The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-08-24
LABOR Day WISHES:


LOUIS HANSEN CoNGRATULATEs Or
GANIZED LABOR.
Secretary OF the Federation Sends
Greetings to All Members Of Or
ganised Labor-Is Satisfied With
Present Progress, and Entertains
Expectant Hopes For the Future.
Labor Day is Labor'a Holiday.
MINNEAPOLIS, August 23.-Louis
Hansen, president Of the Trades and
Labor Council Of Minneapolis and Sec
retary of the Federation Council Of the
Minnesota State Federation Of Labor,
sends greeting to all union men through
out the state, and congratulates his
home city upon the magnificent growth
it has attained in unionism.
Again we are approaching a memorial
day that Is looked forward to by all the
union men in the state. A day that we
throw all troubles to the winds, and
assemble together as brothers frater-
nally banded together In an endless
chain. that no trust or corporation can
break If we live up to the solemn obli-
cation that we took on entering the
lodge room Of the noble organization
Of which we are members. Labor Day,
beautiful as it is and sacred as it should
be kept, Of all holidays it should be
| respected and adhered to, and its prin-
ciples for which the union men fought
should be recognized by every laboring
| man, regardless as to whether he be
union or non-union.
What does it mean to the public:
Not much at one time. to be sure, but 1t
has began to fasten itself upon their
minds, so that now, at the beginning Of
| the twentieth century, the busines, men
have begun to realize that it means
something, and they all close their
places of business and observe the day
as it should be, grasping their employees
! by the hand and wishing them God
| speed in the good work that is being
accomplished by organized labor. Let
| US look back few years, and see how
the day was observed in the Mill City,
where it is recognized fact that labor
organizations are as numerous az in
any city of its size in the country, and
conservatism reigns supreme.
Seven years ago when I came to
Minneapolis there were something like
a dozen organizations, and the largest
number that any union turned out on
Labor Day was about fifty men. The
line Of march was probably from two
to three blocks long, and the unions
were lucky If they had one band Of
music to head the procession. How
different now; about seventy-fve or
4ganizations in the city, some Of them
1 1! sash!ak, AA nn@osEs g tie 1een4aaas.
bands in. the state. to supply the de-
mand. Instead OF a line of march three
blocks long. 1t Is miles in length. and of
the most georgously uniformed men
that ever paraded the streets Of MIN
neapolis.
The same can be said Of St. Paul and
Duluth, our sister cities; and in behalf
Of the unions of Minneapolis I extend
fraternal greeting and congratulations
! upon the magnificent strides they have
made in the line Of march towards the
exalted pedestal Of unionism.
The labor unions Of Minneapolis are
fortunate in having level headed off,
GERS at their head who have made a.
study Of the labor movement, and it is
very seldom that any difficulty arises
that is not settled In a very short time.
The union label Of several organiza-
tions has become a. permanent factor
and it is very seldom that we find any
body In business but what has some
union label goods for sale, and some of
the merchant handle nothing else.
The early closing rule too is one that
has been beneficial to the great army
Of clerks employed. Before organized
labor was thought of in Minneapolis
the clerks worked fourteen and six
! teen hours, how different now, no store
of any size at all but what has signed
the early closing agreement, and ALL
quit at six o'clock.
One thing deplorable to look at Is the
number of clerks not in the union, who
have only been too willing to grasp the
benefits made possible by the Retail
| Salesmen's Association, and never pay
| 4 cent to a cause that has bettered
their condition. But such IL human
nature, there are always some people
looking for something for nothing, and
the clerks are no exception to the rule,
as other callings have these would-be
blood-suckers who get all they can and
do nothing for the labor movement in
general.
Not desiring to take up any more Of
of your valuable space will draw my
remarks to a close, believing as do
that as we grow older and stronger,
Labor Day should be the day OF all
days that we should look forward to
and make it the grandest event OF any
thing in the way of celebration to be
had In our respective cities.
| LOUIS HANSEN.