On this day I thought it would be appropriate to honor those for whom this day was initially celebrated, the American labor unions. Grover Cleveland may have reluctantly signed the bill commemorating the day into law, but it marked a decisive turning point in the relationship between industry and labor in this country.
It is hard not to think of Nebraska without thinking of its greatest writer. Here is a marvelous piece by Capote, Remembering Willa Cather . I remember seeing a stage production of O Pioneers! and being deeply moved by its raw emotions. I had read My Antonia before, and soon found myself hooked, like Capote was by the simple elegance of her prose and the way she was able to evoke so many feelings through her characters. Much of it came from the fact that she had lived those experiences herself. Her father dragged the family from Virginia to Nebraska in 1883, when it was still a young state, settling in the town of Red Cloud. named after one of the great Oglala chiefs. Red Cloud was still alive at the time, living on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, in the aftermath of the "Great Sioux Wars" of 1876-77. I don't know whether Cather took any interest in the famous chief, although it is hard to imagine not. Upon his death in 1909, he was eulogi
I just read in Brinkley how TR donated his peace prize money to establish a commission for industrial peace, to bring peace between the classes. Amazing gesture when you think about it.
ReplyDeleteNot sure if Brinkley will clarify this later, but it turns out that commission was never established -- WWI got in the way for one thing and the US pushed back hard on unions -- and the money in the end was given to charity.
I'm curious now to see if Brinkley will carry that story forward or not.
I ran in the Avondale Estates 5K Labor Day race this morning, all proceeds benefiting ALS research. The race began a few minutes after 9:00 a.m., so the air was still relatively cool and, for this time of year in Georgia, surprisingly dry. Although I wasn't the oldest runner, I was one of the oldest. Jogged alongside a pregnant woman for a while. She was probably 5 months along.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Rick! We should all be out there running for labor!
ReplyDeleteGood going, Rick.
ReplyDeleteGintaras, do you know where that Labor photo was taken? It looks like a factory. Also wondered if that was just of people getting off work or a parade.
ReplyDeleteThe picture from the Pullman archives, although I think it was happier times, not a walk out.
ReplyDeleteThe Pullman Strike apparently precipitated the call for a national labor day holiday. It was such a volatile time to read "Death in the Haymarket."
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