The herald., 1893-10-01
THE VOICE OF LABOR.
fCoNTRIBUTED,l

mite outrage in San tranclsco, ls lnno-
cent of all connection with that in
famous crime. Soreneen was the only
bona fde union man accused OF this
outrage and he has been proven inno-
cent. Suspicion points more directly to
one Of the suspects now under arrest,
Tyrell. who was dropped from the union
five months ago. When the investiga-
tion has been completed it will be found
to have been the result of personal
grudge against the keeper of the board
ing house, Curtin. Some sailor un-
doubtedly attempted revenge against
Curtin for some real or fancied injury,
with the horrible result already known.
1t took the Coast Seaman's union years
OF time and thousands of dollars to
break up the blood money, crimp sys-
tenn INDUCED in by the sailor boarding
houEe keepers and shipping agents in
San Francisco. Curtin kept nom
union boarding house and received blood
money for every eailor he furnished to
the Ship owners association. Some
sailor whom be injured or robbed un-
doubtedly sought revenge by destroying
his enemy's house with dynamite. At
any rate it has been clearly demonstra.
ted that the Coast Seamen's union had
nothing whatever to do with the crime.
The union offers reward of $1,000 for
the arrest and conviction OF the mis-
creants who perpetrated the crime.
x*%
This week turned out the usual quota
of Chinese deportation cases. A delega-
tion from Vernon waited upon the COM
mittee of the Council OF Labor having
the Chinese cases in charge, and re-
quested assistance. They stated that all
the Chinese who had been driven out
of Redlands had focked to Vernon
and Florence, and az a result the
people in that locality had grown des-
perate and were about to take violent
measures to drive the Chinese out OF the
district. One man even went 60 far as
to offer to lead mob against the Chi
nese. Cooler judgment prevailed and
committee was sent to Los Angeles to
secure warrants for the arrest OF the Chi-
nese. Through the assistance OF the
committee of the Council OF Labor seven
warrants were procured and the arrests
were made yesterday afternoon. When
theee cases are disposed of, more arrests
will follow. The Chinese arrested are
all vegetable gardeners coming in direct
competition with the farmers in San
Antonio township. The farmers ali
through that township have organized
into unions for mutual protection, with
central council that meets every week,
and they are determined to protect their
interests.
The organizing committee of the
Council OF Labor met last week and took
eteps towards the formation OF new
unions. Efforts will be made to organ
ize the street railway employees. and
the BARRIERS committee were appointed
to wait upon the butchers and secure q
delegation to the Council OF Labor.
A meeting of the committee will be
held next Monday evening TO assist the
Tailors' union. An effort will be made
to unionize the merchant tailoring es-
tablishments of thia city, adopt rea-
sonable scsle of wages and introduce
the union label.
x*s
Capt. J. V. O'Brien, the Pacific coast
organizer of the American Federation OF
Labor, has issued the following address ::
The thirteenth annual convention Of
| the American Federation of Labor will
meet in Chicago, December IL, 1898, and
| will be in session elk days. This will
be convention OF delegates represent
| ing the affiliated national and interna.
tional trade and labor unions, federal
labor unions, central labor unions, local
unions, state, territorial and provincial
branches. Ways and means will be
considered having for their object the
amelioration of labor through the uni
| fed action of such bodies. In this line
of action many great questions will chsl-
lenge the attention of this American
congress of labor, such as the silver
question, the tariff, production and dis
tribution, transportation, the protection
Of sailors, communication and immigra-
ton, especially the restriction of Chi
nese and Japanese laborers. All
these questions, happily, are now
| being considered by other non-partisan n
American conventions--rstiona and
intelligently. These questions do not
need any special recommendation, as
many trade councils have embodied
some of them, at least, in their "Decla-
ration of Purposes, but on the question
of Chinese immigration for 20 years the
workingmen of the Pacific coast have
raised their voices and cast their votes
in solemn protest, to the end that Obi
nese laborers should be prohibited from
coming here to reduce the American
standard of life to the unspeakably low
and degrading condition of that of the
Asiatic laborer. The Geary law should
be amended so as to include Japanese
laborers as we'll as Chinese. We should
create public feeling in favor OF this law
by sending delegate from every coun-
Gil on the Pacific coast to the next con-
yention. The Chinese Six Companies
will spend thousands OF dollars to coun-
teract the work of organized labor, and
many ill-informed sentimentalists in
the mistaken name of humanity" will
blindly support the efforts of the Chi
nese Six Companies to have the law
repealed.
In the last convention of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor there were only
two delegates from west OF the Rocky
mountains. As single workman in the
face of organized capital is unable to Sc
cure his rights, 30 would the Pacific
coast stand before congress unsupported
by our eastern brethren. The Chicago
convention offers great opportunity to
create public sentiment in favor OF the
enforcement OF the Geary law. Let the
sense of our individual weakness bind US
together, and like the traditional sheai
of rods, let us not be scattared to be the
more easily broken.
Labor Notes.
Trade continues dull throughout the
city, the plumbers being the only craft
kept employed full time.