be, a limit, beyond
1 which organized capital shall not be |
' allowed to coerce labor, under the
3 pressure of its need of food and rai
> ment!'' Yours is an effort to remedy
* wrongs in the relations of capital and
} labor —a work which humanity and
3 religion commend—and to right abuses
1 of governmental administration, so that
1 it shall no longer be partial and one
" sided ; run in the interest of organized
■ capital and against the interest of the
• unorganized great majority, who are
r not capitalists. Just here it is well to
■ remark that your cause is not the cause
■ of the "laboring man merely, but the
3 cause of all the yeomanry of the coun
-2 try, of each and all of the great family
r of producers in the United States!
| The startling fact is beginning to be
throughout the land, that all
' the workingmen, fartmag—tiion,
" traders, and manufacturers of limited
' capital, are becoming mere "hewers of
> wood and drawers of water "; that the
; possibility of accamidalion is limited
■ to those already rich! The idea is
' becoming too familiar with the great
1 "money kings'' that the laboring classes
' are not equal citizens with themselves.
r The fact that under existing circum
stances they can never accumulate, and
' will remain "poor people," is giving
rapid growth to a sentiment that they
r have no right to accumulate, and that
' the government ought to be so admin
1 istered as to keep them poor. It is
getting too common a thing to see
r legislation shaped to make opportuni
" ties for rich men to get wealth, and for
' making broader and broader the differ
; ence in the chances for accumulation,
1 enjoyed by organized wealth on the
' one hand, and by (poor) brain and
1 (poor) muscle on the other. The town
' mechanic, from being employed half
' his time, at wages barely adequate to
' live, finds no chance to save a dollar; I
" so the farmer, with a tax on tobacco, i
(kept there to give the profits of manu j
* facture to big, rich operators, to the j
■ exclusion of the small manufacturers,) j
" finds he can't save a cent. The labor
-1 ing man finds that, by contraction of;
1 the currency, money has ceased to fill
• its legitimate mission, of a medium of
3 exchange. It has become dearer an? i
hence more valuable than anything to
5 be bought or sold—more valuable than
1 any product of labor, or of the soil—
' so that all enterprise is destroyed, all
1 business paralyzed. Although with th*
5 few dollars he gets he can buy mett
' and bread cheaper than before, hfis
*f aily
r the*i*r.'»ST find the same.
A farmer encounters certain liS
■ charges—wear and tear of buildinSß
' and fences, of wagons, tools, auW
teams —feeding of teams and labor,!
taxes, commissions, freight and dray-1
i age, &c. These, in any event, and at |
- any price, consume the major part of'
' his product. If on the little surplus
I he ships, he can get a good price, he j
- can pay for bis gnano, and have some
: thing left; if he cannot, he must go in
i debt, and defend a suit by the guano
9 merchant.
" Money too dear," is the fatal dis
~ ease unaer which the labor and the
\ yeomanry of America languish to day.
j, Labor is made of no account by com
i- parison with the golden calf. So also
c is land, and so too alike is the product
y of labor, and the product of land,
c Are legislators concerned to give
v labor a permanent value, or land a per
- manent value, or any product of land,
aor of labor, a permanent value! No !
s no!! no!!! The ary is don't lessen
s the value of my dollar! Don't make
il your 80 cent silver of equal dignity
i- with my lustrous gold dollar ! What
i- is that gold dollar of itself? It is
i- but a bauble. 'Tis true, 'tis pretty.
So are many other things in this beau-1
tifuh_world. Your sentiment, that
the ■ederal government has no
r *?fc'# to delegate to corporations
tie sirred trust of making money,
delegated to it by the people,
'; ■ I'.or-ict. Corporations have a mighty
.. tbrest, to induce spasmodic contrac
tioiAnd expansions of currency, just
as (By may wish to buy up cheaply or
lo ■-■ again at a profit, the accumula
tioiiß of others.
I'• As an impartial medium between
buyer and seller the gi rarnoMat should
"\ Ike value of the dollar, and put its
md send it forth. No
-—BHBtw'C' - but th. 'guv—>"ient shov 1
to "coin" (or crei^i/j
i m^ i 'It can issue its own pijper
the'people, without interest: ;
j ttste f paying the banks three and !
1 four cerit. interest for suppljing
the i c W j*h p ft p er money. Of bank
mom t . <» u j e f basis of value is the
publ ifidence, that the government
w iH ' A tho bank to secure its note !
! hold,
* - coinage law will leave the
greal 0 f supply and demand to
reH the amount of money out
8 t . and there should be no other
" E In all this the laborer and
I have a common interest,
rganize and work together, |
it that their representatives |
d faithful, neither suscepti
ilurements, nor afraid of the
' organized capital,
ganization is a patriotic
h the times demand. No j
idicule, no threats of ostra
i employment, loss of busi-'
herwise, should arrest the
>vement for free, pure, and
iment for all the people of
country. Nowhere on the
the beneficence of the Al
n more grandly displayed
n this noble heritage with j
is blessed us. For its pre
n all, its glory, we cannot!
ose whose avarice and cv- j
their eyes to the rights of i
: e must depend on the
sarts and patriotic voices of
isk for "neither poverty nor
only that they and theirs
■'with food convenient for
other words, the hope of
ibra" is in tnose of her sons
tiieEiselves ouly wfc_U—NH
others, the free and full en
a free and happy country!
il and just laws, faithfully
ily administered for the good
for the oppression of none!
Vox Populi.
Justice.
ons desiring a nice, clean
le hands of skilled artists,
at the Aiodel Palace of J.
, No. 10 N. Seventeenth st.
d leeching perfectly done.
froiTthTcountry, i
The Labor Herald:
your columns have the
of the workingmen been
md in a great measure is
ctory due to The Labor
low we country boys ask
ye us space to make com
e management of the Rich
ite Company,
remember that some weeks
ien here struck for better
the relief was in a measure
md now we see that the
lent here has stuck up a
ollows: All employees who
nselves without permission
;r themselves suspended or
Thus we see this little
I autocrat says that the workingman who
( from any cause may be detained away i
I from tho work one day is suspended or
. discharged. We believe this is one of
[i Hm ways the little autocrat has of get
ting ev«n with the members of the
Knights of Labor because we struck, \
and he has a chance to spit out his
nay last month four
men were discharged because
Hie says their actions to one of his,
I scabs was such that the aforesaid !
the works, and the only thing
Hruith, the little autocrat, and his
WjHftab complained of was that the
Iwesaid colored men acted cool to the !
f'' w ;te scab, or in other words would
i i ho. associate with a man who was cut
i tin ti honest men's wages. Now, the
. me i \ ho labor on these works are men
i, wr .uls in their body, and say that !
i! "a ,nry to one is the concern of all,"
a n at Smith is an enemy to the toil
in' isses, although he claims to have
ij be i me of us, but we think he has
.gr v too big for his pants. We ask
is the kind of concerns that the
»j n< y government will contract with.
k' W ■ ink not; and if the Richmond
tGi « Company wants men to study
jth nterest, they must look to ours.
- Ti me, Mr. Smith and the Richmond
, Gu_p« Company, have changed—this
! i i ogressive Bge. Richmond city
l has < anged her city government, and
3' the >:'ing masses will hereafter be
f reim * ated in the city government,
b We i '.-on gentlemen who make your
i | living | j other men's sweat of the
. | brow, to take due notice and govern
-1 yourselves accordingly. A Laborer.
THE BRICK-MAKERS' STRIKE.
Editor of The Labor Herald:
Sir :—Will you allow us, the Mould
ers' Union, to say a few words in your
valuable columns in regard to the strike
in Manchester, an account of which i
was published in the Dispatch of June
Bth 1 We desire to make the following
statement: 1 hey say we mould 3,000
bricks, lay them out one day and gather ;
them up ntxt moruit g befi re starting!
another d*j'i (..,!, For the correction |
of ?' Leoien' we refer ihe public
to 'Vrtx. ". ._
"'■ . iiilord, the general
ma.agey oi .iii. George E Bedford's
j yad. lie will make acknowledgment
!(o these facts: That we are required to
:be on the brickyard at daybreak to
make 3,000 bricks in the space of four
or five hours, remaining there until
four o'clock in the afternoon before we
can get the bricks up that we made the
day before. This makes fourteen hours
! that we have to be in their employment
; for the small trifle of $1.50 to the
moulder, $1 '25 to the wheeler, $1 to
the bearer, and 25 cents lo the mould
washer.
In the seven yards of Manchester
\ there are enly two white stock-brick
j makers, and they, you may say, have
just come here. These white stock
brick men get $2 25 per day to make ;
and press 1,000 bricks, while the colored
men get $1.30 to do the same. Now,
the reason is very explicit why it is that
l they are not in the strike. It is be- j
j cause they are getting their just de- j
: mands. Allusion is made to Rocketts, I
where there are only three white stock
brick makeis, and they use colored
help.
Every paving brick made and every
brick of any description that you see
in your beautiful buildings in Richmond
is made by colored mechanics. Look
|at the Mozart Hall, on Eighth street,
! between JYanklin and Grace, aud see
: those model bricks made by John L.
Brown, a colored man, who was in the
employment of Mr. G. E. Redford.
Now, we say, as a Moulders' Union,
and belonging to the Knights of Labor,
thac the prime cause of the strike is
just thil: We took the proper steps to
preventkt; bnt tee to what course our
employdßl resorted to down us—ap
poll.1 " M« 4 J.-BlaMJUua. -a*?, «- com
mittec*fi fight for them, thej knowing
him to (be a Knight. They thought,
very probably, that we wonld agree to
anything he said, as he was a Knight;
but this brother made such unieason
able propositions for our acceptance—
to make 3,800 bricks for a day's work,
something never known in this locality
or any other locality. He did not ask
us to aibitrate the natter, and as Mr.
J. J. Blantou uses boycotted coal to
run Lis engine at his yaid, we do not
think we could arbitia'e with such a
Knight, who is doing a 1 in his power
to down labor, so we shut down for $5
a day per table.
We say further, for public iuforma
tion, that the time for commencing and
ending work in these yards is from
April 20 to October 20. Now we say,
in the course of this time, we are sub
jected to all of the inclement weather.
Then comes the stormy winters and we
are left to go without any employment
whatever. Some few of us are em
ployed to dig clay at eight cents per
cubic yard, and at such work we can
only average about forty cents a day.
Some weeks those clay banks are so
frozen up that it would be an impossi
bility for an iron wedge driven from
above with the power of seven claps of
thunder to make a hole in them.
Excuse us for going eff handed like
for what we want you to know is this:
The most of these yards turn out
54,000 (common) brick, exclusive of
their press brick; the remainder of
them turn out 72,000 (common) brick,
exclusive of their press brick. These
common brick sell for one cent apiece
when burnt, or $1 per hundred, and
projbahjy fifty cents cheaper when scld
by. __ Now yon see blioiud
we have accepted the committee's
| proposition we would have been making
! eight dollars more for our employers.
j and out of that eight dollars they
agreed to give us one dollar and they
J take seven dollars profit for their share
I We asked them for no more work, but
more money on the work we are doing
already. Now pray tell us what justice
there is in any such proposition as that
, submitted for our acquiescence ?
We are very proud to say for the
gratification of the public that some
of the brick manufacturers are willing
to pay ns our just demands, and want
their yards to go on to work.
Very respectfully yours,
. Moulders Union.
Were it possible to obtain reliable
statistics as to the amount of money
lost to the wageworkers of this country
during the past year for strikes alone,
we believe that the efforts of the labor
leaders to discourage workingmen from
resort(ing to this method in order to
redress their grievances would be
materially advanced. The mere matter
of succeeding, after an idleness of four
or five months, in advancing wages $1
or $2 per week is not a very profitable
| victory.— Tocsin.
PRICE 5 CENTS
NORFOLK LETTER.
Norfolk, Va., June 13, 1886.
Dear Sir and Brother :—Permit me
to congratulate you as a member of the
General Executive Board. I feel that
it is a recognition of the Knights in
Virginia. Our Assembly (4380) num
bers over GOO members, and is con
stantly being added to. We are going
to organize a District soon and hope to
attached.
Theirecent labor troubles have done
us inn ense. good. 7* •<■ now admitted
"*' 5 aud moral
f * .. onu> c, rauhnflSß
ana all thai follow.- in consequence can
neither share ipclicy nor conduct one
after it has devised. The educa
tion of the a f ud* and temperament of
the working pt. pie to a full apprecia
tion of their condition, and to develop
a fair and just remedy is our only
hope.
The politicians met us in a body as
organized clubs, with clubs and pistols
and took forcible possession of the
Hall. We carried the city for our
Council by a large majority, but were
defrauded in the count, as we had
been robbed of the most sacred right
of citizers—to meet in order to pro
mote our interests. W. H. G.
Two Kinds.
Two kinds of Knights of Labor are
designated. The first one is the man
that attends all the meetings of his
Assembly, gives his views on all ques
tions coming- before the meeting, and
if he is in the minority he will acqui
esce with the majority. This man is
never heard on the street corners, the
workshop, or the saloon, speaking of
the officers or the resolutions passed
in that meetii g. This man is aK. of
L. from principle and for the love
he bears his fellow man. The second
is a man who joins a labor organization,
pays his regular monthly dues, and
makes a flimsy excuse to absent himself
from the meetings. This is the man
you will find on the street corners, in
the workshops, or in the saloons speak
ing disrespectfully of the officers and
the men who attend the meetings and
make the laws to assist suffering hu
manity. It is time for all the working
men of thi country to stand side by
attend thel|jjfceting» of their respective
assemblies, and become versed in the
laws.
The iron manufacturers of this
country are banded together in one
great organization, the steel man
ufacturers in another, the coal ope
rator in another and cotton and wool
manufacturers in another organization.
These men don't denounce their officers
when a meeting of any of these organi
za'ions is called. These men all attend
Ihe meetings. Workingmen should
consider well the propriety of attending
the meetings of their Assemblies. No
man is a true Knight simply because he
pays his monthly dues. That shows
that he wants protection from a labor
organization, but it don't that he is a
K. of L 7 TSajy for principle or the love
he owes his fellow men.— Budget.
The Pulpit.
In his sermon upon the labor ques
tion Rev Dr. Strobridge, of the Eigh
teenth Street Methodist Episcopal
Chircb, said that to solve the labor
pnblem one of three things must be
doae. "We must turn vandals and
smash all machinery," he said, "or
trra savages and kill off the Bur
pus, or turn Christians and decrease
tie hours of labor." The last alterna
tive, he thought, would be accepted,
md the law of the new civilization
would be : " Thou shalt love thy neigh
oor as thjself,'' and its motto would
be: "From each according to his abili
ties ; to each according to his wants."
In the courie of his remarks Dr.
Stiobridge described a bread riot at
Veisailles, France, and told the story
of the nripc(ss who exclaimed., when
| crying for bread,
"Why do eat cake? " This
story was imlfe than one young man
; in the congregation could quietly bear,
so he relieved himself with a hearty
but partly horrified " Ha, ha!" The
interruption had a convulsive effect
upon the choir.— N. Y. Times.
Customer (in restaurant) —"Waiter,
this chicken soup has feathers in it."
Waiter—" Yes, sah. If yo' want soap
made outen chickens dat am old 'nough
to be bald, Bah, yo' '11 have to go to
some odder'stablishmenf'— N. Y. Sun.
Organized Labor's Best Weapon.
Therefore we have formed the order
of the Knights of Labor, for the pur
pose of organizing and directing the
i power of the industrial masses, not as
; a political party, for it is more—in it
are cry s tali zed sentiments and measures
for the benefit of the whole people, but
should it be bofte in mind, when exer
cising ths_Wgm of suffrage that most
of tbe objects herein set forth can only
be obtained through legislation, and
that it is the duty of all to assist in
nominating and supporting with their
i votes only such candidates as will
pledge their support to those measures,
; recardless of nartv.— Ex.
