New-York tribune., 1901-01-06

the members OF the union decided 10 hold re-
ligious services on July T.
The labor movement. spread throughout the
manufacturing towns of Massachusetts. and.
although IL met many reouns' refused 10
give up the ghost Even the women WORK.
ers became Interested in IL. and the nrst
union strike on record occurred In Lowell Mass.
about 1S4S 1t strike or factory girls
against a reduction Of wages, and one gml'
eleven years old was characterized as the ring
leader" These girls must have been not otIy
aggressive. but also possessed or their tIil SNARE
OF brains, because they published a small news
paper called THE Offering" Its motto was:
''The worm OF the earth may look up 10 the
stars
organized in this country was that OF tne
blacksmiths and machinists, which was FORMED
in 1859. In the same year the iron m~ouioers ~
signified their intention of forming National
union and applied TO the United states Govern
ment for charter, but their application was
refused. The breaking out OF the War OF the
Rebellion did much 70 retard the labor move
ment in America, although in 1861 as many as
twenty-five or thirty trades had formed Ma
tional organizations. Four years later the nrst
convention or congress of trades unions was
held in Cincinnati, and similar meetings We're
afterward held in this city, Philadelphia and
Chicago. The result OF these meetings OF the
labor unions was the beginning OF the agitation
for the eight hour wOrkday. About the same
year the agitation for organization spreaa tsa
among the employees of the railroads. ana tne
brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers one OF
the most powerful and influential labor bodies
in the world, was formed Ten years later the
brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen was or
ganiZed and the movement then became gen.
eraI all along the line OF the mechanical trades
II even reached the miners OF the West ana SO
successfully did they accomplish the objects or
organization that from 1910 TO 1880 they Kept
the wages Of manual labor in the mines at %
a day.
BY this time other trades not only had their
local unions in all the cities and larger towns
Of the country but many of them had formed
National organizations. including the cigar
makers and printers. The knights OF Labor, n
National body, was also formed. This organi-
lit
founded as an educational order by Urlah
Stevens but it became rather am aggressive
la Dor organization and played prominent part
in a number of great strikes. At one time IL
was said TO have reached a membership or
nearly one million, but its power and influence
waned largely through dssensions among IT'S
leaders until now it has only remnant of its
former greatness Since then the labor move
ment has grown apace and other great organi-
cations some international in their scope, have
come to the front. among them the American
Federation of Labor with a membership OF one
million and with affiliated unions in all parts
OF the country Business relations have also
been formed with the great labor organizations
OF Europe, especially those of Great Britain,
until to-day organized labor is no longer an
experiment, but an established fact which en-
ters into the life of the Nation. In branch
OF industry has the labor movement spread
more widely than among the employees of the
great railroads. Almost every employe i'm one
or the other of the mechanical departments OF
the railroads is member OF a union. There Is
not only the Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
eineers and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Fire
men, but other organizations. including the
Brotherhood Of Railroad Conductors. Brother
hood of Trainmen, the Switchmen's Mutual Aid
Association and the Order of Railroad Teleg-
raphers. @. Il. KELLY.