Today in labor history Mar 22 Mark Twain on Knights of Labor’s treatment regardless of race or gend

[Omaha Steve]

March 22



March 22, 1886 - Mark Twain, a lifelong member of the International Typographical Union (now part of the CWA), gave a speech entitled, “Knights of Labor: The New Dynasty,” in which he extolled the Knights’ commitment to fair treatment of all workers, regardless of race or gender. “When all the bricklayers, and all the machinists, and all the miners, and blacksmiths, and printers, and hod-carriers, and stevedores, and housepainters, and brakemen, and engineers..and factory hands, and all the shopgirls, and all the sewing machine women, and all the telegraph operators, in a word, all the myriads of toilers in whom is slumbering the reality of that thing which you call Power, ...when these rise, call the vast spectacle by any deluding name that will please your ear, but the fact remains that a Nation has risen,” he said.

For more information
Read Helen Scott's essay, "The Mark Twain they didn't teach us about in school," http://www.marxists.de/culture/twain/noteach.htm


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