Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-15
EXPECTED HIS REJECTION
Central Labor Union Not Surprised that Bell
Was Barred by Federation,
WENT TO SECURE PEACE AMONG PAINTERS
His Rejection is Due to n war he.
tween Two Factions of the Nn-
tIonnI Organization of Painter
JOurneymen.

I'VE are not surprised at the rejection OF
| w. II. Bell by the National Federation OF
Labor at Detroit, which was reported Nj the
press dispatches" said c. Il. Sparks. Sec
letary OF the Central Labor union, yester-
day. I'VE rather expected It, He was sent
as delegate by this central union be-
cause We believed he could do more in a
certain work which we wished to see
effected, even though he was denied a seat,
than could anyone else. He could do it, we
thought, by working on the outside. He
was sent down to try to secure a peaceful
union of the two organizations of painters,
or, failing in that, to try to see that 18th
sides were denied seats in the federation
until they could fight out their difference S
among themselves"
1t appears that the national organization
Of painters has been for a long time hope
lessly split. There are two factions, known
as the Baltimore and Lafayette factions
The former seems to represent the original
organization, the latter being comprised OF
seceders therefromr The split was occa-
stoned by certain alleged misdeeds OF Grand
Secretary Elliott, who was at one tine
charged with having counterfeited the union
label and with having Incorporated funds.
Upon these charges, or at least upon one
of them, he was tried and convicted but he
refused to yield up his office and ever since
then he has been the leader of the Baltimore
faction. The friction arising from these
circumstances led to large portion of the
following of the national organization break
ing away and effecting a new organization
known as the Lafayette faction. This
latter contingent has never received recog
milton from the American Federation of
Labor, but has that of the knights of
Labor. The Baltimore faction has, Oh the
other hand, been recognized by the fedora
tion.
Two Local Unions.
There are two local painters unions in
Omaha One is No. 109, which has been or
ganized for many years. 1t is allied to the
Lafayette faction and w. H. Bell is mem
Der of It, Last spring the painters declared
a strike for higher pay, raising the schedule
from 80 to 30 cents per hour. During the
trouble that ensued with the proprietols a
new union was formed, No. 104, which
secured it's charter from the Baltimore fac
tion and which adopted scale of 30 cents
an hour. The old union had already re-
ceived recognition from the local Central
Labor union and when the new one was
formed a committee from the Central Labor
union investigated 1t and turned 1t down,
that 1t was organized by con-
tractors and comprised men who hal
"scabbed" in previous labor troubles. AL
though all the employing painters finally
came to the schedule except one, the new
union is still in existence although it is
not known at Labor Temple whether or not
the Baltimore faction of the national or
yanization had a representative present a.
the federation meeting in Detroit or not.
This action of the federation is, therefore, |
1 turning down of the old union in favor OF
he new. 1t is believed that some action |
will be taken by the federation to adjust the
differences among painters before the au-
ournment.
The action of the federation in rejecting !
Bell from it's councils is not likely to affect
ocal affairs in any way.