The Labor herald., May 22, 1886, Image 2

About The Labor herald. (Richmond, Va.) 1885-18??

Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

                
The Labor Herald.
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY AT
823 MAIN STREET.
WM. H. MULLEN.
J AS. A. HEALY. PERRY JONES.
j no. m. isms. JR..
Publishers and Proprietors.
WM. H. MULLEN. Editor.
j r m W -- - '
KATES OF SUBSCBH'TION :
One copy, one year, - - - »1 00
Advertising rates furnishat on application.
PUBLISHERS' NOTICE.
To THR Public :
We invite corresi>ondence from all parts of tlie
United States, especially that ill regard to work
ingmen.
All communications should "be short, concise
an<l to the point, and accompanied l>y full name
and address of the contributor.
A ddresses of subscribers will he changed from
one postofflce to another as often as desired.
Mr. H. M. Tkimbll is authorised to solicit sub
script ions, advertisements and jot' work, and col
ect for same.
Entered at the Postofflce at Richmond, Va., as
second-class matter.
SATURDAY, MAY 22, 188 C.
ASK NO MAN WHETHER HE
IS A DEMOCRAT OR A REPUR
LICAN, A PROTESTANT OR A
CATHOLIC, BUT ASK HIM DOES
HE ACCEPT THE PLATFORM OF
NOT HE S IS YOURTOLmCAL
ENEMY.
KNIGHTS OF LABOR, DO NOT
BE AFRAID OF POLITICS. STAND
SHOULDER TO SHOULEDR IN
SUPPORT OF THE MEN THAT
STAND BY YOUR PLATFORM IN
CONGRESS AND IN THE LEGIS
LATURE, NO MATTER WHAT
THEIR PARTY, NATIONALITY OR
RELIGION. THIS YOU MUST DO
OR FOREVER BE THE SLAVES
YOU ARE. KNIGHTHOOD MEANS
JUSTICE TO EVERY HUMAN
SOUL; PARTISAN POLITICS
MEANS POVERTY AND SLAVERY
TO THE MASSES WHO TOIL.
R. F. TREVELLJ.CK.
Boy gtt Baughman Brothers. \
Boycott old New Market Tiller.
Shobteb hours means longer life.
The days of ringism are numbered.
Make a note of the black listed coal
dealers.
Lend your influence for a total aboli
tion of Sunday work.
Do not follow the " sore heads " who
went into the primary.
We will have more pickles and less
tea in the new city Council.
Are you a freeman ? If so, cast your
vote for the anti-ring candidates.
You can have this paper sent regu.
larlf to you for one dollar a year.
Herk Most and Jay Gould are " two
souls with but a single thought"—
gain.
Wm. H. Williams, "got,left" in the
primary I Well, well, wellt,! Yes, very
well.
Punch and Pickles. A new pair of
comedians who will rival the Major and
Judge.
Workinomex, go to the polls on elec
tion-day and work for the downfall of
ring rule.
The laundry girls of Troy, N. V., are
on a strike. What will the dudes do
for clean linen.
On primary election day it rained,
but on the general election day we will
have a storm.«.
By the time of the next congressional
election every workingman in the State
will be organized.
Buy co-operative soap, it is good
soap, and owned and controlled by
Knights of Labor.
Workingmen, if you desire to free
yourselves from oppression cast your
votes for the Reform ticket.
The citizens' ticket represents the
nobles work of God—honest men. The
primary ticket the moss gatherers.
Abuse and slanders cannot deter the
people from casting their voteß for the
anti-ring candidates for the Council.
The contest next Thursday may be
styled in court: " Pickles vs. The Same
Old Kettle of Botten Cabbage Heads.'
One hundred and ninety thousand
employees have secured shorter hours
since May first Let the good work
• RO on. ,
"Breathes there a man with soul so
dead, who never to himself hath said,' 1
we must redeem our city—from the
grasp of ring-rule and cdrruptuJu 1
The I>ispatrh, as a general thing, is
like the old woman at prayer-meeting:
sorter so, and sorter not so; a Uttle
more sorter not so than it is sorter so.
Let every workingman take holiday
on the 26th. This is the birthday of
better times, and the day on which the
funeral of ring rule and bulldozing will
be preached.
Let every workingman in this city,
and'every friend of the workingmen,
cast an honest ballot on the 27th for
a reform in the management of our city
government.
Send twenty-five cents to this office
for a handsome cabinet photograph of
General Master Workman Powderly,
the greatest labor reformer and worker
in the world.
Let the workingmen and their
friends be " bolters " on election day.
But let it be on account of the way
they bolt to the polls to vote the hon
est reform ticket.
A sad spectacle—A workingman with
a ring in his nose being led up to the
polls to vote for a ticket representing
those who would crush him out of ex
istence if they could.
The ticket has been nominated, now
throw your mud, and drive the work
ingmen to adopt the boycott plan on i
election day. We would like to see
this avoided if possible.
The gentlemen on the reform ticket
will immediately proceed to build the
City Hall after their election, and this
alone will bring thousands to the
pockets of our merchants.
i
The workingmen have made no effort
to capture any of the salaried offices.
This is a new departure in this city.
Nine times out of ten all that party
men want is the salaried offices.
If our merchants desire to see the
City Hall built and see our city me
chanics employed and have money to
spend in their stores, let them vote the
citizens' reform ticket.
Read the platform laid down by the
workingmen's convention and Mil us
what fault you have to find with it Is
it extravagant, or does it sound like the
work of sore heads ?
The City Council that will be elected
next Thursday will advance Rich
mond at least twenty years on the road
of prosperity. The citizens' reform
ticket will be elected by 3,000 majority.
Can the Democratic preasMj&gd to
|gg| iC &Jiu.J ) )./i.. IMC!'j|^^«*j#
this city for refusing to cast theft votes
for men who have so long misrepre
sented the people ? We think not.
When the gentlemen on the citizens'
ticket shall enter upon the discharge of
their duties as Councilmen and Alder
men, we may expect to see a number
of citizens take their departure for
Canada.
The only fault that can be found
with gentlemen on the citizens' ticket
is that they have dared to defy the ring
that have controlled Richmond for
years, and still claim the right as a
heritage.
Workingmen have been doing the
voting and hurrahing for professional
politicians long enough; it is time now
for them to vote and hurrah for them
selves and those who will respect their
rights.
We receive letters and requests every
week to make The Labor Herald a
daily, and hope yet to be able to give
our friends what they so much desire
—an independent, outspoken daily
paper.
If a murder was to occur in Rich
mond, and an expose of it would injure
the Democratic party, our citizens
would have to buy the New York
World to find out the particulars, un
less the Herald should get hold of it.
Notice.—There will be a meeting of
the workingmen of Clay Ward in the
interest of the " Reform Council Tick
et," &c, at Tholl's Hall, No. 700 West
Broad street, to-night (Saturday) at 8
P. M. sharp. Let all interested attend.
It would have been much easier for
the workingmen of this city to have
elected candidates for the geiiei-jl offices
than for the Council, but they wished
to show to the people of this city that
they were seeking legislation, not
offices.
The fever of reform seems to be
spreading in every direction. Liberty
and Petersburg have caught the dis
ease. God grant it may become con
tagious all over the country and take
hold of every branch of national, State
and municipal government.
Mr. M. F. Hudnall, candidate on
the Reform ticket in Monroe RrVd
is a collar manufacturer and a most ex
cellent gentleman. The people of that
ward will find in him a man who is
capable and willing to serve them faith
fully.
The Dispatch does Mr. Smith an in
justice in assuming that a majority of
the Workingmen's Convention were
Lee men. Equally as many, if not
more, of the friends of Mr. Smith as
the friends of Mr. Lee favored placing
both names on the ticket. .
The two thousand eight hundred—
out of thirteen thousand—voters who
voted in the primary will support the
primary ticket next Thursday. The
kettle of fish will be much smaller than
the jar of pickles.
Nothing tickles the editors of King
Press more than to know that they
have frightened some poor ignorant
workingman into voting for the ring
ticket by raising the cry of Republican
ism and Mahoneism.
We understand that the ringmasters
propose buying up enough colored
I voters to defeat the people's candi
dates, but we believe they will
the colered people are not so willing to
sell themselves as they think.
The Whig say the Citizens' Reform
Ticket hopes to catch enough suckers
to make it win. This is a nice name
,to dub workingmen with. " Evil to
him that evil thinkest" A sucker
(whatever that may be) imagines others
are suckers.
The female Assembly of Danville is
about to start a co operative under
! wear establishment. This is a good
move. After we elect our Council
ticket we will pay more attention to
co-operation in Richmond than we have
i done in the past.
It is said a large number of the an
archists who sacked a drug store in
Chicago during the late riot were fa
tally poisoned by drinking what they
' took to be liquor in some of the bot
; ties. It was not bread and meat they
' were looking for.
What does the Kinny Tobacco Com
pany mean by sending to Durham, N.
i\ C, promising to give employment to
i all cigarette makers that will come to
• i Richmond, and after they get here take
j the letter away from them and tell
I them their services are not needed ?
In speaking of the fraud practiced in
,he last primary, we had no idea of re
lecting upon Messrs. Hooper and
Scott, two Judges at the Westham pre
cinct We have never heard a word in
any way reflecting upon the efficiency
and honesty of these two gentlemen.
A candidate on the Primary ticket
in Monroe Ward was one of the lead
ers in getting up the famous Citizens
Meeting, in which resolutions were
adopted denouncing the workingmen
of this city as outlaws. Of course the
workingmen will vote for this candi
date.
Although the ring-masters made
every effort to bring out the voters at
the primary it turned out to be a com
plete failure. A prominent member of
the ring was heard to remark that the
result of the primary satisfied him that
I chances of electing its nominees
perfectly hopeless,
is all bosh to preach to working- |
the doctrine that they should not
die in politics. Until they do
tldle " in politics the convict con
; system will never be abolished,
the law forbidding the importation
reign labor under contract will be
ad letter. j
An effort is being made to indue/ j
employers to intimidate their '
by threatening to] discharge them *if"
tiey vote the Reform ticket, especially j
restaurant and barkeepers. These men
have too much at stake to attempt this
Kgame, and every instance of the
will be promptly exposed.
Mr. Strasser, President of the Ci.
garmakers' International Union, calls
Bro. Powderly a mechanic and Bro.
Turner a grocer and landlord. There
is no title he could have given Bro.
Powderly that would have pleased him
more. How Turner admires being
called a landlord we are not prepared
to say.
Nearly all the candidates on the Re
form ticket have been waited upon by
committees from the ring, asking them
to withdraw. But these gentlemen have
treated their appeals with the utmost
contempt. They are determined to
stand by the men who placed them on
that ticket
We have received a copy of a paper
called the Non- Unionist, advocating
the abolition of all trade Unions and
the K. of L. The proprietors of that
journal will do us the favor not to send
any more of their trash to this office.
It is not worthy the notice of the im
ported pauper labor of Europe, much
less honest white men.
Every effort will be made to get up
a bogus Republican ticket, so as to
frighten Democratic workingmen into
line, and we understand that a move
ment is now on foot to get enough
Republicans to compose a ticket for
this purpose. Do not be frightened by
such tricks. Stand firm and all will be
well.
Some fashionable young ladies of
Richmond have asked the question
how our honest working girls get to
and from their Assembly meetings;
who escorts them home, and such like
impertinent questions. They are es
corted and protected by honest men,
and not by hollow-headed dudes, who
carry their all on their backs and whirl
toy canes at euchre parties, Germans,
and fashionable beer parlors for ladies.
The General Assembly is composed
ol about three hundred delegates, each
delegate representing one thousand
Knights.— Whig.
The Whig evidently knows more
about making punches than it does
about the General Assembly. At the
Hamilton, Ont, Session there were
three delegates from Virginia, while the
membership in Virginia Was about
eighteen thousand.
We could have no better sign of
weakness on the part of the " ring " than
that they have placed the names of
prominent workingmen, whom they
knew to be thoroughly identified with
this movement, on their committees
and among their club officers, hoping
thereby to deceive the workingmen.
Several of these gentlemen were mem
bers of the Workingmen's Convention,
and have the utmost contempt for the
Rump.
Bro. Campbell has returned from
a trip to Lynchburg and Danville,
where he has been working in the in
terest of our co operative soap factory.
The result of his visit was very satis
factory. All the Assemblies subscribed
to shares, and nearly every merchant
in the two cities ordered a stock s4
soap. Now let Petersburg and Nor-'
folk take stock in the factory, and after
they have become part owners let them
use no other soap.
A few workingmen, in violation of
the decision of their brother workmen,
allowed themselves to be used as decoy
ducks in the primary and are now sore
because they were not endorsed by the
workingmen's convention. Of course
they were nominated in the primary.
The machinery was fixed for that pur
pose and they had to be nominated if
some one else must be sacrificed for
that purpose, as was the case in one
ward. Many workingmen were offered
this tempting bate, but had the man
hood to decline it.
When the State speaks of the work
ingmen endorsing some of the primary
candidates, it is, no doubt, not aware
of the fact that nine-tenths of these
candidates, seeing that their chances
were hopeless, sought this endorse
ment, and their letters and signatures
to papers can be shown if necessary.
Of course the workingmen were onlj'
looking for good men to represent the
people, and if they could be found
among the primary nominees they were
j willing to accept them.
The ring-masters have employed men
to go among the people and wilfully j
find maliciously misrepresent the gen
tlemen whose names appear on the j
Reform ticket They tell the colored
people that the ticket is composed of
Democrats, and they tell the white peo
that the ticket is composed of Repub
licans. Watch out for these white
livered scoundrels, who are paid to do ;
this dirty work. They have various !
ways in which to approach you, but j
the best way for you to approach them
is to spit in their faces.
The clerks of our city are moving in j
the right direction in agitating the
closing of stores at G o'clock, except on
Saturdays. Let our people do their
shopping before six o'clock in the even
ing and thereby show their sympathy
for the overworked clerks. There is
little difficulty in the way of securing
shorter hours for the clerks of our re
tail stores, as all who would refuse to
join such an arrangement would be
come very unpopular with the purchas
ing public, and their stores would be
shunned during all hours of the day.
Progress Assembly proposes to hold
a fair some time next month. Let all
join in to aid the young ladies in this
enterprise who are battling so nobly to
improve the condition of their se.\
are called on to labor for their d?^B
bread. There are many young girls in
this city who are toiliDg early and late
to provide for aged parents the neces
saries of life, and every encouragement
should be given them to lighten their
burden and cast sunshine upon the
dark road they have been called on to
tread. A young girl could undertake
no holier mission than that of provid
ing for dependent loved ones.
An old Richmond boy, now residing
in Washington, and a staunch Demo
crat, writes us a letter protesting
against the editorial in last Saturday's
Whig. He says: " I wish to enter
my solemn protest as a workingman
and a Democrat against any such
editorials as appeared in last Saturday's
Whig. I am heartily in sympathy
with the Independent Democratic
movement, because I think it about
time old Richmond awakened up from
the long sleep that seems to have over
taken her, and that young, enterprising
men should take hold aud steer the
helm of the old ship." We regret we
cannot publish the entire letter.
When Mr. Powderly says never use
the boycott until every other effort hae
failed, the monopolistic press praise
him and call him a gifted man, bul
when Powderly says the workingmen
have a more powerful weapon in the
ballot than in powder and ball, the
press is quiet. They have no comment
to make on the proper exercise of the
ballot in the hands of workingmen.
The Republican party teach that it if
better to vote for a dishonest Repnbli
can than an honest Democrat, and the
Democratic party teach that a dishonest
Democrat is preferable to an honest
Republican. The main object is to re
ward those who are in the ring, and
positions are used as a commodity with
which to pay the party workers with.
Richmond, Va., May 19, 1880.
Editor The Labor Herald :
The slurring local in the ZKtpmtei
of to-day in regard to the Independent
Ticket should call for a reply of a char
acter suitable to the occasion. Was it
not for fear, the Dispatch would be
your greatest enemy. Policy keeps it
in the traces. Jefferson Ward.
Don't let anything the Dispatch maj
say worry you. When the Dispatch
predicts fair weather, it rains; when
they predict rainy weather the sue
shines. For the J>ispatch to say the
Independent ticket will be defeated it
worth a thousand votes. The people
do not expect the Dispatch to say any.
thing but what it has said. You car
read the editorials of the Dispatch be
fore it is issued, if anything occurs cal
culated to break the chain that holds
the ring together.
Every policeman, every fireman, every
employee of the city gas and watei
works, and, in fact, every employee oi
the city is interested in the success oi
the party whose motto is to make
moral worth the true standard, and
teaches as a cardinal principle a fail
day's pay for a fair day's work. The
only class who are not interested in re
form are those favored pets who hold
soft situations at good pay and short
hours. The primary nominees are oi
that'class who believe in paying a pettj
clerk §1,200 or $15,00 per year foi
four or five hours easy work per day.
but refuse to restore ten per cent, tc
the salary of our police, who enconntei
every hardship and danger in the dig,
charge of their duty. Let us ha-ve s
more equitable scale of prices for citj
employees, and let all be paid for the
labor they perform.
The Richmond State says the citi
zens' ticket is a jar of mixed pickles,
No doubt it is as sour to the State an
pickles would be, and puts the editor's
teeth on edge to "chaw it." But dc
not fret yourself unnecessarily aboul
these pickles, we have plenty of salt te
save them, and will see that they an
kept solid and never become so rotter
as the cabbage heads they are to sue
ceed. These pickles are the nominees
of the honest, hardworking sons of toi
—the men who make governors, con
gressmeD, and legislators, and somt
who are now so large mouthed in then
effort to uphold an old broken dowi
tub of corruption and shortsightednest
may yet be willing to run their bane
in and take all these pickles to then
bosom they can get. They will have
an appetite for pickles then. But bj
your history and record you shall be
known.
The Richmond Whig apologizes foi
calling the citizens' ticket the " work
ingmen's ticket,'' and then grows poet
j ical to the extent of four lines. Its
poetry is composed ot sugar, lemon,
vater and whiskey, which is about the
arerage composition of the monopolis
tc press. One would imagine that the
*mr ingredients named by the editor
J the Whig had exerted more influ
a cc over him than it is proper to allow
such things to do while endeavoring to
educate the public mind, from the ram
bling and awkward manner in which
he handles his pencil. The same train
of thought seems to follow him, and a
few Unes further he suggests as a name
for our ticket "The Punch Ticket."
Did he ever see any of the candidates
of this ticket standing at the Capitol
hydrant at one o'clock Saturday night
with a bottle of whiskey in his hand,
leaking punches ? He might have no
t red the ticket without letting his ap
atite dictate so much of his editorial.
But we accept the suggestion to call it
p "Punch Ticket" for it will punch out
the ringsters and punch in honest, so
ber, progressive men in their places,
and this is just th« kind of punch the
city of Richmond needs at present
We would give this advice to the work
ingmen and their friends: Punch, boys
punch ; punch with care; and punch
the ringsters to the rear. To the Whis
we wouW say: Do not punch so much,
Richmond Dispatch, a papei
takes a stand on one side 01
' the other of any public question, bnl
generally waits for the result to be an
nounced and then cries out, " We kney
it; we told you so," has actually mus
tered the courage to announce its posi
tion as to the contest in this city next
Thursday. It is the same old cry
" Support the party; " " look out foi
Republican wedges entering in ;" " fol
low the old path ;'' " praise the bridgt
that has carried you over safe," and
such like stereotyped phrases as thai
paper has indulged in as a genera
thing, when a political question arises
but which never takes a stand on anj
other question. Yes, support the party
if you find a Democrat stealing, hide i
from the public; if an ex convic
was nominated in the primary yoi
should " follow the old path " and vott
for him, because he is on the regular
Democratic ticket. Shut your eyes t<
merit and worth, bury an honest mai
in order tc elevate a thief, if the honesi
man is opposed to you in national poli
tics. This is the rottenness that hai
been preached to the people of Rich
mond for years in order to frightei
them into supporting corrupt men anc
perpetuate ring rule. You will fine
out who has depleted the city treasurj
and who have squandered and misap
plied the people's money, and who have
played high-handed poker with the
city's revenues when we have a Council
that will let the axe fall, regardless oi
who gets hurt. It is all good enough
to cry Republican at any body of men
who dare to oppose ring and clique
management of the city, but while yon
•.re crying this nonsense the regular
t rimary nominees (some of them) are
using every effort to buy votes from
•"Republicans and engaging Republican
leaders to help them ride into office on
the regular Democratic ticket, and ii
they can be bought with money, as
many Republican votes will be cast for
the regular ticket as for the reform
ticket. The men whmo we have nomina
ted desire reform and if elected will
have it The men the Dispatch is
blowing the horn for do not desire re
form, if they did, tre irould have had it,
for they are the same old kettle of fish.
A STRONG TICKET.
The ticket chosen by the Working
men's Convention is in every way
creditable to the gentlemen composing
that representative body and is worthy
of the support of all who favor good
government.
Composed, as it is, of workingmen,
merchants and business men generally
who are interested in the material pros
perity of our city, it naturally recom
mends iuself to all classes of our citizens
and affords our people a good oppor
tunity to rebuke men who have totally
disregarded their interests and turned
a deaf ear to their appeals for needed
legislation.
The name of the ticket is very ap
propriate and vividly reminds us of the
wholesale corruption and misgovern
ment with which this city has been
cursed for so many long years.
It reminds us of the fact that more
than four years ago the people of this
city voted for an appropriation of three
hundred thousand dollars to build a
City Hall. Nearly one hundred thou
sand dollars of this money has been ex
pended and yet we see no signs of the
new hall. Besides this the city has
Mt>een at a heavy expense on account oH
rents for the different departments ol
Government. As is usual, just before
an election, the City Council now seems
interested in this subject. This seem
ing interestedness will only last until
alter the election; then the question
will be allowed to slumber for two
years more, when another hundred
thousand dollars will have been spent
and so on until the whole appropriation
is exhausted.
It reminds us of the fact that a few
years ago, when Mr. R. B. Chaffin
took his seat in the Board of Aldermen
he asked for an investigation, which
was refused, that promised to reveal to
the public untold frauds perpetrated
upon the people, and partially explain
to our citizens how it is that poor men
became rich in a few years by being
members of the Council. There were
too many prominent citizens interested
in this investigation, and consequently
Mr. Chaffin found himself in a hopeless
minority, with every obstacle thrown
in his way, and he was finally forced to
give up his meritorious work. These
frauds still remain unexposed and
should the Reform Ticket be elected,
as we confidently believe it will, there
need not be any surprise if many of
these "prominent citizens" find the
climate of Canada more congenial to
their health than that of Richmond.
Ex-Councilmen are manfully coming to
the front in defence of their brethren
of the ring. " Dead men tell no tales,"
neither can the people until they get a
peep at the books.
Yes, "Reform" is an appropriate
name for this ticket and let all who
have the interests of the city at heart
give it their hearty support We know
that the political machinery of this city
is in the hands of the ring. We know
that the committee composed of a few
lawyers, office holders and their friends,
purporting to represent the Democratic
party, have totally disregarded the
wishes of the masses of that party in
ordering a primary and are now en
deavoring to use the party lash to whip
the freemen of this city into supporting
men who have trampled upon their
rights, disregarded their interests and
treated their appeals with the utmost
contempt We know that the press of
this city is using its power to shield
this corrupt clique, and is endeavoring
by abuse and insulting epithets to
frighten the Domocratic voters of this
city into voting for men whom the
editors of these papers cannot endor*3
themselves. They know that these
»"iaare disregarded tite interests of
jpple and should he defeated, but
for party purposes they are forced
to give them their support. We know
that the enemies of the workingmen
have liberally subscribed to a fund to
be used in defence of the ring and they
expect to buy up both white and colored
voters as if they were so many cattle.
But God forbid that any workingmen
should sell their birthright for a mess
of pottage. This money will burn a
hole in his pocket and the stamp of
shame will be branded upon his fore
head forever and he will be too mean
to associate with dogs. Yes, under the
circumstances, knowing as they do that
all their interests are at stake—that
their enemies are straining every nerve
to crush them out—workingmen voting
the primary ticket must be looked upon
with suspicion and they_ will find it
j quite difficult to convince their brother
Eorkmen that they are not influenced
j a monetary consideration. We
low that every device will be used to
deceive the workingmen and bring them
into line. We know that intimidation
and fraud will be practiced. But the
people are determined to elect a new
Council and Vox populi, Vox Die.
This is not a political fight. Hit
were the Democratic workingmen
would be found battling under the
standard of Democracy, and Republi
can workingmen under the standard of
Republicanism. It is a fight of the
people against a ring; it is a fight for
just legislation; it is a fight for relief
from unjust burdens heaped upon the
people by an arrogant and corrupt
government; it is a fight between
j workingmen and their friends on the
one hand, and the enemies of labor and
j their 'IrJeads oa the other hand,
j and it is a fight that appeals to the
j support of all good citizens, regardless
of party, color, or previous condition.
We have a good ticket, composed of
gentlemen of unimpeachable character.
We have a good platform—one upon
which any man may feel proud to
stand. We have a just cause—one
which we may expect our God to bless.
We ask not for offices—we do not
want the " fishes and loaves " —but we
ask for something that will benefit the
whole people—we ask for just legisla-
With this ticket and this platform of
I principles we expect to march to the
polls on election day and cast our votes
like freemen. All manner of abuse and
bulldoziug won't stop us. Some few
with rings in their noses may be led
i like cattle to the slaughter-pen by the
j ring-masters; some few may sell their
birthright for a mess of pottage, and
some few may be frightened by the cry
of Republicanism and Mahoneism, but
it must be plain to every observing
man that the freemen of this city pro
pose for once at least to cast their votes
against the ring which has so long
cursed and retarded progress. " This
way, Freemen!" should be the pass
word.
Scranton, Pa., May 15, 188 G.
Editor of The Labor Herald :
Dear Sir: The press has condemned
the boycott as practiced by the work
ingman. What has it to say of the
boycott as practiced by the employer
of labor.
Let me state a case as it occurred
during the early part of this year. A
manufacturer, employing hundreds of
ill Irninn that the men have or
i ganized an Assembly of Knights of
Labor. He at once discharges every
man of them. The men did not ask
: for shorter hours, more pay or a change
of any kind. A committee waited
upon the manufacturer to ascertain his
reasons for the discharge of his em
ployees. His answer was: "They
have joined the Knights of Labor and
I will not employ a member of that
society; I my own business
myself."
The men have been turned out on
the street for exercising their rights
under the laws, which allow them to
" pursue happiness " in their own way.
They have been boycotted; their places
have been filled by imported men.
Will you give me your "opinion, edi
torially, of such action as that f
Would you advise the men to sever
connection with the Order of Knights
of Labor in order to regain their
former positions! If so, would you
advise them to give up their religion
should the employer resort to the same
coercive measures.
In case the men belong to the
Masonic Order and the employer dis
rjrges them and refuses employment
them until they abandon that society,
would you advise them to leave it in
order to secure employment f If not
what would you advise !
In case an employer makes war upon
the Masonic Order, would a discharged
member of that organization be justi
fied in telling a brother Mason of the
Mason is a merchant and is handling
the goods manufactured by the man
who discharged his fellow member
would he be justified in refusing to
handle these goods until the manufac
turer made amends by re-employing
the members of the order 1
Up to the present time the press has
dealt with this question from but one
standpoint I believe it will deal fairly
by it from all sides.
Very truly yours.
T. V. Powderly.
We were much pleased at receiving
the above letter from General Master
Workman Powderly, as it shows con
clusively that he has been misunder
stood by some as regards his position
on the subject of boycotting.
The language used by our worthy
chief officer in his last circular has led
many to think that he was opposed to
boycotting under any circumstances.
We knew that such was not Powderly's
stand, for we know the man too well
and have conversed with him too often,
to believe that he was opposed to boy
cotting when the justice of the case
warranted it.
In answer to the questions pro
pounded in the above letter, we would 1
say that individually we heartily ap
prove the boycott and thank God that
the eyes of the working people of.
America have been opened to a realiza
tion of the worth of their patronage.
We believe it to be the only effectual
remedy for the evil oppression that has
■■ a long number of years, as
jit s* '~ the oppressor in his most
I tendf r Bpot—his pocket. As a general
i thing those who impose upon labor are
the element that is grasping and striv
ing for nothing but wealth; they
worship money as their God ; and in
order to inflict the severest punishment
upon them we only have to strike a
blow in a direction calculated to hinder
them in their struggle to possess the
whole world, regardless of the hard
i ships they bring upon others.
We do not hold that boycotting
should be engaged in on a wholesale
plan, or that a boycott should be issued
at all until every other means had been
i tried to secure justice. We think there
, should be a State Board whose duty
, it should be to inquire into the justice
of issuing a boycott to be prosecuted
' within the State. If this board, after
i a careful examination, decided that a
r boycott should be issued, they should
' issue the boycott under their order,
and every workingman should be ex
pected to obey the order of the board.
r H it was desirable to extend the boy
1 cott all over the Union, the State board
3 should apply to the General Executive
Board for that permission, laying be
fore the General Executive Board a
1 full and truthful account of the griev
i ance. If the General Board concurred
3 in the opinion of the State Board that
j the boycott was necessary and proper,
the boycott should be issued in every
corner of the country, and every work
■ ingman should consider himself in
l honor bound to obey the voice of
$ those who issued it If it was desirable
to remove the boycott it should be
done through the State Board with
the sanction of the General Board.
3 Local boycotts to apply only to a cer
r tain city or town should be issued by
f a joint committee from the different
Assemblies, if there was no D. A., but
if there was a D. A, in the city or
■ town the Executive Board of the D. A.
i alone should have authority to issue or
j raise the boycott.
j We think the case cited in the above
letter is brands that manufac
1 turer as a tyrant and would-be slave
-3 owner, and he richly deserves to be
i boycotted out of existence. We are
of the opinion that a man who would
c leave any organization simply because
his employer objected to his being a
' member of it, is unworthy of the name
1 of man.
) A Mason, Odd Fellow, Knight of
» Pythias, Knight of Labor or a mem
ber of any other order is justifiable in
' refusing to use the goods of any party
' who would ill-treat a member and abuse
i the order. If the order is worthy of
i any support it is worthy of all
. support; if the individual is worthy
of membership he is worthy of the
love and protection of every mem
c ber in every way in which it can be ex
) tended to him, and he has the right to
i expect and receive the love and sup
[ port of all in his endeavors to improve
the conditions of his fellow-man.
Co-operation must be the twin brother
' of the boycott. When a manufacturer
! objects to his employees exercising
. their rights, as free American citizens,
I not only must every brother in the
land boycott that man, but they must
be willing to contribute their mite
1 toward establishing the employees in
> the very business in which the employer
. was engaged when he undertook to
play the part of tyrant. One success
ful establishment of this kind in each
» city would be sufficient to teach an im
i pressive lesson, and it would not take
■ many years to make the power of one
such effort felt throughout the whole
State.
We are free to confess that we believe
there has been too many boycotts is
sued, simply because they were used as
the first resort instead of the last. It
is a telling weapon and the only one
that has ever fully answered the pur
' pose, and for this reason it should not
be permitted to become too common,
for fear of breaking its force.
r THE WORKINGMEN'S CONVENTION.
tatrormand TicKet Tvr unf Officers. J
The second session of the WorkiDg
en's Convention met Monday night
at Laube's Hall. This meeting was
more of a ratification meeting than
otherwise, as the nomination of candi
dates for Board of Aldermen and Com
mon Council had been left to the
various ward delegations. This work
was accomplished after the primary
election had been held.
The meeting was very harmonious,
and a full delegation was present
The following report of the Com
mittee on Resolutions was adopted:
After a careful consideration of the
resolutions referred to your committee,
we have adopted as a substitute for
the same the following form of ticket
to be voted at the coming election, viz.:
For Mayor—W. C. Carrington.
For Commonwealth's Attorney—
Samuel B. Witt.
For City Sergeante-J. C. Smith, N.
M. Lee.
For City Auditor—Miles Turpin.
For Sheriff—Lewis P. Winston.
For High Constable—Edward C.
Garrison.
For City Collector—Aylett R. Wood
son.
A large majority of our people hav
ing abstained from participation in the
primary election, wherein a portion of
the above ticket was nominated, the
i workingmen and all others sympathy
zing with us are free to vote for any of
] said nominees or not as they please, as
teed the right to cast his ballot inde
pendent of the edicts of ring rule.
PLATFORM.
In thus presenting ourselves to the
general public in what may be consid
ered by some a new departure, we
desire a careful reading of the follow-
In exercising the right of suffrage
all should be left free in their efforts to
secure " the greatest good to the
greatest number," and on all such we
call most earnestly to assist us in ob
taining the ends hereinafter set forth.
It should be borne in mind by all
when exercising the right af franchise
that most of the objects herein set
forth can only be obtained through
legislation, and that it is the duty of
all to assist and support by their votes
such candidates only as will pledge
their support to the following measures,
regardless of party:
Ist. We desire that industrial and
moral worth, not wealth, be considered
the true standard of individual and
national greatness.
2nd. We desire to secure to the in
dustrial classes the full enjoyment of
the wealth they create, sufficient leisure
in which to develope their intellectual,
moral and social faculties to enable
them to share in the gains and honors
of advancing civilization.
!sd. We desire that all wage-workers
be paid weekly by the city in lawful
money.
4th. We desire the abolition of the
contract system on municipal works.
sth. We tVcrire absolute discontinu
ance of if*s ported., foreign labor under
contract.
6th. And particularly do we demand
that all efforts at contracting for the
erection of our future City Hall be at
once, if at all practicable, discontinued
and that its construction be performed
by day labor and of Virginia material,
as far as practicable, in the strictest
sense of the word.
7th. We desire that the most rigid
economy in all municipal affairs be ex
ercised, so as no longer to overburden
the power of industry.
To this end we submit for your suf
frage the nominees of this Convention
to represent our desires in the two
legislative branches of our city govern
ment
MARSHALL WARD.
Board of Aldermen—J. C. Dickerson,
Rowland HilL
Common Council—W. C. Amnions,
C. H. Kaufelt, J. T. Montgomery, F. J,
Parater, J. E. Parrish.
Justices of the Peace—James E.
Grady, W. W. Childress, W. C. Bailey.
JEFFERSON WARD.
Board of Aldermen—Michael Murphy
J. T. Chappell.
Common Council—A. H. Kaufman,
John K. Molloy, Richard A. Hughes,
F. C. Murphy, George E. Bowden.
Justices of the Peace—W. B. Jones,
W. G. Hammack, V. Donati.
MADISON WARD.
Common Council—W. T. Smoot,
James Ferriter, Louis Fox, John G.
Fenson.
Justices of the Peace—D. W. De
Sylvia, Thomas B. Bott
[Two vacancies in this ward will be
filled hereafter.]
MONROE WARD.
Board of Aldermen—John W. Otley.
Common Council—M. F. Hudnall, J.
R. Kelley, Jacob J. Lange, A. L. Owen,
W. E. Pearce.
Justices of the Peace—John M Ryall,
Montrose Angle, Adam Diacont
CLAY WARD.
Board of Aldermen—R. T. Davis,
Even SWad, fot R.Blaml.
Common Coraicil—Thomas N. Kend
ler, John S. Bethel E. D. Starke, J. H.
Connors, Anthony Griffith.
Justices of the Peace—C. W. Tyler,
L. H. Dance, J. D. Lyle.
JACKSON WARD.
Board of Aldermen—James Bahn.
Common Council—J. E- Jones, Jas.
H. Hayes, J. E. Farrar, E. Archer, J.
B. Griffin.
Justices of the Peace—Lewis Stew
art, P. B. Shorts, Payne Ransom.
A committee of five from each ward
was appointed to take charge of the
canvass.
The Manchester Ticket.
Last week the following circular was
issued, signed "The Municipal Citizens'
Association."
To the Voters of the City of Man
chester :
This is the condition of things in the
city of Manchester at this time—a city
th»t possesses every natural advantage
in the beauty of its situation and its
adaptability for manufactures and in
dustries of every kind, by reason of
which it should now be large and pros
perous. Our rate of taxation is so
high as to repel manufactures which
would give employment to our people
and build up our waste places. Our
streets do not deserve the dignity of
the name; they are only roads, and at
some seasons of the year are almost
impassable. With a population of six
or seven thousand we have not a single
public-school building, and depend
upon the renting of buildings which
are inadequate for the purpose and un
comfortable for our children. Our
water facilities can only supply one half
of our city, the remainder being com
pletely defenceless in case of fire.
Having no gas, our lights are very
little superior to what they were fifty
years ago. This is the condition of
things, and notoverdrawn. Compared
«alJB^-<»SfET-"*"citfefl—not so favorably
situated, the conclusion is irresistible
that it must be owing to injudicious,
not to say bad and disastrous manage
ment in the past The people are tired
of this, and want change and progress.
They want the best and most efficient
officers to govern the city, which can
not be secured under the present sys
tem of election by party domination,
and they propose a Citizens' ticket for
your votes on the 27th of this month,
on which will be placed the names of
men irrespective of party, but good
and capable, and in sympathy with the
progressive spirit of the age, thus giv
ing your support to the right men in
the right place.
THE TICKET.
The same circular was re-issued this
week, with the following addenda:
The following ticket is presented:
For Mayor—M. R. Lloyd.
For Attorney for the Commonwealth
—Charles L. Page.
For City Treasurer—C. S. Wells.
For Cleik of Hustings Court —H. E.
For City Sergeant—Henry Fitz-
For High Constable—W. D. Lithgow
For City Council: First ward—A.
C. Jones. Second ward—William
Walsh. Third ward—E. B. Howie.
Fourth ward—John O'Brien.