578
AN GAODHAL.
Colonization,
AND THE
KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
All fair-minded men must feel pleased at the
partial success which has attended the efforts of
the Knights of Labor. But suppose there are 60¬
000 labores in this city and only 40,000 channels
to recieve them, what will the Knights do with
the remaining 20,000? Will the Knights wait un¬
til capitalists provide work for them or will they
provide the work themselves when it is in their
power to do so? If one of these 20,000 idle labor¬
ers has a wife and six or seven starving children
staring him in the face are the knights justified in
prevening him from earning even a pittance to
keep the soul and body together in his starving
family? The Knights can provide their idle breth¬
ren with employment — and lucrative employment
if they only make the attempt — and if they will
not make the attempt how can they blame the op¬
ulent for not doing it. God helps those who try
to help themselves.
There are millions of acres of the finest land in
the world lying idle and unimproved throughout
the country, and if the Knights of Labor make but
a slight exertion they can place their surplus la¬
bor on these lands, and leave those who remain in
a position to demand a fair remuneration for
their labor. Let the Knights of Labor join
THE CELTIC HOMESTEAD LEGION
who propose to place any industrious family on a
100 acre farm of good land: give him a horse and
cow; build him a house and sink him a well;
provide him with seed and farming implements,
and food, and other necessaries until he raises his
first crop, with the privilege of payin the price of
the farm and other advances made in very easy
installments.
The very great success of the Benevolent Legion
induces The Celtic Homestead Legion to follow
in its footsteps as regards organization.
The plan is this — To form branches in every ci¬
ty and town, each branch to elect its own officers
and to be the custodian of its own funds. In
commencing colonization all the branches should
together have 100 colonists to place together, so
that they would be company for each other, after
that individual colonists might be forwarded In
all cases homes to be ready to recieve them before
they move.
Those who advance the money to be paid 6 per
cent interest and the particular farms occupied by
the colonists of a particular branch to be held as
security for the investors of that particular branch
We suggest this plan because the local branches
are the best judges of the character of their neigh¬
bors, and no funds being in the central treasury
the treasurer or manager cannot do away with it.
This casts no reflection on the integrity of any
man or set of men but it will be a safeguard against
a possible "Grant and Ward" transaction: it will
inspire confidence and will give the local branches
the right to manage their own monetary affairs and
thereby beget a laudable rivalry in the different
branches of the Legion.
The obtaining of as large tracts of land in the
one location as possible is desirable because the
settlement of a large colony would enhance the
value of the circumjacent lands. When the loca¬
tion is decided on the number of colonists from all
the branches should be ascertained and the amount
of money necessary for preliminary arrangement
should be contributed by the different branches
in proportion to the number of colonists to be sent
by each. Of course, the colonist ultimately has
to pay all the expenses, but if after 9 or 10 years
he has succeeded in having a hundred acres or good
land, free and clear to call his own, he has suc¬
ceeded well. Other colonists who have money and
can pay for their farms outright will take advan¬
tage of the benefits offered by settling in a location
which is about to be thickly peopled.
Brother P S Graham, one of our Philo-Celtic
members, suggested this plan five or six years ago
in connection with the preservation of the Irish
Language. He is on a farm out west now.
It is a fact that the Irish language is lost much
more rapidly in large town and cities — like many
other traits peculiar to the race — than in the coun¬
try. Hence we hope that those who take an in¬
terest in the language and in the welfare of the
race will organize to carry out this purpose effect¬
ually, and if anyone says that it is not feasible and
to the interest of the Irish race we shall de¬
sist from the further agitation of the matter.
Then, to effect such organization, we will take
the liberty to name the following gentlemen to or¬
ganize branches in their respective locolities; and
so as not to make invidious distinction (as we
do not know more than half a dozen of them) we
name them — one from each town, in their order of
seniority on the Gael's subscription list. —
Ala., Mobile, F. S. M'Cosker, Whistler, J.
Barter.
Ark. Black Rock, P. B. Scanlan.
Cal., Capt. Egan, Mr. McGreal &c. of San Fran¬
cisco, Hollister, H Bamber, Merced City, T. Flana¬
gan, Modesto, T. Hennelly, Petaluma, E. R. Mc¬
Carthy.
Conn. New Haven, Major Maher, T. O'Callaghan
&c., Naugatuck, P. M. Coen, Hartford, P. J. Dug¬
gan, Rockhill, C. Clancey, Fort Trumbull, J. Hea¬
vey, Fair Haven, J. O'Regan, Williamantic, T.
O'Regan.
Colo., South Pueblo, M. Dolan.
D. C. Washington, H. Murray, M. Cavanagh.
Dak., Lead City. P. Clancey, Greenfield, J. J.
O'Connor.
