St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-03
That Rather Fresh Organiza-
ton, the Railway EN-
ployes' Club
Gaily the Thoughts Of Labor
Turn to Rising Spring
Prices.
Note and Comment of Events
OF Interest in the Labor
Circle.
Industrial Information Gath
cred From Twin City
Sources.

In recent issue of one Of the morn
ing papers a member of the Railway
| Employees club writes long screed in
favor of early closing, and refers in
touching terms to the clerks union as a
brother organization. The communica-
ton is signed lone of Them" This
absence of name may possibly be due to
the fact that the Railway Employees
| club has so few members that there
wouldn't be enough names to go around
| il bona fide signature were attached to
| every letter purporting to core from
that rather vague and elusive Organiza-
ton. OF course, 1t would be manifestly
unfair to suggest that the writer has not
| enough faith in the reform to be person.
| ally responsible for its advocacy. How
| ever that may be, the clerks don't feel
| battered at the brotberly tone adopted
in the said article. Said promi-
nent member of the clerks union:
I'VE do not recognize the railway en-
| ployes' union, and would not think of
| asSocIating with its members OH terms of
fraternity. What success we have had
| in the early closing movement has been
largely due to the honest unions and
| assemblies represented in the trade and
labor assembly, and we want nothing to
do with the wolves that masquerade in
! sleeps clothing" The member of the
| clerks union turned away with look
| that seemed as if he would like to ex-
press his sentiments in still stronger
| terms.
| But isn't it true that many of the
| clerks signed the railway employees pc
| tition against the Currier bill, and
| haven't you given them some reason to
tNI II
| them?" asked member of another
| union.
The member from the clerks admitted
| the criticism, but claimed that the pres
| ldent and many others signed the petit
| ton without being fully aware of its
| import, and concluded by remarking:
1--WE made mistake in that, but it
! taught a lesson, and we don't desire
| either the aid or patronage of the Rail-
way Employees club in the future"
Some inquiry is made by the more
| thoughtful among the organized work
ingmen as to the recognition that will
be accorded TO the working people in
| the selection of the new board of alder
| men. When the new school board was
| selected the matter received a little
| consideration, but the working people
did not then urge their claims for
recognition. Now when there are two.
| vacancies in the common council to be
| filled the labor unions are asserting
| their claims to this recognition. A rep
| sentative of one of the labor organize
| tons says: UNLESS some attention is
| paid to claims of this nature there will
| come>a time when the working people
will be led TO believe that neither of the
| old parties mean to recognize them. and
that will lead to an independent cam
| paign that may not be wholly Satisfac-
tory to the dominant party"
The bureau of legal aid and advice,
| which is now occupying some attention
of the working people, will meet in
few days to form permanent organiza-
ton, providing enough unions are found
| to interest themselves in the venture.
There is similar organization in Chi
cage, which, however, includes some of
! the WealthieSt citizens; among them
are Charles Hutchinson, Lyman Gage,
| Franklin MacVeigh and several other
| equally well-known mlliOnaires. OF
| course. there Is no immediate prospect
| that such an array of responsibility
| will lend its aid and patronage
| TO = the scheme in st. Paul.
! There is unquestionably field for an
| association of this kind, and the ex-
ample of the Chicago millionaires might
be safely followed by the public-spirited
millionaireS of st. Paul. Cases are fire.
| quent where. owing to the lack of funds
| or the complex nature of laws, working
| people are sometimes denied Justice.
! The efforts made by Judge CAVITY, of
Minneapolis, to secure the enactment
of an equitable lien law show one di-
| rectlon where bureau of Justice might
| find field for usefulness.
The eight-hour agitation so prevalent
IN other localities is being apparently
but little noticed in st. Paul, although
several trades secured the short-hour
day this spring. An inquiry among the
| different labor unions shows that the
sentiment for eight hours is much
stronger than formerly, and quite a
number of the trades in this city have
| already secured the shOrt-hour day. 1t
is quite certain that within the next
few years this demand will become
| quite general. This spring the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor, which stands
at the head of the eight-hour movement,
is supporting the coal miners in their
struggle. A number of the local unions
! have levied assessments on their mem
bers TO aid the miners. After the coal
| miners the next to make the effort will
| doubtless be the typographical union
and the painters, both of whom have
already asked the aid of the Federation
in this direction.
| IL
The bureau of labor statistics will be-
| gin its inspection OF factories next week.
series of questions have been pre-
pared which make record of the work
sought to be accomplished. The
following questions are included
among those which factory own
ers will be requested to answer:
| Number Of stories in building; goods
manufactured; number of employees;
number under sixteen years of age;
number of hours work per day; how
are wages paid; describe accidents
happening in the past year. Another
report will be filled out by the inspect
ors relating to the guarding of danger
GUS machinery, ventilation and sanitary
conditions of work shops. The results
of the investigation will be embodied in
| the next report of the bureau