The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-12-08

explains in good part why the fedora
tiOu has been steadily gaining in
strength, stability ana influence. while
other organizations, that at times have
held & more prominent place i'm the
public eye, have either declined in
numbers and power or gone to IiCCeS
altogether. To-day the American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor is composed Oi sixty
national and international trade unions
eleven state branches. eighty-One city
central bodies. AIS local unions and has
i'm round numbers a combined member
ship of 100000 wags-earning men and
women marching under its broad BAN
ner. Fifteen years ago there were but
fourteen national and international
trades unions in the United States and
Canada. Now there are seventy eight,
three having been formed in the past
year.
The American Federation of Labor
does what all federGtious of labor
unions do-attempts to give solidarity
to the labor movement by getting the
various sections of the labor army into
touch with each other. IT refuses tO
admi. that occupation can be a bar
rier to the community of interest run
ming through the wage earning masses.
From it's inception it has taken the
stand that, while unions of miners,
sailors, shoemakers, CigarmakerS and
printers must each and all be left en-
tirely free to govern themselves with
in their own borders. yet that between
the members Of all these unions there
should be a bono as great as that be-
tween the members of the same union.
The great aim and object of the feder-
alton is to strengthen that bond, and
its method is by organization. educa-
tion and inculcation, to place the labor
movement upon a higher and more ef-
fective plane.
ANTECEDENTS
In 1865 twelve men met IN Louisville,
Ky, took the first step beyond trade
lines in the organization of labor in
America by issuing call to all organ
lied bodies of wOrkingmon to meet the
following year in Baltimore, Md.
whore on Aug. 90 1866 representatives,
from sixty labor organizations met
and founded the National Labor union.
The Old National Labor union issued
but few charters, and the only one now
in existence, signed by William II. Syl-
Wis, for a local union i'm the town of
Black River Falls. Wis. has since been
presented to President Gompers Of the
Federation Of Labor as a souvenir.
The next convention of this body was
held in Chicago in 1861. where u. e.
Whaley. the president, advanced the
| ideas of a central head. all subordinate
unions to be auxiliary to it, and to pay
| quarterly dues for its maintenance
/
| Putsburg 1868: New York city, 1868:
! Chicago, 1869 Boston. 1870; Philadel-
! phia 1871 and Columbus, Ohio, 1872
! This last convention put a presidential
| ticket in the field, and rapid disinte-
grafton at once ensued. The great fl
nancial crisis of 1878 following. the re-
sources of the unions We're drained and
| the suspension Of work decreased their
| numbers.
No further steps were taken to form
| a national body until Aug. and 8,
| 1881, when there assembled at Terre
| Haute Ind, a number of gentlemen
| representing several national and in
| tcrnatlOnal trades unions and the CEN
| trail labor bodies in the larger cities Of
! the United States, and a call for a
| mass meeting was ordered printed and
| scattered broadcast. The gentlemen
/ named in the circular as speakers were
! Senator Voorhees,, of Indiana: L j. Nc
| CURE, of st. Louis; Richard Powers
of, Chicago; l.. \. Brant. of Detroit:
Mark L. Crawford, Of Chicago. and
Sam Lcflingwell, of indianapolis, Ind
\ call was here issued for a meeting
of representatives, Of all trade and
labor unions to meet in PittsburG Nov
IL. 1881. One hundred and seven dele
gates, representing quarter Of a
million wageworkers. responded to this
call. and did not separate until they
had established the Federation of Or,
! ganized Trades and Labor Unions OF
| the United States and Canada" The
meeting was called to order by l.. \
Brant, of Detroit, representing the In
| ternatiOnal Typographical Union, and
| John Jarrett, president of the Amalga-
| mated Association of Iron and Steel
| Workers of the United States and Can
ada, was elected chairman. The first
| legislative committee was appointed
was composed of Samuel Gompers
Cigarmakers' International union New
York: William II. Foster, Information.
al Typographical union. Cincinnati
/ Alexander Rankin. Iron MolderS' union
Pittsburg; Richard Powers, Lake Sea
mems union, Chicago, and Charlie.
| Burgman. Tailors' union San Fran.
cisco. This committee presented sew
! eral measures to congress. one of i'm
pOrtanCe creating a national bureau Ot
| labor statistics was passed in 1883
The secretaries We're Mark l.. CraW,
ford, representing the Chicago TRADE