The San Francisco call., 1896-02-16

tiated and from that time to the present the car
penters mem mbership rolls have been increas-
Ing rapidly and steadily. What we aim for is
g better condition OF our craftsmen. We have
already obtained a So day rate and an eight
hour working rule. We viii demand $3 so as
| minimum on April l. We have, as I said,
between 400 and 1900 men, but there are
still between 800 and 400 carpenters who are
not in the unions would impress upon you
all the Importance OF getting every carpenter
into the unions. Once you get these men in
with you and you will be able to secure our old
! rate OF wages OF $3 90 day. We wish to give
! the contractors plenty OF notice so they will
not be the losers on contracts they make for
/ the spring.
r. I. McIver OF the Painters and Deco
ratorS' Union made the speech.of the even
ing. He attributed the unhappy condition
OF the laboring classes to their own coward
ice and apathy in not standing up and
| fighting for their rights, instead of letting
the unprincipled manipulators steal little
by little even the very bread from their
mouths.
| He said that the carpenters are not en-
thusiastic enough in building up their
trade. They seem to feel that they are al
ready well organized. They do not feel
the suffering in the community caused by
their apathy. Without organization the
workingmen are helpless. These remarks,
he said, apply TO all trades unions. Mr..
McIver added:
I believe in the boycott and in the strike
when well applied and judiciously used; but
like the boomerang in the hands of the un-
skilled they will come back and strike the
striker. In the hands of the skilled marksman
the weapon brings down the enemy, and SO
with the strike and boycott. What you lack is
discipline and unity in your efforts and pur-
poses. The skilled workmen are better paid
than any other class, but what are we doing
for those the tside? Women ard girls,
| pale, illclothed, ill-fed, working for $3 week
what are we doing for them? Look at the
! little children selling papers and working long
| hours-whGt are we doing for them? Nothing,
and are to blame for this all Nor is this all.
Look at the hundreds of labor-saving inven-
tions. These have driven thousands out of
employment. When will your time come and
| what will you do when your time comes? You
must take in and organize both skilled and
| unskilled. You must cease this apathy and
| fight for your rights and the rights of your
| neighbors.
In discussing matters of political econo-
my Mr.. McIve1 asked how many men pres
ent own their own homes. Only one man 8
hand was raised and he admitted that the
home is not paid for yet, whereupon the
| speaker said that the very men who build
/ homes are homeless, and because they are
all towards and are afraid to fight shoulder
| to shoulder for the rights of all.
1t is, he said, class war that the labor
ing men must wage against those who
have robbed them. This must be done or
the laboring classes will go lower down,
and they have gone lower in short time
kind. This can be accomplished by at
tending to the selection of those VINO
make the laws. 1t can be done by the
ballot and he hoped that violence would
| not be nece essary.
| w. H. Hutchinson, president of the Car
| penters' and Joiners' Union No. 4S3, made
a few remarks, in which he referred to the
benefit all workmen derive from the vic
tories won by those who are organized, and
said that those who are benefited should
assist in the battles.
Henry Meyers, also of the union, spoke
of the evils of unrestricted immigration
and of the recent manifestation of interes
in the general labor movement. Meyers
| said:
If the labor movement enthusiasm is kept
| up something will break loose in San Fran
cisco before very long. In the past while we
| have won a few boycotts and strikes, still we
| have not won single victory over those
| who are interested in trusts. There is only
one way of winning our rights, and that is by
the liberal and intelligent use of the ballot
| while ago the great masses OF the people de-
manded an eight.hour law, and we got it.
! This shows what can be done by the organized
/ labor. But what has ell that amounted to-?