CHAPTER IV.
UNDER THE RED FLAG
THE CENTRAL LABOR UNION OF CHICAGO CELEBRATES LABOR DAY—PRESENTATION OF THE DISTINCTIVELY LABOR BANNER TO THE METAL WORKERS' UNION—ADDRESS OF ALBERT R. PARSONS— THE EMBLEM OF LIBERTY—THE HOPE OF THE OPPRESSED—EXPLOITATION NOT CONFINED TO ANY PARTICULAR COUNTRY—GOVERNMENTS MAINTAINED BY FORCE—ANARCHY WILL SUPERSEDE FORCE-PROPPED INSTITUTIONS—"AGITATE, ORGANIZE, REVOLT!"
The Central Labor Union of New York in 1884 advised the unions and organizations of the country to set aside the first Monday in September as a general holiday for all classes of laborers; since which time it has been very widely observed.
The address given below was delivered on the 7th of September, 1885 (Labor Day), at a demonstration held by the Central Labor Union of Chicago, on which occasion a beautiful banner was presented to the Metal-Workers' Union. Albert Parsons was invited to make the presentation speech. His address on this occasion was eloquent and of some length, but only a portion of it has been persevered. The following is quoted from a daily paper of the 8th of September:
"'We meet to-day beneath the red flag --that flag which symbolizes an equality of rights and duties, the solidarity of all human interests; that flag which has for more than a century past been the emblem of "Liberty, Fraternity, Equality." Since the bloody struggle with oppression which began in France in 1788, and through the varying fortunes which have attended it followers in their conflicts with the despots of continental Europe, England, and
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