The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-04

time the Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engi-
neers has lost over eight thousand mem
oers; ms ~ partlahy que 20 nara tines
Chief Peter NJ. Arthur, and partially to the
growth of the feeling that the order can
no longer afford protection 10 its members.
Several charters have been surrendered,
and the membership is on the decline:
There is war between the Eastern and
Western engineers over the grand chief,
who has for years been Objectionable to the
Western contingent, and further trouble is
hound to follow at the next biennial con-
yention. BY withdrawing his appeal to the
Supreme Court in the Toledo Injunction
cases, Chief Arthur has practically placed
the order in a position where a strike can
not be ordered without bringing its leaders
into contempt of court.
In the ranks of Grand Chief Wllkinsons
order, the Brotherhood of Railway Tram
men, l45 lodges have become defunct WITH
III the year, and returned their charters.
This means a loss in membership OF nearly
four thousand, besides the withdrawals
from lodges which are still in good condi-
ton The Trainmen's Journal is the only
oh1ciaI organ of any of the organizations
named that has had the honesty to strike
the names OF defunct lodges from the di-
rectory which is published monthly. The
Order OF Railway Conductors has suffered
a proportonate loss.
LOSSES IN OTHER UNIONS.
The Amalgamated Association of Iron
ana Steel Workers, once mighty power
and able to dictate terms. in measure.
to the iron and steel mill owners of the
United States. has been shorn of it's
strength and has Jared in some respects
even worse than the railroad organizations.
Reductions of wages can no longer be
successfully resisted its threats to call
strikes have lost their potency. and the
ability of the organization to afford pro-
lection to its members in the sense it used
to has long since been a minus quantity
The Carnegie-Frick Company has not stood
by the men who came to its rescue in the
famous strike. and has submitted scale
20 20 them cutting wages. in some instances
suit in a lockout at an early date. THE
Amalgamated Association is poweriess to
In equally bad shape is the American
feueratlon of Labor. with Samuel Gompers
been even heavier in proportion than that
OF any other named, How long il will hold
together cannot be said, but it has been
weakened to a point where it cannot af-
ford the protection to its members which
1t claims to give. The Bricklayers Inter
national Union, one of the strongest orders
embodied within the building trades unions
mas ever held aloof from kindred organiza-
Iions and has maintained a. sort OF arts
tocraey: There has always been that lack
Oh ANIMATION, looseness of organization
ana the absence of brotherly. love within
trouble, has resulted in 1ong-winded reso-
l4tlons of sympathy instead of practical
There are in the United States, Canada
ana Mexico. over 16000,000 wage workers.
OF this number not to exceed 100000 are or
ganzed. There are a million railroad en-
ployes. of whom not over loo 600 or one
tenth, are organized. AS means of solv-
ing the great labor problem George w.
Howard has conceived a plan of organizing,
universal labor union, to include every
man who tolls in the three countries named
The idea is to organize the whole into one
great body, where there will be no occasion
for difference between leaders. The plan
will be after the form of tree with a
constitution and laws for its nourishment,
and branches for the various branches OF
or trunk. One will be the railroad branch
with its twigs,. the engineers, firemen,
men, machinists and other classes of en-
ployeS SprOuting from it, Another will be
the building trade branch, with the brick
layers, carpenters, plasterers, skaters, lath-
ers. ETC., forming its twigs. And so on until
every laboring man secures representation
Within the vast central body. Each of the
organizations will maintain its trade or
class organizations, and adjust its own
affairs. as is done in city, township, county,
and State governments, but each will have
representation in the central body corre-
gress The cost will be placed at about 80
cents a year per member, and there will be
an insurance branch, nonccmpulsory con-
Quoted on the plan of the old line compa-
MES. but at less cost per $1,000 by reason
of the fact that no agents will have to be
paid and nc branch offices maintained The
expensive grand Offices, such as are kept
up by the several railway orders as they
now exist, will not be known and the ex-
penses will be reduced to minimum
through the maintenance of one central of
hce. which will probably be located at Chi
cago, instead of for every class or
ganization, as it is now. Mr.. Howard has
his plans perfected. and is now looking for
a SuitablU man to launch the universal or
in mind, who is said to have partially con-
sented to undertake the work, the announce
ment of whose name will be surprise,
and whose acceptance will in a large meas
ure insure success.