Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-16

men affiliated with 1t shall receive for their
services.
Fifty years ago there were but four labor
organizations in the District Of Columbia,
namely. the Columbia Typogra phical So
ciety, organized January I, 1915, now known
as Columbia Typographical Union No. 1o1;
Journeymen Bookbinders Society, organ
tied in 1885, known at present as Book
binders Union, No. 4; Washington Branch
Stonecutters' Assertion, organized in 1886;
Washington Branch Granite Cutters Ma
tionaI Union, organized in 1S41. These four
organizations aggregated membership or
about 300 Readers may know just how
much unionism has progressed in the Dis
trict when informed that today there are
eighty-eight unions and assemblies, Whlch
represent between l2,OVo ana 1oooo indie
and female workers.
After the Close of the War.
A few years after the close of the war
Of the rebellion the unionizing of the labor
ing people took a sudden impetus, and
when the wear 1881 rolled around there
were about twenty five labor organizations
The idea of forming a central body was
conceived by the labor leaders of that day.
Fifteen of the organizations known as as
semblies formed District Assembly No. 66,
under the jurisdiction of the Knights or
Labor The trades unions, numbering about
ten were not eligible to membership In this
central body and in order that the labor
unions might become more solidlhed the
local Federation of Labor was formed This
organization was composed OF delegates
from the knights of Labor assemblies and
of the trades unions, ana was, IN r reaiie es
- aooount of the preponderance of the
Knights of Labor delegates, most of whom
comDosed the Assembly.
uNba various crafts continued to become
yrhp
Hohoa there were forty-five local assem-
hlies and trades union organizations rep
an+ad in the Federation of Labor. The
ea;rs of that body progressed most har-
an until the early part of 1896,
-, CONVENTIONS arose between the assem-
hiies' and trades unions representatives.,
"a following the expulsion of the brick
Iarars, nniou for refusing to obey the or
70. of that body relative to a boycott
itch had been imposed upon the local
brewers. fourteen of the trades unions with.
IreIy from the federation and the Central
T ahor Union was organized. From that
100 t:aoot -, a number of the trades unions
. .rinio had remained in the federation
Withdrew and became afiliiated with the
Central Labor Union. When the year 1900
mada its appearance all of the trades
,,mions had withdrawn from the federation,
leaving only the knights Of Labor dele
estes AS result the federation was dis
Solved. there being no need for dual Or
panizations Of knights of Labor. s..
Desnite tn, collapse Of the federation, the
Drogress of unionism continued unchecked,
and as a result washington now has eigh-
weight labor organizations, as stated
above and ranks among the foremost of
tho oreanized labor cities, when it Is taken
into consideration that it is not CONNER
cioI center, the proportion of organized
workers comparing favorably to any other
municipality of a ike size.
Conditions of the Working Glasses.
Along with the progress of unionism the
conditions of the working classes have be-
come greatly ameliorated. Fifty years ago
the paw of the ordinary working man or
woma was mere pittance; in fact, a man
could only support his loved ones by the
greatest economy and self-sacrifce. 1t has
been only through the medium of unionism
that the condition of the working classes
has improved 100 per cent, and now the or
| binary family can live fairly well, with a
| few luxuries at intervals. Through union
| ism also has the educational standing of
| Washington's workers been greatly i'm
proved.
1t might be well to state at this juncture
| that although the labor men of this city
| have no vote, they have been Instruments
| upon various occasions in obtaining com
| gressional legislation which has proved to
| be not only beneficial to themselves but TO
| the people of the District generally. and to