The Portland daily press., 1894-07-23
A GOOD SCHEME ON PAPER.
A Gigantic National Labor Organiza-
tiOn Proposed,
WHICH WILL ABSORB ALL LABOR
UNIONS OF THE COUNTRY.

Sanguine American Railway Union Men
Figure That 1t Will Be Organized in JAN
uary and in May VIII Make the Modest
Request to all Employers to Restore
Wages to the Scale in Use Before the
Panic-If Not, a National Strike viii
Be Ordered.
Chicago, July 22.-The Herald prints a
long article giving in detail the plans of the
American Railway Union to absorb the
older railroad brotherhoods and of the re-
Gently organized American Labor unions to
take in every class of labor except railroad
employees. The article says some broad
statements were made by the officials at the
American Railway Union headquarters
yesterday as follows: That on OF about
January Is, 1895, there would be held in
Chicago convention, composed of repre-
sentative men of the American Railway
Union, United Mine Workers of North
America, Knights of Labor and American
Labor Union, and that the American Feder-
alton Of labor and other railway brother
hoods would not be represented in this con-
vention.
That at this convention all branches of
labor would be represented and would be
called, on to present a report as to
the then existing wage scale, and how much
| tLey have been cut in 1892 1893 and 1894,
That these wage scales should then be
formulated into asdemand to be presented
to corporations and railroads, fixing them
at May l, 1896, with demand that they be
readjusted to a basis existing prior to the
panic and hard times, and that if this de-
mand was not granted, a general walk out
would follow. The movement of May /,
1888, will then be only the reinforcement of
the strike begun June 20, 1894.
In this plan much is expected of the new
American Labor union, whose membership
is:claimed to be 10000, and which has opened
its ranks to every class of labor except
railroad employees. The cost of membership
in the American Labor union is the same as
that in the American Railway Union, 81 for
card, the card being good for a year.
Those behind the plan for the January con-
vention expect the acquittal of Debs by
the courts, and that following this he will
make tour of the East delivering speeches
and organizing branches of his order. While
campaigners from the American Labor
union will follow him to make inroads into
| the ranks of Gomper's followers. They
argue the time was never better for the
| establishment of labor union to control all
labor factions outside of railroad work.
| Union officials regard the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers as practically and
| officially dead, and they cite the dissolution
| of lodges of this order at Champaign, Dam
| vile. Terre Haute and in all parts of the
| country but the East as evidence that the
| engineers either wish to be Independent or
are ripe for a new organization. The Ameri-
can Railway Union officials count on a con-
vention in January of 1000 delegates, repre-
senting every branch of labor from newsboy
to railroad engineers, and with Debs presid-
| ing. 1t is stated yesterday that General
Master Workman Sovereign would not inter-
| pose single objection to the total absorp-
| tion of the Knights of Labor by the Ameri-
| can Labor Union, and only desires not to be
| left entirely out. Secretary Hays is sre-
ported to be decidedly averse to sacrificing
| the identity of the Knights.