The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-10
Why the Unions Have Declined
to Turn Out on the
Fourth.
HARD TIMES Is ONE REASON
Knox of the A. r. u. and Sailor
Furuseth Criticize the
Government.


seem weighty enough from their point OF
view.
The matter came up at a recent meeting
of the council and the different delegates
expressed their minds quite freely. One
offered the following resolution:
WHEREAS, The effort to have grand parade
on the Fourth OF July seems to be an attempt
on the part of persons connected with the Halt
million Club to advertise to the world that the
the industrial trades here are all in prosper
Gus condition; and whereas, such an adver-
tisement might have the effect desired,
namely: Attract to this City large number of
men to work for little or nothing in our shops
and factories, to sail for little or nothing on
our coast vessels, to run our trains for little or
nothing, to go begging for work on our streets
or TO depend for a subsistence upon the City's
garbage thrown on the dumps; and whereas,
organized labor in this City is opposed to any
thing that will have a tendency 10 bring men
OF small means or struggling mechanics to this
City until opportunities exist here that would
warrant their coming and would enable them
to make reasonably prosperous living; there
RESOLVED, That the affiliated bodies of organ
lied labor IN council represented hereby re-
spectfully decline to accept the invitation OF
the Fourth OF July committee to parade on
that day.
The resolution was offered in satirical
vein, and was accordingly tabled, but it
afforded chance to several of the dele
gates to speak their minds. It was agreed
that the question of turning out or not on
the Fourth could be left entirely with the
unions themselves, and that their delegates
could report the actions taken, such re-
ports to be spread upon the minutes of
Secretary Burman. Subsequently Dele
gate Burns of the cigar-makers, Secretary
Burman OF the furniture-workers, Dele
gate Craig, of the American Railway
Union, President McGlynn, representing
the Typographical Union, and Delegate
Furuseth of the Coast Seamen's Union,
reported that the invitation of the Fourth
of July Committee had been declined by
their respective organizations.
Secretary Burman was particularly out
spoken. Said he:
THE Fourth of July Committee in it's
eagerness to get up big parade has over
looked one little thing, and that is the con-
dition of the labor unions. 1t would doubt
less like such organizations, if they turned
out, to make a good showing, and yet look
at the facts.
Il will speak for the furniture workers.
For the last few years what have been our
conditions? We have found them going
from bad to worse. The demand for this
class of work has become SO poor that
our men have been working only part of
the time, instead of anything like full
time, and whenever they have worked, it
has been at greatly reduced wages.
ITO such straits have we been reduced
as a craft, that hundreds of men who de-
pend upon furniture making for livei-
hood find that they do not now possess the
means of dressing themselves fittingly.
would ask the Fourth of July Committee
itself: Would it like to see horde of
miserablv clothed, ill-fed mechanics parad-
ing the streets in an endeavor to be
patriotic2 think not. For that reason,
If for no other, we shall not turn out"
Secretary Andrew Furuseth of the Coast
Seamen's Union has reasons very much
similar. He remarked yesterday evening:
"In the first place we have not got very
many men ashore, and If any sailors were
to leave the steamers on which they are
employed to parade on that day they would
surely be discharged. AS for the sailing
vessels they usually pick out Sundays and
holidays to go to sea in. 1t is simply out
of the question to expect our men to stay
away from them. Their masters will GER
tainly have something for them to do on
the Fourth of July.
"But the most important reason for not
turning out is that we are not in a condi-
ton to do so. From the reports in the
CALL I learn that Japanese labor is fast
supplanting white labor in our orchards
vineyards and fields, and | know that the
Jap is gradually taking the place of the
white seaman. Why would it not be APP
propriate for the Fourth Of July committee
to invite the Chinese and Japanese to turn
out. They manage to get work here and
make a living beneath our flag and under
the benign influence of American civiliza-
tion and American institutions. Surely if
any people should be appreciative of the
lessons of freedom and liberation taught
by the Fourth of July celebration they
should be the Chinese and Japanese.
"The fact of the matter is simply this:
We are not making any money and there
fore have no money to put into any parade.
We would not appear to advantage if we
did turn out. Unless we can get work all
the time and at fair wages we cannot pa
tronize the tailor and shoemaker, and it
would not do for us to parade up and down
the streets in the shabby clothing we are
compelled by force of circumstances to
keep on our backs.
'The Fourth of July is all right and the
grand principles it represents, but we are
looking for the American people to make
a reality of those principles rather than a
mere pretense. Until they do and we be-
gin to enjoy prosperity in consequence we
cannot be expected to be particularly pa
triotic."
The last expression of Mr.. Furuseth is
really the keynote of all the objections of
organized labor to making any great cele-
bration on the coming Fourth. Harry
hnOx OF Tue American halfway Union,
who is also one of the delegates to the La
Dor Council, went little further when he
was questioned. Besides feeling as Messrs
Burman and Furuseth did on the present
conditions of laboring men, he had not
forgotten the Pullman strike and the de-
cisions of the Federal courts. He OBJ
served:
'Organized labor feels that it does not
owe very much to the Government of the
United States as it is run at present. We
believe in American principles and Amer
lean institutions just as much as anybody
"a little more, l think, than those great
corporations whose interests the courts of
this country are continually favoring and
we would like to be filed with patriotic
enthusiasm if we felt that we had anything
left to be enthusiastic over"
81 suppose you have in mind the action
of the Government in the Pullman strike
and the decision of the United States
courts2" was asked, suggestively.
eyes" he replied, 'thatis it. Organized
labor has learned that the Government and
institutions of this country are in bad
hands just now. The rights of wealth are
set above the rights of labor by the judici-
airy, and the executive is ever ready to
serve the intprpsfa 0f mOnODOliStS and