The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-03-17

S~~~~<S<S~'0~S>SrS
HAVANA, CUBA, February S, $780,
In consequence Of the severe accident
which occurred to me. the Detroit con.
vention of the American Federation OF
Labor voted me leave of absence OF
thirty days, and Immediately more
than sixty days hard and strenuous
work was laid out for me to perform.
1t was my intention not to accept the
generous offer of the delegates, for /
believed [ could get along without it.
I never had vacation and the thought
OF taking one now, seemed prepOster.
ous. HOWeVeN, as time went on and
my condition did not improve as hoped,
it was urged upon me that rest for q
brief period, at least, was necessary in
order to recuperate from the physical
and nervous shock which / suffered
resultant from a collision with trolley
car No. %. on H street, N. E., Wash
ington, D. c., December 6, 1899. Moral:
"DOn't monkey with a trolley car"
1t has been asked, why go to Cuba
when there are SO many other salu
<brous places? My answer is that it is
simply impossible for me to live and
be entirely inactive or to be uninterest
ed in my surroundings. The four days
ocean trip to Cuba and four days to re-
turn ought to be sufficient for purposes
Of rest. and Cuba has been for some
time past. is now, and will be for the
neaE future the scenes of living, inter-
rstng actions. For instance, the labor
conditions prevailing. the condition of
Orga nization among the workers, the
extent, methods and hopes Of the labor
movement there. And then, there is
the rule of the military, and last but
not least there is that famous proclaim
alton issued last fall by General Lud
low, as Governor-Ge of Havana,
by which the general strike for an s.
hour work day there was broken and
the leaders threatened with arrest and
Imprisonment unless they declared the
strike off at once. These are matters
of great Importance to our workers in
the United States, and surely they are
sufficient to keep one busy, more espe-
cially when that one is in search Of
health. But of these things more anon.
Well, we started on the trip and
swiftly turning on the New Jersey
Coast, past Long Branch, Cape May,
the, temperature falling. until the ther-a
mometer regt tstered@ & two zero.
abs abs sifesD'e 4a9ests Naas ss
ship, over the bulwarlks an} fall upon
the deck. The water Is frlEen IN the
rigging. the deck is one complete cake,
Of ice, and passengers on the upper
deck have to slide rather than walk to
and from their cabins. The great ves-
sci heaves and tosses, and many seats
are vacant at the dining saloon tables.
Each having heard Captain Downs or
der on leaving New York to "Heave
Anchor!" are possibly engaged heaving
everything eaten or drunk a month be-
fore.
HAVANA, CUBA, February II 1900
1t was just a. few minutes past eight,
or about three hours after my arrival,
when was in conference with the rep
resentative union men of Havana at
the Headquarters, Centre General de
Obreros Central Labor HalD, Monte
Gale, 5e, photographs of which took.
Some time previous to my depart
ture from the United States had been
in correspondence with, some friends
in Havana, particularly Manuel Gar
tica, J. E. Bloom and Manuel Alfonzo.
An invitation had been extended to q
number Of active workers to tender a
reception to me. 1t was all very inter-
esting and made understandable
through an interpreter, Juan Alma, a.
Cuban cigarmaker, with whom work.
ed in New York city some years ago.
There were about $4,000 cigarmakers
and about 1900 bakers on strike for
over four weeks. I was asked to aid
the cigarmakers, to which readily as
sented. The bakers made no request Of
that kind, and I felt than an offer Of
assistance to them might carry with
it the appearance of gratuitous inter-
ference; hence I desisted. Every day
and almost every evening of that first
week in Havana, where I had gone to
seek rest and renewed health, was
taken up in meetings and conferences.
The cigarmakers' strike originated
from very peculiar cause. I shall try
briefly to tell the story, as learned it.
Before the "ten years. revolution for
"Cuba Libre" the cigar trade was near
ly all in the hands of the Cubans. Dur
ing that revolution the cigar factories
belonging to Cubans were confiscated
by the Spanish authorities. After the
failure of the revolution to accomplish
Cuban independence, the then Spanish
employers placed every position of re-
spOnsibility in the hands of Spaniards
These in turn gave every encourage
ment to Spanish boys to learn the pre-
ferred branches of the trade, Qeaf Sc.
1ecting and cigar packing). At the time
of the strike there was not a Cubar
holding the position Of superintendent,
or foreman in any cigar factory anG
but about two out of every hundred
leaf selecters and cigar packers. There
are about 70 Cubans to 30 spaniard.
at cigarmaking. 1t is claimed that
with equal ability. Cubans were thu
last to be given employment and thu
first to. be discharged. There arr
about 800 orphans in Havana, children
of the ''reconcentrados:' 100 of thes.
are in the families of sympatheti,
Cubans and Americans, 700 in the or
phan asylum. AS = matter IL right q,
well as sympathy ana Justice, It wa,
held that these sboya should have Il