The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1886-01-03
JERSEY CITYTRADESUNlONS



Great Secrecy About the knights of Labor
bnf None About Central Labor Unior
shst h About to be Organized In thil
Cify-Local Independent: Organizations
ssIt's wonder to me, said working
man to the editor of the TArrLER q few
days ago, g that there's no union of labol
organizations, with central directing
head, in this county. as there is in othel
large communities in and around it"
SIS there none {" asked the TArrLER.
'sNone that know of, " was the response,
g though think some one will before long
start scheme to organize Central
Union"
The TATTLER reporters were at once sent
into all parts of the city to make inquiry
into the subject. They all agreed, when
they made their reports, that Jersey City
labor organizations all work on independent
bases, each runs on its own hook, and has
no official relations with any other. There
were, however, traces here and there that
some one is working quietly to organize
the knights of Labor here, but nothing
was accessible concerning the success OF
failure of the movement series of in
quiries led one Of the TATrLER men up to a
man named Shugrue.
!" You fare President of the Knights of
Labor, the TATTLER said to this gentleman
when he had hunted lin out?
Who told you that?' returned Shu-
grue.
&c That's my information"
$ No K of L. man gave it to you
Shugrue was not inclined to give the re-
porter any information. "We give MOTH
ing away" he said. ssThe knights of
Labor in this State are secret organiza-
ton. / cannot tell you who the officers
are, or what our membership is"
New Years morning the TATTLER was
brought IN contact with Frank J. McArdle.
He is intelligent and posted To the TAT
TIER enquiries he said that there is no or
ganization of Knights of Labor in the
city, but there is Central Labor Union.
1t represents now only part of the trade
unions of the town but it is proposed to
drive them all in if it be possible
Twenty-Five delegates have seats in the
Central Union, and they meet in Schmidt
hauser's Hall, on Third street, on the
second and fourth Tuesday of each month.
The Central Union is only In process of
formation The organization is only tenn
porary, but committee has the drafting
of suitable constitution in hand. The
constitution when drawn has to be sub
mitted to the various trade unions in the
city, for modification and approval, and
the design is to modify it, Cd suggestions
from the union 50 as to make an organiza-
ton of all the trade unions possible under
it. 1t will probably be two or three weeks
before the constitution will have been
nodded so as to meet all trade
interests, and meet all the trades
views. Then the permanent Offices will be
erected. Arrangements are being made for
a grand mass meeting of workingmen. the
last week in February. to extend and en-
sented by it. The place of meeting has not
been definitely settled upon because of the
difficulty of securing hall large enough to
accommodate the crowd that will be il at
tendance. The Central Union have selected
the SUNDAY TATTLER as their medium of
communication with the workingmen of the
city, and will in these columns give due no
tice of the time and place at which the
citing is to be held,
There are intimations that some of the
many labor organizations into which the
workingmen have organized themselves was
tAOt 0CcAA0uo Va jOAhkaS3 Al tAo INV CA4Ont
for central organization. The reasons for
the refusal cannot be imagined, but it is
likely that few of them will stay out The
Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers viii
not, it is said, be agreeable to the PROPOSE
ton. Their allegiance to the Central
Brotherhood may prevent them from COM
ing in. The Stationary Engineers some
of them at least say they prefer to go it on
their own hook. They doubtless have their
sufficient reason for it. 1t is likely, how
ever, that the number of organizations that
will not combine under the wing of the
Central Union will be small, and that when
the central movement shall been perfected
it will be found to represent nearly all the
industries in which workingmen are en-
gagged.
Meanwhile the TATTLER reporters have
been instructed to get particulars of the
separate trade and labor organizations in
the city, and will from week to week pub
lish articles concerning them, with the
portraits of the men who are conspicuous
in them. Workingmen are requested to
send us such information as they deem of
interest about the unions of which they
are members.