The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-03-30
FTHEtK OIL. AND A A.
AnE gnEy enowINe wEAKEn!
Members -, who say rhey are -phliadslphla
onieers of tho soeleties Talk@ Some Of
thu Causes Organized Labor sallin
u. tho Aseendant Their Claim.
The Philadelphia Pres Of recent date
has an article from which the following

Inc eeAlLAQelpla f>Fe&a OF U recent uAte
has an article from which the following
extracts are taken:
Recent defeats of the Amalgamated As
sociation Of Iron and Steel Workers in
Pittsburgh, the withdrawal Of the ALE.
gheny bricklayers from the Knights oil
Labor and similar occurrences elsewhere
have given color to the rumor Of q general
weakening OF these labor organizations.
Information from Wheeling is to the effect
that the Amalgamated Association, which
has ! 600 members in that city and yicin-
Iity, is gradually falling to pieces. Some
time ago the members Of Belmont Lodge,
OF Wheeling, withdrew in body; Hersey
Lodge, OF Bellaire, have followed suit, and
q day ago Vice President O. D. Thompson,
Of that district, peremptorily resigned.
Andrew Lee, vice-president OF the local
lodge Of the Amalgamated Association,
was found last night at furnace No. 2 of
Rowland's mill, on Beach street. He said 8
II am unable to speak Of the Knights Of
Labor, but Of my own association l can
deny all the rumors Of a weakening'in our
ranks. i freely admit that lately one or
two Of our branches have disbanded, but
this has not affected our organization as a
whole. We are stronger to.daythan ever,
despite the widespread depression in our
trade. There is no quarreling among us,
and we are particularly well of financially.
While I am no longer q national officer, l
am sure that what cay applies TO the as
Bociation at large as well as to the local
one with. which | am identified. We are
steadily growing in numbers, in spite OF
the loss OF few smaller and weaker
branches in Bradford and other points" "
Y An influential member OF the Knights
ofLabor, who asked that his name be not
used, said: 81 am true and earnest ad-
yocate Of the knights OF Labor, and desire
that the organization shall grow and
strengthen, but, TO tell the truth the asso-
citation Is losing ground. One element Of
weakness Is the Indifference Of members.
When times are good and wages fair mem
bers grow careless and treat lightly the
unions to which they owe their prosperity.
When times are bard and strikes are plen-
tiful it is almost impossibleto collect dues
in the minor assemblies. Another de-
structiye factor is the petty jealousies
which prevail among the leaders, and d.
vide the sentiments Of the members. Mis-
apprehension regarding the objects OF the
organization is also q disturbing clement"
Glow about the Amalgamated Associa-
tion?"
ut is still power in Pittsburgh, Wheel
Ing, Youngstown and vicinity, but weak
elsewhere. Since the strike or two years
ago, the Amalgamated has lost heavily in
membership ID Chicago, Cleveland, st.
Louis, Albany, Aurora, Ind, Birmingham,
Ala, Kittanning, Johnstown, Beaver Falls,
Danyille and other places. Further than
to note this, have not watched closely"
5 WHAT IS SAID IN WHEELING.
It might be well to call the attaation Of
the Pres to the TACT that Mr.. Thompson's
"peremptory resignation" was not very
peremptory, and that 1t was rendered in
order TO accept the management OF a ska
ting rink.
A leading knight Of Labor here was
asked by an lsTELLIdEScRg reporter last
might III Ii was true as stated that the.I
knights are losing strength. He frank
ly said II was; but he denied
that organized labor was losing
ground, and claimed that the exact reverse
was true. For instance in this city sever
al whole branches Of industry left the
Kohl. and organized Independent unions.
These unions have grown largely, and are
all represented in the recently formed
Trades Assembly Of the Ohio Valley.
The truth about the Amalgamated As
sociation'is hard TO arrive at, even for the
members. About all that can yet be de-
tinitely said upon 1t has already been said
In the INTRLLlGESCER.