The herald., 1896-11-15
A Union Which Gould Control
the Worlds Commerce
TEN MILLION MEMBERS
The Eagllsh Representatives, Now En-.
deavoriuf 10 Make Negotiations
American Labor Leaders Are Meeting
the Advances of the English Ennis
sary Slowly-The Organization.

NEW YORK, Nov. GA labor union
of ten million men, with ramitications in
every seaport city in Europe, Australia
and America. powerful enough to block
the commerce of the world at the up
lifting OF finger, strong enough to stop
every railroad Of Importance in the con-
tinents named and to make idle the
steamships and sailing vessels connect
ing them by sea. This may sound like
. silly dream Of some visionary. Per-
hAps 1t is and the events of the next
year will prove its status.
1t is the ambition Of the labor leaders
of Great Britain to be In position
within twelvemonth to declare a
worldwide strike-world-w literal
ly-by paralyzing the railroads and
ocean vessels centering at London, Liv-
erpool Plymouth, Dover, Marseilles,
Lisbon, Naples, Messina, Trieste, New
York, Boston, Baltimore. Chicago, Sa-
vannah, New Orleans, Galveston, San
Francisco, Hamburg, Kiel and Copen-
hagen. Besides arrangements are max
ing to bring into the International union
the workmen of Belgium, Holland and
of Australia. Africa and Asia are ig
nored because of the preponderance of
native workmen, who would be difficult
to control
From time to time the cable has
brought scraps of news of the union, but
little attention has been paid to the
great interest in the presidential cam
paign. Effective work in the matter of
bringing the workmen of this country
into the gigantic organization has been
done during the past six weeks, how
ever, and the foundation has been laid
Of an American federation for the union
of unions, as it is called in England.
THE LEADER HERE.
The man who is doing this work is
Edward McHugh, a different type al
together from the foreign labor leaders
with whom Americans are familiar. In
stead of being loud-mouthed ranting
and demagogic in his utterances and
methods he pursues his task quietly.
avoiding notice when he can, but dill
gently following every avenue leading
to his goal. He is Scotchman by birth,
and at one time was a laborer on the
docks at Glasgow. He has the look of
a well-to-do, well educated business
man. And he is we'll educated-of the
self-acquired kind. He is good looking
man, tall broad, with a brown beard
and strong, sensible face. He talks
quietly, but to the point, with just the
trace of a Scotch accent. He is a great
friend of Kier Hardie. who just year
ago toured this country. Hardie, Nc
Hugh and Tom Mann, are the three men
who originated the plan for labor
union whose size would only be limited
by the boundaries of the earth.
Upon the attitude of the labor unions
of this country much depends. If Nc
Hugh fails to perfect an understanding
with the various unions here the threat
ened worldwide strike would be abor
tive. In round numbers one million
American workmen are represented in
the particular unions which McHugh
is trying to affiliate with the English
bodies. OF this number more than 400,
600 are railroad men, and nearly 100000
are locomotive engineers. The other half
million is made up of the members of the
various seamen's unions, comprising
every class of labor employed on sailing
vessels and steamships; also the differ.
ent unions composed of longshoremen
and dock laborers of all kinds. Where
no unions exist among men connected
with ocean and railroad traffic it is the
purpose of McHugh to have them form
ed in all of the cities he will visit in this
country.
Emissaries of the central organization
in London have already conferred with
the local leaGiers in many European
countries, and the desired connections
have been made with the labor fedora
tions in Holland, Belgium, Sweden,
Germany. Francs, Spain, Italy and
Austria. At the given signal, the work
men of these nations have agreed to
throw down their tools and cease all
labor until their demands are granted
by their employers.
Labor leaders in New York are meet
ing the advances of Mr.. McHugh slow
ly. One OF them, in speaking to your
correspondent, said: LAS a conscien
tious man, l fully appreciate the awful
power of this proposition. If exerted
honestly, it would be of inestima BILE
value. But if scoundrels got hold of the
controlling reins, just think what an en-
gine Of evil it could be. The men in con-
frIa a,
prosperity of the world, and make of ii
a mere puppet, to dance at their bid aius.
They would have greater force behind
them for good or evil than the czar Of
Russia.
1T is not necessary to dilate upon the
resultant complete paralysis of COM
merce should such strike happen. The
biggest of the great strikes with which
this country has been familiar during
the past twenty years would be a VERT
able pigmy to this mammoth strike ir
view. The loss in dollars and cents could
not be prophesied. Practically every
industry in the world would be affected
Stagnation would reign in the cities and
in the fields. No one could escape the
effects of the calamity. 1t would assai
the millions of the Croesus and the tiny
hoardings of the day laborer."
M'HUGH'S CLAIMS.
Mr.. McHugh has been prosecuting his
On several occasions he has said that he
was not believer in strikes He has
made his headquarters in the rooms u1
the Atlantic Coast Seamen's union. Ir
one of his recent speeches to a body OF
'longshoremen he said: Il have discoy.
cred since l arrived here that the con.
dition of the laborer has been Angliczed
Every evil that has brought about tn,
impoverishment and misery of the Eng
lish laborer has been brought over here
mot for your benefit, but for the benefit
Of your employers.
Conditions among the 'longshoremer
are largely the same here as they were
there. You have here in the trade mer
of all RAGS and colors. The same is true
In Glasgow, and the method employee
there to keep wages down was to keer
the people divided. They used not onl,
nationality to do this, but they use(
religion. Religion is the relation be
tween man and his creator, and the,
used that to keep wages down. Let M
Illustrate: They would take two gang
OF lrtshmen, one of them Orangemen
the other Catholics. They would put on
IN the forward hatch and one in the afte
hatch. The employers would increas
the rivalry between the two, spur then
on to greater efforts, and get create
results for the same money, and ulti
mately pay less wages. What 1 speal
Of Is well known in Glasgow, and wa
true OF Liverpool and other ports"
Since the big strike Of 'longshoremei
In this city several years ago there ha
been no effective labor organization
among the men employed on the docks