Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-26
AMONG THE LABOR UNIONS.
Tho Plumbers Strike Continues
without Perceptible Change.
NEW CARPENTER UNION FORMED
Officers Duly Elected and All Diaicui-
ties overcome-Laborine Men ana
the Single Tax-Consideration
of the Eight Hour Law.
The Plumbers ct nj.

The journeymen plumbers are still out and
from all present indications, will remain so
indefinitely. From ten TO sixteen master
plumbers have been employed on the BER
building-made the principal scene OF strug-
gle from the fact that Hussey & Day, the
plumbing contractors are among the leading
opponents of the masters association. Three
OF these visiting masters were from Lincoln,
and as soon as IL became known that they
had arrived delegation from the Omaha
union visited the Capital City and laid the
situation before the union men there. As a
result, the latter quit work. The next day
the Lincoln bosses returned home, the
master plumbers say, because they were not
needed here The j0urneymen claim that they
went in order to induce their men to return
TO their work. The journeymen have so far
succeeded In keeping all outsiders who have
come 10 the city from going to work for the
bosses, and assert that they can continue to
do so They have the plasterers with them
now, and assert that II matters are not soon
adjusted they will cause a general tie-up as
far AZ the building trades are concerned.
Tho recording secretary OF the bricklayers'
union was asked yesterday IL the plumbers
could call them out, and in reply said that
the union had nothing to do with the plumb
ers' strike. But that the brlcklayers are af-
fected In evident from the fact that d COM
mittee from their union held o joint session
with members Of the plumbers and plaster
ers' unions on Friday night and discussed
the strike in all its phases. Just
what line of action was agreed upon
1t is impossible to say, as the greatest Sc
crecy has been maintained, but as the strike
has now been on for two weeks the men are
becoming somewhat uneasy, it is thought
emphatic action may be expected Monday.
Mike Conway, the president of the union,
has gone to Chicago, and Clarence Ciancey
now has the rens of government In his
hands. The union has expressed willing
ttnna tA l..,N Nhn ,.NN
express no desire to do So
The New Carpcnters' Union.
The new carpenters union, No. n, was
finally organized at largely attended meet.
ing, at Schroeder's hall, at the corner Of
Saunders and Cummings streets, last Monday
evening. Seventy-five carpenters and join
ers signed the membership roll.
For the first officers Of the new union, the
following were elected:
j. A. Giles, president; Herbert Black,
vice-president; j. w. Hedges, recording
secratary; Edward hughes, financial secreo
tary; f.. p. Dillcnbach, treasurer; M. b.
Jones. conductor; Lawrence Peterson. war
Thomas Henning and William Mohler, trus.
tees
Monday night was chosen Us the time for
holding the regular weekly meetings, and
Schroder's hall will be the assembly room
isted between the progenitors Of II,
and the members of the old
union, No. 5S, has been cleared
away an. and n perfect good fellowship
new union who formerly belonged to No. IS,
went back, paid up their dues and made their
standing-good, and in tho case of the others
who. had not done so. No. IS forgave the IN
in9 members Of No. II. This was all that is
necessary under article 8, section 4, or the
by-laws Of the national union and so the new
union was granted its charter.
The members Of No. u are full of energy
and push aud intend to make their organiza-
tion live one IN every respect. The officers
arc men well calculated to fulfill the duties
to which they have been selected. They
have all been active IN the work preliminary
70 organization, and especially is this true of
President Giles, ice-President Black and
Financial Secretary Hughes. The members
OF the new union express great desire to act
in entire harmony with the other similar Or
ganizations in the city.
Laboring Men and Single Tax.
Five or six weeks ago about dozen en-
thusiastic Henry George men organized the
Omaha Single Tax club. There were over
forty persons present at the last two meet
ings. This club Is not strictly labor organ
ization, but several Of its most active men,
closely allied. It's members are students of
the social problem, and in its ranks are found
men from all the walks Of life. This body
draws the line at no occupation. Cap
italists, landowners, preachers lawyers,
doctors, all who believe In re-
pealng all other taxes Qncluding the tariff)
and in raising all revenues from land values,
Single Tax club. This organization, the
members claim, sympathizes with all social
reformers, while differing radically in the
would employ to attain its enu. The
club means it holds that all the
the result of foolish and corrupt
legislation enacted presumably for his bene-
fit, but which by conferrlng special privi-
ieges upon class have only resulted in
his enslavement. The eight hour move
ment and trades unions they recognize as
good as far as they go, but under the work.
ings OF the single tax each man would be his
own master and there would be no use for
halfway measures as they term all such
. remedies.
Communism, with which the single tax is
oftcn confounded, they hold 10 impracticablc
and undesirable; state socialism they look
upon as unjust and unwielding, and anarchy
they regard rs dream.
These men do not believe In dividing the
land equally among tho people, nor in the
equal ownership of wealth, nor in the abol-
ishment Of government They are neither
bIhto SoCiAiiSte, COElmunlStS nor anarcnlStS.
They are individuals. TO bring their
systcm into operation they would not make
any new law. Taking thirgs as they are,
they propose simply to abolish Oil taxes but
0ne-the land tax.
This Ia q truth they say:
"Whatever man produces is his against
the world. and whoever takes 1t from him is
Q robber. Any system Of government which
makes IL possible and easy for class to rob
the masses Is O rObber system"
They argue that steam, electricity, the
cotton gin, the sowing machine, the tele-
graph and . thousand other inventions have
Increased the ability Of capital, and labor to
produce wealth, but tho return to capital, in
teresr, becomes even smaller in proportion,
and wages. labors reward, goes eyon lower
relatively TO the amount OF wealth produced.
Who gets the gaini The third partner in
production, land, gets an even increasing
reward in rent, which goes always higher
and higher. This is the great evil, they say,
and thoy offer the land value tax as the
remedy.
The laboring men, through the efforts put
forth by the central union, have become
much Interested In the movement, more
especially during the past week. Single tax
tracts have been distributed ut tho Treval-
lick lectures and that gentleman has referred
70 the movement in his addresses.
Fun For the Printers.
Next week Edward Hartley and X. s..
Fisher wtl goto Denver to represent Typo