The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1877-10-13
A Word to Trades Unionists.

In the work of reorganization which is nov
going on among the woIklngmen Ia this city,
the necessity 81 trades union hall shoul
not be overlooked. The great draw back t,
all their movements is the estrang cement that
exists among working men. Let them b,
massed where they may, the members ii the
different trades are stranger, to each other
There may be the marhinlst and the mnIder.
the carpenter and the painter. III, shoemaker
and the tailor, the shipwught amt the caulk-
er, and 80 down the whole catalogue II trades,
and unless ny some accident that they happen
to live neighhrrs to each other or bee Liem-
bers u some secret Or b-neticial society, they
are entire strangers. Our means ot cummu-
nicstIon with each other are So imperfect and
so incomplete that when any matter of
importance affecting tie interests Of work
ingmen IN general comes b. fore the public,
there is no authorized head To speak Tor the
masses, and the consequence is that some
self -sty led ~ sell constituted body. for sell
fish OF interested motives claim the right to
represent body 81 men with whom they
] nav ~ "h"st M 20 az WV
that all true men deplore 1t is a condition
| of things that should not aud need not exist
| if the proper means lie taken to obviate IT,
At time like the present, when the or
ganzstion IS occupying more o. less the at
tention Of every thinking man working man
We mean, the fact If a central point to con
| grega-e In should not he lost s,ght Of. 1t Is
of grea. importance ia the work Of reforma-
ton " hich is before Us The human mind,
no matter what undertaking it is engaged IN,
always seeks a central point to rest upon a
center in and around which all It's interest
will cluster Thus Is last, no matter wheth-
er 1T ongirates with the greatest Or the
weakest minds with the most powerful and
reformed nations. 81 the savage tribes ct the
South Sea Islands We have seen 1t in the
great political contest through which We have
recently passed, and viii see It manifested in
the great struggle in the East. IL Is natural.
IL is the weakness of human nature but in
its weakness lies its omuipotence. And it is
Just here our trades unionists must Learn a
is strength Our trades unions are isolated.
and consequently are weak and Inefficient.
They have no common tie, no sy mpathy III
common with each other and are indifferent
to each others success and elevation. The
pail Of selfishness PerNades over all alike, and
the helping hand, the hand Of fellowship, il
withheld
We have Yet to learn the great truth Of
unionIsm. Concentration is that great firth
We must learn to concentrate all our efforts
to one end-one great end-and that end il
the uniication of labor The materialisr
confirmed this great lesson in the book Of ma
ture, which is always open to his gaze. Anc
the Christian-if he loves his God and i,
worthy Of the name may find it in the decs
logue. If they follow the lessons taught
them by these great masters, their duty i,
plain and easy. There is no divergence
both paths lead to the same end
The first step. then, is, when there are two
or more labor organizations land we have ;
score Of them in Chicago). they should unit,
aud form general organization for the p0r
pose e organizing all branches Of labor il
their district-no matter whether male o.
female, 50 long as they work for wages-forn
them into separate and distinct unions or as
sociations, with district council and gen
eral representative body, having power t.
! make rules and regulations for the govern
ment of the whole.
/ There should be in every district hall
fitted up in a suitable manner to the wanti
of the several bodies or associations compos
ing the general body. and this hail SHOULD
be known by distinctive appellstion, sucl
! as Trades Union Hall" To it should b.
: attached a reading room. winch should b
; open through the day and until certain hOuI
in the evening, and during the afternoon O
' Sunday
a There is no such hall in Chicago, the grea
metropolis of the Northwest, because Their
: is no such organization as We speak Of 1