Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1882-05-20
THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR.

PHILADELPHIA, May ID, 1885,.
Over 1000 working people have
Joined the knights of Labor in Phila-
delphia since the LIST of May. Among
hose who have joined the orgsniza'
ton in PhiladelI hia inside of two
years are 22o telegraph operators, 81
clerks, Al shoenakeru, ls7 BARRIERS,
1886 bricklayers, % morocco dressers,
80 painters, l6 goldbeaters, 200 cot
ton-mill operatives, IS housspainters,
% woodworkers, 80 shirtmakers, 40
bookbinders and go candymakers
The order is 10000 members strong
in the United States, and of tina,
number 10000 are in Pennsylvania.
Mayor Powderly, of Scranton, the
grand master workman of the order,
announces that since Ser temte r, 1881,
about 100000 people have been adj
mitted to membership. The Anal
gamated Iron Workers Association is
the most solid organization of work.
ingmen in America. They have over
100000 stored away in their reserve
fund.
The telegraph operators, who have
from time to time heen imposed up, n
by their employers. have only quite
recently joined the association. 1t
will be remembered that in 1871
they had formed a union extending
all over the United States, and when
everything was in an apparently solid
condition they demanded better in
ducements from their employ
This was refused, and general strike
eusued. Thi caused general con-
fusion in all business quarters, the
railroads suffering the most. The
Western Union and the Pacific and
Atlantic Telegraph Companies, then
the two principal corporations of the
kind in existence, resolved not to
submit to their wants, while the oper-
atiVes were equally aggressive in
their determination not to resume
work unless their grievances were
rsmedied. The strike lasted for sew
eral weeks, when their funds were
exhausted, and married men with
families dependent on them for sup
port had to succumh and return to
work in order to save them from star
walton. One by one were thus sac
rl6ced, until every man, including
the leaders and all, were forced back
to work, and as a consequence the
master hand was heavier than before
the strike. Things were running this
way until 1877, when another un.
succ, ssful effort was made in the
direction ofan increase OF wages.
This had telling effect upon the
operatives, and frightened them so
badly that although several attemE is
have since been made for another
rebellion" Gas they termed it, none
were willing to join the movement.
The bosses. fully compreheuding the
situation, have for the last lew years
taken advantage Of it, and imposition
on their part has been so gross and
openhanded that last winter the
knights CT Labor knowing of their
grievances, offered helping hand by
interfering In their behalf, and now
there are already over A 900 telegraph
operators In the association. What
the operators demanded was better
pay, shorter hours and til abolition
Of telegraphic schools, or "Flug facio
ries," as they call them When an
operator made a protest or asked q
reasonable favor from his manager,
his resignation s called for and his
place filled by plug" from one
of these so-cal!ed colleges, which are
mostly women. They sere then put
in the place of the discharged opera
tor at salary Of about SO per cent.