The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-04

Scrantons streets were crowded all
yesterday morning with men. women
and children, who donned their finest
raiment and braved the heat and dust
of one of the warmest days of the sum-
mer. to witness what was perhaps the
greatest array of organized labor
which has ever paraded the streets of
this city in celebration of Labor day.
All along the business thoroughfares
stores were closed for the day, and
gaily decorated with flags and bunt-
ing, while the sidewalks were crowded
with thousands of SCrantOnians and
country cousins, all of them eagerly
watching the long lines of earnest look
ing, hardy men, who represent the
laboring classes of the city and, to an
extent, the valley. Fully ten thousand
men were in the procession. of whom
more than half were employees in coal
mines.
The parade was in charge OF Grand
Marshal George II. Gothier and staff
of officers, and il was owing to their
splendid work in handling the large
number of organizations which made
up the line of march that the parade
proved the great success it did.
GENERALLY OBSERVED.
The day was more completely OBJ
served than ever before in Scranton,
inasmuch as nearly all the large busi-
ness places and industrial centres Of
the city were closed and idle.
The parade was in three sections.
the first being composed of about $500
miners from mines all over the conn
ha 10 o.
bers of the mixed trades, and the
third, which was known as the indus
trial division, being composed OF dis
plays by local business firms.
The parade formed on Wyoming ave-
nue., and at 1915 o'clock the order to
march was given by Grand Marshal
Gothier and the sea of men moved
forward at the same instant, with ban
ners waving in the slight breeze which
was blowing, and bands gaily playing
the lively music, to which the men in
line moved along in rhythmic motion.
Mounted Officers Burke and Bloch
first dashed up Mulberry street, clear
ing the way, and then Grand Marshal
Gothier. his aides, John j. Clarke and
John II. Dempsey. and Chief of Staff
p. w. Tolan rode CALAMITY forward,
their red coats and caps and white
trousers presented neat and Jaunty
appearance.
Next in line came the delegates to
the Central Labor union and the Build
ing Trades Council, and then the car
riages with several distinguished guests
and local labor leaders.
Then there was long, unbroken line
of the men from the mines, the hard
workers in the colleries of the valley.
Most prominent of all these were the
leaders, Union No. 3O6. the striking
miners of Old Forge. They marched
along, holding on high transparency
after transparency. bearing the follow
Ing legends: "2240 Pounds Shall Con-
stitute Tom" Abolish the Company
Store" Enforce the Two Weeks Pay
Bill"
Then followed the representatives of
the valley mine unions, ranging from
old men of seventy, who have spent
half century of their lives in pluck
ing the black diamonds from the earth,
to boys of twelve years, who pick slate
at the breakers.
MINERS IN COSTUME.
Union No. 142S aroused many a laugh
along the line of march by the original
way in which it was led. No band
accompanied the union. but in its van
was a grimy miner on a large white
mule, and a miner and his wife seated
in a rickety old buggy drawn by an
other mine mule. The North Scranton
and West Scranton unions had the
most men in line.
The second division was headed by
the Horse Shoers' union. who were all
mounted ana made a splendid appear
ance. All the men wore white caps
and black shirts with horse shoe
embroidered on the bosom, within
which was the union number. "7S."
Close behind followed the American
band, of Dunmore, preceding Electric
City lodge, No. 23O, of the Machinists'
union. After them came the white
capped blacksmiths and boilermakers,
and then there trudged along IA small
band of workers, carrying a big silk
banner on which was emblazoned the
words "Theater Stage Employees"
Forty shirt waist men then made
their initial bow, as cOmponents of a
Labor day parade. They were men,
bers of the recently organized Clerks
union, and cool and comfortable they
looked, as they marched jauntily along,
each man swinging a light cane.
The Cigarmakers' union was fol-
lowed by the Nay Aug Hose companys
drum corps, and then Union No. Sc OF
the Timers made their appearance.
THE PRINTERS.
The Typographical, Pressmens and
EAP1ArG'
represented, and then the Bricklayers'
union, No. IS, strode along, with big
James Clark as one of the trio of lead
eTs.
No body of men in the parade made
a neater appearance than the Paint
ers' union, No. lis, which came next
in the line. Every man wore a white
duck suit and a yachting cap, and
carried a yard rule in his hand.
A pair of fine lace curtains was the
banner carried by the Lace Workers
union, and every member of the union
presented a fine appearance, with a
handsome lace sash across his breast.
1t was a day of shirt waist men, and
the Iron Moulders' union We're the most
progressive men in the parade, in this
respect. Every man in the union wore
white trousers and caps and a gay
shirt waist, which filled the souls of
perspiring spectators with deep envy.
Then followed the stonecutters and
plumbers, after which came the indus
trial display.
INDUSTRIAL DISPLAY.
This was headed by several male EN-
ployes of the Lackawanna laundry on
horseback, faultlessly attiTed i'm white