Evening star., 1901-02-19
CENTRAL LABOR UNION
PROCEEDINGS OF REGULAR MEET.
ING HELD LAST EVENING.
Final Disposition of Question A6cct-
ing Painters-ActiOn Against Grant
of Land to States.

| The Central Labor Union held largely
| attended meeting last evening at Typo
graphical Temple, delegates representing
| thirty-seven of the allied organizations
! being present. President James l.. Feeney
presided over the session and Mr.. John II.
! Brinkman was secretary.
A matter of much interest to local labor
| was the final disposition of the question Of
| the organization of a union of bridge and
| structural iron painters, which has been a
subject of contention for several weeks. At
the meeting last evening report of Wm-
| s. Ward, n national organizer, as published
| in the official journal of the painters and
| decorators, was read. which stated that Mr..
Ward had visited Washington, and, after
investigation, had ascertained that the APP
plicants for charter being bridge and
structural iron painters, with no knowledge
of the painters trade, he advised that no
charter be granted them He also reported
that the outlook in Washington Is some
what favorable for the formation of a legit-
innate organization of the brotherhood
Following the report, the advisabillty Of
forming a local union of painters was dis
cussed, and a motion prevailed directing
the District organizers to organize the paint
ers under charter from the Brotherhood Of
Painters, Decorators and Paper Hangers OF
America which IS affiliated with the Amer
lean Federation of Labor and the National
Building Trades Council.
1t is stated that the organization of q
union. as contemplated is Of peculiar local
interest from the fact that the painters
maintain two Knights of Labor assemblies.
Being chartered, respectively, by opposing
factions of the order, neither will recognize
the legitimacy of the other. and both refuse
to recognize the membership of those who
are allied with the national brotherhood.
A statement made by n former employe
of the Washington Traction and Electric
Company provoked a discussion of the re-
cent discharges from the service of the COM
pany of number of members of the Street
Railway Union. 1t IS alleged that the men
were discharged for the reason that they
are members of a labor organization, and
that the company is pursuing this policy for
the purpose of destroying the organization.
The former employe referred to, who Is b
prominent official of the union, stated that
quite recently he had inquired of the Off
cials of the road to ascertain the reason for
his summary discharge but failed to elicit
the desired information.
The secretary was instructed to communi-
cate with the officials Of the company, and
ascertain, If possible, whether the men
discharged for the cause alleged, and also
if the company is disposed to adhere to ths
promise that the right of the men to organ
iZe would be respected.
w. E. Kennedy, the business agent, re-
ported that number of prospective build
ers and owners have consented to employ
union labor of the organizations allied with
the Central Labor Union.
A communication was read from the Chi
cago Federation of Labor stating that Il
measure Is now pending in Congress to
grant the public arid land to the various
states, and calling upon the labor organiza-
tions of the country to protest against the
scheme. Resolutions adopted by the fedora
ton were indorSed, and the legislative COM
mittee was instructed to present them to
the proper committees of Congress.
The resolution states that ''two-thirds OF
the western half of the United States is
public land, and belongs to the people. and
the reclamation and settlement of this great
public domain would give employment and
a chance to get a home on the land TO a
multitude of American workers.
THAT all the remaining public lands Of
the United States should be sacredly held
and administered a trust for the benefit
of the whole people, and that no grants of
the title to any Of these lands shall ever
hereafter be made to any but actual set
tiers and home builders in the land, and
that no public lands should be ceded to any
state or territory for any purpose or under
any pretext whatsoever.
THAT the federal government should build
storage reservoirs and save the flood wat
ers that now wasted, and should,
wherever necessary, build the irrigation
works required for the reclamation and set
Element of the arid public lands"
A delegate from Typographical Union, No.
101, stated that his organization had been
informed by Typographical Union, No. g. Of
New York city, that the long pending trou-
BILE between that organization and the New
York Sun has been adjusted.