The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-01
A MILLION MEN TO RISE
TO SOUND THE TOOsIN FOR THE
EIGHT HOUR CRUSADE.

A Great Gathering of Trades Unions
in Boston Next Month - The Fight
for the Eight Hour Work Day to
Culminate IN May The Men Who
VIII Lead the Hosts The Knights
of Labor Standing Aloof fit Will
be Great National Strife.
(Copvriolt)
New YORK, Nov. 30.-On Dec. 10 next
Boston will be the scene of one of the larg-
est and most important gatherings of labor
ever held in this country. On that day the
national convention of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor assemblies in the common
council chamber, which has been placed at
its disposal by the Boston city authorities,
pursuant to a call, issued several weeks ago,
by President Samuel Gompers. The out
come of the convention will be a crusade in
which 100000 men and women will
actively participate, the object being the
enforcement of the eight-hour system all
over the union.
For eight years the Federation has been
preparing for this fight, and it will enter
the field with the full appreciation of the
magnitude of the task before it. The first
step for an eight-hour work day was taken
by the Federation at its fourth annual con-
vention held, in Chicago, Oct. Z, 1884. At
the convention held the following year, the
propaganda was formally promulgated. For
time the progress of the movement was
checked by the Anarchist bomb
thrown at the meeting in Hay
market square, in Chicago, on
May 5, 1856, although even in that year
a number of unions succeeded in enforcing
the demand. The two following conven-
tions took no action in the matter; but at
that held in st. Louis year ago, the fed
Grafton committed itself to u general agita-
ton for the enforcement Of the eight-hour
workday, fixing May /, 1890, as the date
when it should go into effect among the
trades unions everywhere in the United
States. The principal duty of the coming
convention will, therefore, be to transfoE N
this agitation into an organized movement
aud to arrange for the general rising in
May next.
During the recent convention of the
Knights of Labor at Atlanta, a commune
cation was received from President
GOmpers of the federation, inviting the
knights to cooperate in the eight-hour cam
palgn. lG was fully expected that the
knights would make common cause in this
crusade, which affected all classes of labor
irrespective OF organization lines; but the
Atlanta convention, after discussing the
proposition for united action, de-
cided to stand aloof and declared
it to be the sense of the
convention that the eight-hour battle could
be best fought out by the local assemblies
individually. This action is held by the
federalists as virtual surrender, as far as
the knights are concerned, of the whole
field, for the possession Of which the work
ingmen have been fighting and their friends
in congress legislating for the past ten
years. The main cause for the refusal,
however, is said to be found in the jealousy
that exists between the two organizations,
the result of the decline of the knights and
their gradual absorption by the federation.
'The reports, which are now nearly COM
plete and which are to be presented to the
convention said President Gompers YES
terday, will recite the facts regarding our
overtures for the cooperation of the
knights in the elght-hour struggle,R and
their reply. There are other reports. of
course, but concerning these 1 do not care
to say anything in advance of
the assembling of the oonven-
ton, further than that they will
show the growth of the federation
during the past year. This will be our
eighth annual national convention, and will
be very largely attended, as we have nearly
900 members. The federation has had
its share of trials and of triumphs. too and
now it has a great duty before it, the
practical direction Of which is the province
of the Boston convention
"What is the basis of representation in
the convention9" was asked.
"From national or international unions
for less than four thousand members, one
delegate; eight thousand or more, three del
egates; sixteen thousand or more, four del
egates; thirty-two thousand or more, five
delegates; and SO on in that progressive
ratio. From each local or district trades
organization or federated body, not con-
nected with or having a national or inter-
national head, affiliated with this feder-
alton, one delegate Is TO be chosen. We
have advised urionists all over the country
to see that the full number of delegates Is
chosen, and that they are provided with the
necessary credentials.
Il consider the unions able to cope with
any emergency that-may arise" President
Gompsrs added. "We don't approve of
sympathetic or Unnecessary strikes, for
these, In a majority of cases, are disastrous,
and end in the men returning to work on
the employers terrns.n
The convention will accordingly order the
eight-hour fight to begin all along the line,
regardless of tAe wet blanket cast on the
movement by the knights. The federation
leaders feel that their organization is suffi-.
clenty strong TO MAKE the hight on national
grounds, even without allies, although they
rely confidently on receiving the individual
support of thousands of knights, even
though the K. Of L. remain silent while the |
war is waging. They point to the official |
rolls of the federation. which have just
been completed, as evidence of their ability |
to conduct the battle alone. These rolls |
show the strength Of the federation as fol-
lows:
Local Member |
TRADES Unions. ship.
Journeymen Bakers. ......... 20 1900 |
BARRIERS National Union ..... IL $500 |
Boatmens Int. Union. ........ 1000 |
Boilermakers' Int. Bro'hood.. 80 $500 |
Federation of Bookkeepers... 1900 |
Glassblowers League East. 5000 |
Glassblowers League (WesD. $500 |
Brotherhood of Brakemen.... 264 1900 |
Brewers National Union. ..... 81 $500 |
Brick and Stonemasons' l. u. 161 1900 |
Building Labrs & Hodcar'rs, 30 5000 |
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