The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1902-05-03

! Last Friday evening the Switchmen
were to entertain their grand master,
Frank T. Hawley, of Buffalo. But he
was detained at Chicago on account of
business there. They, however, held
the meeting as was billed. Mayor
w. E. McEwen each spoke on the
labor question.
Mr.. Hawley wired that he would be
here Tuesday, and another meeting
was arranged for. It was we'll at
tended and Mr.. Hawley was received
with a welcome characteristic of the
Switchmen. He spoke for two hours
on trade and labor organization among
all branches Of the workingmen.
Mr.. Hawley is fluent speaker and
his remarks were received with great
enthusiasm.
Mr.. Hawley declared that in every
| locality in this country where wages
are high it can be traced directly to
union labor, and that in every locality
| where wages are low, no unions will
be found. He said there is not an in
stance on record where employers have
raised the wages of their employees I'M
asked, and, as rule would not then
raise the pay unless there was strong
organization of the employees to back
the demand.
The states that comprise this coun-
try, he said, were brought into a union
for mutual protection and the first
great strike occurred in 1776 when
they threw off the British yoke of op-
preston. The other wars of 1912, 1848,
1861 and 1898, he also characterized as
great strikes in this union of states.
The union of states said Mr.. Hawley,
was made under the protection of a
constitution in which there is one very
significant clause which reads that "all
men are created free and equal He
held that the trainers of the constitu-
ton meant we'll, but that In the course
OF events men unfavorable to unionism
have got into congress and men with
prejud1ces have gone on the bench,
until now union labor does not receive
the justice to which it is entitled. Mr..
Hawley believes that judges of the
United States supreme court should
not be appointed for life, but for a
term Of years, and that their offices
should be elective. He said the his
tory of the supreme court has been
that the justices have been men who
have attained eminence in their pro-
fession as corporation lawyers and are,
therefore, prejudiced against unions.
In early days, he said, the employer
| and the employe worked side by side,
| and there was no social distinction, but
| as the country has grown, it's indus
| tries have expanded, the paths of the
| employers and their employees. have
been steadily diverging until there is
now more caste in America than there
! ever was under as1monarchial form of
government.
Capital, Mr.. Hawley declared, has
been steadily combining for it's own
interests and the only hope left for
the: workingmen is to form a counter
organization for their own protection,
| Referring to railway employees or
CARNATIONS, he said that when a ma
tional federation all the various unions
OF railway employees has been effected
then, and only then, will railroad
strikes cease. He told of the old or
ganlzation of the switchmen, known as
the SWitchmen's Mutual Aid assocfa-
ton, its successes until it undertook to
throw Its influence out Of sympathy.
with any and every other organization
or railway men, and it's downfall. The
new organiza ton he claimed has profit
ed by it's past experience
Mr.. Hawley talked at some length on
the hostility of the Brotherhood of
Railway Trainmen toward the Switch
mems union, and said that the time
must come when the latter organiza-
ton will recognize the strength of the
SWitchmen's union and will meet it
half way.