The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-12-12
RILEYS APPEAL

The President ofthe National stogie
Makers League Making q Strong
.ERort TO secure Afiliation with the
American Federation.
Armed with the accommodation Of
the Ohio Valley Trades and Labor AS
sembly. the National stogie Makers
League Of America. which was organ
lied in Wheeling two, years ago, and
most OF whose national oficers are
Wheeling men. viii make strong eff
fort to secure afHlIation with the Amer
ican Federation of Labor this week at
Kansas City.
Ex-President Thomas L. Lewis, OF the
Ohio Federation OF Labor, will attend
the Federation meeting, and Will pre-
sent the following appeal. signed by
President w. H. Riley, Of the stogie
makers:
American Federation Of Labor.
GENTLEMEN:-We. the representa-
tives OF the National St0gle Makers
League, desire TO express our confidence
IN your honorable body by submitting
for your investigation and verdict
question OF vital Importance to US and
to those interested in the organization
Of the laboring classes. In 1852 the sto-
gle industry was comparatively IN us
infancy while wages were very low To
better conditions we organized local
union. which has been In continuous
existence, and two years ago was the
nucleus around which we formed q
national body. Through jealous and IN
defatigable work we have advanced
wages over two hundred per cent ana
reduced working hours from sixteen TO
ten hours per dag. At the time Of or
ganlzatlon we knew of no national body
to whom we could attach.
After some ten years we affiliated
with the International Cigar Makers,
who accepted our moheX without ac-
cordlng Us representation, protection or
label, but to the contrary they syste-
matlcally boycotted our product After
the lapse of a gear we withdrew and
Joined the Knights of Labor, With
whom we remained until two year, ago,
when we, for good and sufficient rea-
CONS, Withdrew aud Joined national
head OF our owp. The stogie industry
has developed into an important factor
In trade, the bulk Of which Is as yet
confined to the Ohio valley. To illus
trnte It's rapid growth, we point to
West Virglnia's output for last year,
which was In round figures, 1900. 900,
as against 6s,OO0.00O this year, while
both Pennsylvania and Ohio lead her
many millions.
These conditions naturally alarmed
the International people, for they rea-
lie that the Increased consumption OF
stogles means a decrease of their pro-
duct. Hence the active interest they
are taking In our work and expansion,
as manifested by bitter opposition and
unwarranted Misrepresentation when-
ever we apply for recognition in central
assemblies Of working men.
They charge that we are a dual or
ganization. This claim is absurd for the
following reasons: The essentials to
make dual organization should be
sameness Of interests and respons!blllt-
les; conditions which fit one should APP
ply to the other The facts are that in
n business sense we antagonize each
other. They disprove the charge when
they refuse to grant Us their label upon
our work as one Of the conditions of at
fllation. A man mag be an expert ci-
gar maker and not be able to make
stogie and but very few stogie makers
can make cigar. 1t is case Of two
trades competing for patronage and 1t
would be Just as reasonable for the
coal miners TO oppose the artificial or
natural gas workers. as It is for the ci-
gar workers to oppose the stoGies MAX
ers.
We have no desire to antaEonlze the
cigar makers in other than legitimate
trade competition. We have conferred
with them with view Of coming to an
amicabie settlement OF the existing dlt-
ferences. We have offered to respect the
division line established by them. We
have offered to defend thei: label upon
all goods above the six dollar wage lin.
1t. An examination OF our books will
show that for over twenty years we
have battled as earnestly for the pre-
servatlon and recognition Of their label
upon the class OF work which they are
Justly entitled TO control, as we have
for that OF our own. and We claim that
those who know this and do not appre-
ciate 1t are devoid Of all sense OF gratl-
tude.
They have met our friendly over
tures in a dlctatorial spirit. It's time
that they offered US n stogie label. This
discriminating act dIsproves their claim
OF our dual character. The conditions
of tho