New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-13
THE LABORER AND REFORM.
NO BETTER FRIEND OF THE CITIZENS
UNION THAN THE wORKINGMAN

~->''->i-Ni i-Nfct LEADERS WHO HAVE WORKED
HAND IN HAND WITH MILLoNAInEs
TO PURIFY MUNICIPAL. Politics
In the campaign which ended with the over
tnro" OF Taminany and the triumph of the re-
fcrn ticket one of the powerful elements OF sue
cess was the independent labor vote and the en-
thusiasm OF hundreds OF laborers for the citi-
1ens' movement shows that they are interested
In the selection OF Greater NETWORKS first gov
eminent
This fact was recognized by the men who were
'he hrst movers in the organization of the Citi-
Gems Union. and the names Of a number Of work.
ingmen were placed the list Of organizers
They were not recorded as the president Of this
or the secretary OF that labor organization, not
as the leader of a union or the political head of
sub-union. but as citizens. the same as the
oahAers' merchants or lawyers who appeared on
the hSt and this caused one OF the speakers at a
recent iaboring mems meeting to say: For the
hrst time IN the history OF New York politics the
"orilnSman had a chance to meet the million
are on the same level. and the dizzy height to
which tho rich man reached did not seem to
'rouDie hin because he knew that there were
Strong arms near to catch him II he fell"
One of the most prominent members Of the
labor party is Charles +. Wingate the founder
or the Twilight Club. He born in New
York. and received his education in Ward School
No 40 and in Cooper Union. He became a re-
FORMER many years ago. and some of his letters
to a New-England paper were said to have pre-
cipitated the overthrow of the Tweed Ring. He
was interested in securing the amendments to
the Tenement law and in passing the PIumbinf,
Registration law. the Small Parks bill and other
measures in which the working classes in
terested. while he acting chairman of the
first Tenement Commission
HENRY wEIsMANN'S IDEAS
Henry Weisnann is another prominent figure
IN the councils OF the working people of New
York He is the general secretary of the Inter-
national Bakers and Confectioncrs' Union which
has n membership OF about ten thousand divided
mto 1874 local unions. He has held the Office
six years, and has been the representative OF the
bakers in the annual National conventions Of the
American Federation of Labor. He has also
taken part in the dcbcrat ions OF the Central
Labor Union. He said. when speaking of the
Citizens Union: Il have always been opposed to
tosssm and machine politics, and 1 am q firm
believer in the platform and the wisdom of the
policy of the Citizens Union. I heartily indorse
the provision looking to the retention of public
franchises in the hands of the city, the rcstric-
ton OF the street railway and light works cor
porations. and the enforcement Of the oiCht-hour
workday law on works OF the city. direct by
contract. The leading elements of the Citizens
Union broad and liberal minded men, many
OF whom have made municipal reform the study
Of their lives and whose sincerity is above ques-
ton The workingmen have no interest in COM
mon with those who operate the machines of the
two leading parties. The only organiza ton that
stands for principle and good government is the
Citizens Union, whose platform embraces the
essentials of the ideas Of municipal progress now
advocated by labor and reform bodies throughout
the country"
4 FRIEND OF LABOR AND REFORM.
At the conference where the first steps toward
permanent organization taken one of the
speakers was George Tombleson a glider who