St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-08
PROMPTED BY POWDERLY.
A Gigantic Scheme to Amalgamate
Under One Head All Labor Or
CARNATIONS.
EIGHT MILLIONS CONCERNED.
The Locomotive Firemen Will First
Take Action in the Matter Two
Months Hence.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
PHILADELPHIA, July Ever since
the memorable strike on the Reading
and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
railroad systems in which the Knights
of Labor, the Brotherhood of Engineers
and the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Firemen were worsted in their strug-
giles there has been scheme in con-
temptation, proposed by the Knights of
Labor, which, if the negotiations now
In active progress are satisfactory, will
join together 100000 of working men
with an insOluble band and exert
powerful industrial and political in
fluence all over the United States. The
scheme, which had been brewing ever
since the last general assembly of the
Knights in Minneapolis, was first
preached by General Master Workman
Powderly and several members of the
Knights of Labor executive board to
the leading officials of the Brotherhood
of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen
during the conference between the
Knights of Labor and the above organi-
cations in this city last March, when it
was proposed to settle the differences
between the Knights and the Brother
hood by calling out all the Brotherhood
men on the Reading system. The con-
solidation was both favored and OPP
posed by those present at the conference
and it was argued that while union
would be in general sense beneficial,
that the needs of each industrial OrganiZa
ton were varied, and no one organization
could be made to serve the general pur
poses of between 100000 and 100000
WOrkingmen. The propositions to Or
ganize were submitted as follows: That
all labor associations shall be under the
direction of
ONE SUPREME HEAD,
who shall be elected by the delegates of
every industrial organization at a gen.
eral convention. That each OrganiZa-
ton shall be represented in the general
councils by an executive committee.
That every separate industrial OrganiZa-
ton shall retain the individuality they
now possess and be under the command
of chief officer, whose only superior
shall be the supreme head of the entire
consolidation. That the object of affiliat-
ing the Interests of the different associa-
tionS shall be for the purpose of render
each other when differences arise that
can only be adjusted by strike.
If this consolidation is effected it will
include the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers, the Brotherhood of LocOmo-
tive Firemen, the Order of Railroad Con-
ductOrs, the Brotherhood of Brakemen,
the SWitchmen'S association, the Ma
tiOnal Association of Amalgamated Iron
and Steel workers, the Knights of Labor
and every industrial organization that
lies within its jurisdiction, the textile
workers, the coal miners and every
branch of organized labor, skilled and
unskilled. The matter will be brought
before the national convention of Loco
motive Firemen in Atlanta on Sept. 10,
the general assembly of the Knights of
Labor and the national conventions of
all the leading labor organizations.
Every precautiOn has been observed to
keep the matter profound secret until
the negotiations have reached a cOndi-
.tion when the
SCHEME CAN BE MADE KNOWN
in all its completeness, with the idea
that with the matter a settled one be-
tween the large organizations, the lesser
ones will be forced to join the grand
amalgamation whether willing or not.
The Knights of Labor have been the
prime movers in the scheme and are
making every effort towards the fur
therance of its consummation. Chief
Arthur, of the Brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers, is urging the firemen,
brakemen, conductors and switchmen
to unite with the engineers under one
head in national association, and if
the negotiations to unite all branches
OF organized labor are not successful the
chances are that the 100000 men repre-
senting the above five organizations
and covering every railroad i'll the
United States will join hands in the one
cause. The arguments advanced by the
opposers of the scheme are that it is
stroke of policy on the part of the
Knights of Labor, who, finding their
organization is losing power among
ployers, have as last resort proposed
this union to save their own organiza-
tion.'