The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-07-26
COOPERATION.
To Affiliate and Demand Re-adjust.
ment Of Wages May !. 1895.
The American Railway Union and the
American labor Unien-The Latter Com
stat of Every Clnss OF Labor Outside
OF the Ru.lwmys-Dcbs' Idea.

Of the Ru:lwmys-Dcbs' Idea.
Cu1cAso. July a3.-The Herald prints
long article giving In detail the plans
of the American Railway union to at.
sorb the older railway brotherhoods,
and the recently organized American
Labor union, to take every class Of
labor except railway employees, the
two organizations to affiliate and be
prepared by May l. 1895, to demand
REIMBURSEMENT of wages to the basis exc
listing prior to the panic and hard times,
and in the event of refusal to order q
general walkout.
The articles continues:
''Somc broad statements in this CON-
nection were made by officials OF the
American Railway union headquarters,
as follows: That on or about January
Is, 1898. there would be held in Chicago
n convention composed of represents
tive men of the American Railway
union, the United Mine Workers OF
North America, the knights Of Labor
and American Labor union: the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor and the old
railway brothcrhoods would not be rep
resented in this convention: that at this
convention all branches of labor repre-
sentcd would be called on to present o
succinct report as to the then existing
wage scales, and how much they have
been cut in 1892, 1893 and 1894; that
these wage scales should then be for1nu.
lated, and be presented to the corpora"
tons and railroads. with the demand
that they be readjusted to the basis
existing prior to the panic and hard
times. and that if this demand was not
granted general wall1out should fol.
low May 1. 1895.
'As ore officer of tho a. r. U. put 1t:
The present strike will never be de-
clarcd off by Mr.. Dcbs. and we expect,
If the Chicago switchmen remain firm.
that the Chicago roads will eventually
compromise on basis satisfactory to
oil. The present strike not being de-
clared of. convention of the charac-
ter described will be entirely in place,
ond will bring together at that time
the strongest labor organization In
the world There will be full
analysis of wage scales before any
demand Is made on capital for
change, and the cast will be Us strongly
represented in the new labor organizn-
tions then as the west is now. The
movement of May 1, 1895, then, will be
only reinforcement OF the strike be.
INV, nm f,,no 1901
''In this plan much is expected of the
new American labor union, whose
membership is now claimed to be 1000,
end has opened it's ranks to every class
Of labor except railroad employees.
"Thosc behind the plan for the Jam
nary convention expect the acquittal
of Debs by the courts, and that follow
ing this. he will make q tour of the
east, delivering speeches and organic
ing branches of his order. while cam
paigncrs from the American Labor
union will follow him to make inroads
into the ranks Of the Gompcrs follow
crs. They argue that the time was
never better for the esta blishment OF n
labor union to control all the labor fuc-
lions outside Of railroad work.
",Ti:o A. r. U. officials point to the
ruin of the Mutual Aid association of
the switchmen. and the fact that the
American Railway union has already
absorbed half Of it's membership, and
will have the rest as soon rs it provides
an insurance department for death and
beneficiary for accidents.
"As to the Brotherhood of Locomo-
tive Engineers, the union officials re-
gard that us practically officially dead.
They cite the dissolution of lodges Of
this order at Champaign, Dnnvillc,
Terrc Ilautc and III I'll parts of the
country but the east, as evidence that
the engineers either wish to be indie
pendent of or are ripe for new organ
ization. Given, therefore, the switch
men and engineers, with what they
have already, the A. K. U. officials
count on 4 convention in January Of
two thousand delegates, representing
every branch Of labor from a new.Arcy
to a railroad engineer, and with Mr..
Debs presiding.
THE statement was made broadly ut
A. r. U. headquarters that President
Sovereign would not interpose single
objection to the total absorption Of
the Knights of Labor by the American
Labor union. and that since the fiascO
in his attempt to call them out on a
strike when. except in scattered locali-
ties there were few to call out he has
recognized the coming new powers,
and only desires not to be left entirely
out. On the other hand General ec-
rotary John W. Hayes is reported to TO
decidedly aversc to sacrificing the iflcn-
tity of the knights prcferring to pre-
serve the fiction of an organization 10
complete surrender. Those who
spoke OF the coming convention arc )"
close to Debs that it was i't:>1re t;,rir
desires We're hut Il reflection II til.
next move he intends to mnnc..