Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-05

RSNSNEAL~ local Federation o f
| MANS Labor adopted at it's
| /I meeting T a y
| night port adj
verse to aff1lating with the American Fed
Grafton, it Is understood that branch Of
the national body will be organized here.
| The American Federation of Labor dates
its origin back to 1866. when a call was is
sued to a number of labor organizations
throughout the country by the trades as
semblies Of New York city and Baltimore,
asking the former to send delegates to meet
them for the purpose of forming a ma
tional labor congress.
In accordance with that appeal, 100 dele
gates, representing sixty labor organiza-
tions of all kinds met in Baltimore August
90
The National Labor Union.
In the following year the second annual
| congress of the National Labor Union was
held in Chicago, attended by over two hun
dred delegates. representing trades unions
in all the northern states and six southern
states. President z. c. Whaley. in his re-
port, urged that state organizations be
| formed. The National Labor Union was
| formed in imitation of the Trades Union
Congress of England, in which local bodies
not allowed to discuss politics in their
| meetings could send delegates to the CEN
trail body. and there deal with questions of
a political nature and thus influence na-
tional legislation in favor of the working
| classes. But the political portion of the
work was minimized, and matters of a So
cial and Industrial character were pre-
ferred
Two conventions of the National Labor
| Union were held in 1868, one in May and
| the other in SeptembSsr. The first convened
| In Pittsburg, and the principal act of that
| session was resolution to cooperate with
the Patrons of Husbandry and the Grang-
I tNaF l,1J,
! New York city, to take action regarding
| the general movement which was then GO
| ing on In favor of the establishment of
| the eight-hour rule The annual convention
of 1869 was held in Chicago; that of 1870
in Boston; that of 1871 in Philadelphia,
| and that of 1872, which was the last
in Columbus, Ohio. There it was de-
| cided to nominate a candidate for Presi-
| dent of the United States, and Judge David
| Davis of Illinois was chosen as the stand
| ard beare-.
In the Political Arena,
This drift into political action provoked
| so much dissension that one local organiza-
| ton after another, believing that the Ma
! tional Labor Union had entered a field of
| operations for which 1t was not intended,
withdrew its support, and interest was lost
| in tn, central body.
The great panic Of 1873 demolished the
| trades unions. The distress of the winter
of 1874 and the inability of organized
| labor to stem the reductions of wages that
| We're taking place i'll every branch of in
| dustry induced number of leading trades
| unionists to call another industrial CON
gress' for April IA, 1874, with the intention
| of returning to the old lines of the Ma
uonal Labor Union avoiding politics. and
| of forming a federation of the trades and
| labor unions of the entire country There
| was represented at this convention secret
| organization, then known as the Sover-
eisns of Industry, which was making great
in hn stow, til
with purpose of establishing cooperative
stores ana eliminating the middle man
| from commercial TRANSACTIONS. Another
| organization represented was that known
| as the Industrial Brotherhood of the United
States. also secret, and somewhat of the
character of the knights of Labor
In the convention there was a serious
clash between the champions of these two
bcdies on the question of a permanent or
ganization. some of the delegates desiring
to form an order similar to the Industrial
Brotherhood and others favorng the Sow
ere!gns of Industry plan. A platform was
hna!ly adopted, however, which was iden-
teal in many respects with the declara-
ton of principles subsequently adopted by
the Knights of Labor.
Further Efforts to Organize.
The movement to form a permanent in
dustrial congress, nevertheless, seemed to
end with that session of the convention,
and no further efforts were made in that
direction until call for a national con-
vention, to be held in Tyrone, Pa in De-
cember. 1875, was issued by secret or
sanizatlon, which at that time was a prom
ising rival of the Knights of Labor, en-
Tilted the Junior Sons of 70" The de-
sign of this gathering was to form combi-
nation OF all the scattered fragments of
the labor movement. Delegates were in
attendance from the Junior Sons of 10"
the Knights of Labor, the Grangers open
trades unions, and social democratic or
CARNATIONS. as they were called at that
time. Their designs did not materialize,
however.
During the same period the Industrial
brotherhood. which was numerically weak,
but extended through many sections Of
the country, was also attempting to out
rival the Knights of Labor Another order
of general and secret character had
sprung up in the early part of 1877, known
as the international Labor Union" hay-
iEg branches in seventeen states. But
little or nothing of national consequence
was done by the trades and labor unions
Until 1878, when they began everywhere to
ffe e and profiting by their previous
1allures laid the foundations of local
unions upon basis of high dues, introduce
ing various beneficial features and other
financial provisions calculated to hold the
members more firmly to the organization
formed trades assemblies, trades councils.
etc.
The First Federation.
A call was issued conformity by the
knights Of Industry and society
known as the "Amalgamated Labor
union," an offshoot of the Knights Of La
Dor, composed of disaffected members Ct
that order. for convention to meet in
Terre Haute, Ind. August 2, 1881 An Or
ganization was not effected, as had been
proposed
A. call was published, however, for a sub
sequent convention, to be held in Pitts
burg, November 10, 1881, and this gather
ing proved to be the most important of it's
kind that had thus far been held.
The convention was organized with John
Jarrett, at that time president of the Anal
gamated Asso citation of Iron and Steel
Workers, ir the chair. One hundred and
seven delegates were present, representing
262. 900 workingmen, and permanent Or
ganization was effected styled the FEEDER
alton Of Organized Trades and Labor
Unions of the United States and Canada"
and a congressional committee was ap-
| pointed, consisting Of Messrs. Richard Pow
ers of the Seaman's Union Of Chicago, Will
| lam H. Foster of the International Typo
graphical UEion Of Cincinnati, Samuel
| Gompers of the International Cigar Max
| ers Union Of New York, c. F. Burgman of
| the Tailors' International Union of San
| Francisco and A. c. Rankin of the Knights
| of Labor Iron MOlderS of Pittsbure