The Labor enquirer., 1886-06-19
PRACTICAL co-opERATIoN.
The Steyedores and Longshoremen OF
Tacoma Organize and Get
to Work.
For the Enquirer.

their postofhct is q large saw mill en-
,loying about 200 men. There are also
coal bunkers, etc, and many valuable
eargoes are monthly received and dis
patched, employing large number Of
: men. An assembly, No. 4206, of the K
= of L. was organized about the tenth oi
September, 1885. and is now in pros
porous condition and steadily growing,
Aoout the first of January, 1886, the In
ternational Workmen's association was
organized, and few good men com
menced the study of universal co-opera-
ton. They made rapid progress; not
only in theory but in practical results,
which have already passed the phase of
an experiment.
On the fifteenth day of March. 1886,
there was organized the Stevedores,
Longshoremen and Riggers' union of
Puget sound. This Is protective union
(only practical men admitted) and has
adopted and enforced scale of prices
IOT IuelT ldUOI duu, dltHOuEil IhOf nav
been compelled to strike for their rights,
they have done so like men, and al
though they encountered difficulties
that required tact and courage and ap-
peared at first insurmountable they have
conquered, and to-day their union COM
mands the respect of the people of Puget
sound and the Pacific coast. The X. OF
L. assemblies OF Tacoma nobv assisted
them in their troubles, as did also the
l. WA.
On Mrach twenty-eighth, 1886, there
was INCORPORATED the Tacoma Co Opera
tue Stevedoring and Rigging company,
limited to 500 shares at $50 each; each
member having one share and one vote;
shares not transferable and can only be
purchased by members Of the aforesaid
union. They pay union wages and ore
third of the profits are put in sinking
fund; the remainder declared as divi-
dends quarterly.
The superintendent Of the mill COM
pany. who also owns several ships and
exerts a strong Influence in these affairs,
at first bitterly opposed .he movement,
but has now become their friend and has
assis ed them in procuring an engine
and boiler and the necessary machinery
also in establishing a bank credit, show
b,t l,,l 10 hNrorC n
their manhood and refusing to be slaves,
even though police and militia are ar
raved against them, that truth and JUS,
tice will at last prevail
Previous to this movement the steve
doies of Tacoma were clearing off each
Tongshoresman employed 81 IS per day,
and walked around with their gold
headed canes and perfumed cigars.
These so-called noble specimens of hui
manity whom we are as laborers sup
posed to bow down to ard worship and
on our bended knees implOre for the
wherewltn to buy a crust of bread !;
these stevedores were of course indig
nant at the radical change which threw
them out of profitable business. They
commenced circulating reports against
this port; claiming that owing to the
recent strikes and labor troubles in this
city a ship could not be loaded or un
loaded nearly as cheap as at other ports
on the sound.
have been requested by the officers
Of the above association to deny that
slander through your paper, as it is as
false as the hearts that conceived it and
the tongue that uttered it. They will as
an organization do their line of work as
cheap as it can be done anywhere on
this coast, and they have contracted
$1,000 worth of work within two weeks.
So much for fearless, organized labor,
educated on scientific principles, and the
motto Not to be slave is to dare and
do"-their symbol of emancipation
They have also a company incorporated
known as the Bell Patent Improved
Window Screen Manufacturing COM
pany sixty shares limited three shares
to each person. one vote each $27 per
share.
The imrrovemeht is very valuable
and consists of device for rolling the
screen to the center of the window, en-.
abling the operator to shade any por-
ton of the window at his pleasure leav-
ing at least two.thirds of the window
unObstruCted. In connection with these
organizations and enterprises they have
liberallv circulated labor literature
among their comrades and endeavOred
to teach them the value of the Cniver-
sal Brotherhood and Cooperation of the
human race, and to-day the fearless and
intelligent action of our comrades of the
First ward commands the respect of oul
city. w. CHRISTIE.
There is numerous class Of operators
in the United States, who are ever de,
vislng and executing schemes of ag
grandizement, which are cross between
bunko-steering and highway robbery.
If 1t is possible to prevent these things
why are they not prevented?
Why They Were Indicted.
Last Saturday the United States grant
jury returned an indictment against NJ
F. Mcmillan. Louis r. Kidd, Juniu,
Rochester, c. H. Meicalf and T. J. Win