Evening star., 1902-08-23


son that there was a strike on. AS soon
the strike was settled Mr.. Shook again
came to Washington and has since been
an active member of his union. Mr.. Shook
has served three terms a member of
the executive committee and also as a
trustee of his union. He was elected cor
responding secretary of local No. l three
years ago which office he held until Au-
gust II last when he was almost unani-
mOuSly elected recording secretarv At the
last convention of the bricklayers at
Pittsburg, Pa, Mr.. Shook represented the
local Organiza ton.
Beside being an active labor leader he
is very much interested in religious work
Mr.. Shook has for the past fourteen years
been superintendent of the Grace Reformed
church Sunday School. President Roose-
welt worships a. this church.
Milford SpOhn, recording secretarv is n
native OF Maryland, having been born just
over the District line in Montgomery county
IN ls43 AT an early age he migrated west
ana accompanied an expedition to Pixies
Peak during the period Of the gold discovery
III that locality. On his return he entered
the law office of Clement L. Vallandng-
ham. in Dayton, Ohio. Later he came to
Washington and devoted himself to his trade
that of bricklaying. He soon became n
prominent member of the early organiza-
tiOn of his craft. Mr.. SDohn was elected
president of his union, delegate to the con-
Ventlon of the Brichlayers and Masons' In
ternauOraI Union in 1872 and was chosen
vice secretary of the national body In
1876 Mr.. Spohn again went west and be-
came citizen of Ohio. He was a delegate
to the indianapolis convention which nom
irated b. F. Butler for the presidency and
was an e!ector on the j. B. Weaver presi-
dental ticket Besides being a member of
the Ohio state central committee of the
greenback party, Mr. Spohn was twice
nominated in the first district of Ohio for
Congress ON a labor ticket. Mr.. Spohn re-
turned TO Washington in 1855 and imme-
diateIy became active with labor matters.
Tlo..v, 1.A -,
ganized in 1896 he was elected president of
the body and reelected to the same Office
three consecutive terms He was also elect
ed secretary of the local Building Trades
Council in January. 1899 Mr.. Spohn has
also served president of his union and
represented the local Building Trades Coun-
ell as delegate to the convention OF the
National Buildings Trades Council which
met at Milwaukee, Wis, in 1899.
AT a meeting Of the Central Labor Union
several years ago Mr. Spohn had the honor
conferred on him of being unanimously
elected a dclegate-at-large for life in rec
ognitiOn Of his h-apprcciated services
during the many years of untirng and sue
cessful efforts devoted to the interests and
building up of that body and its affiliated
organizations.
Through a letter forwarded by President
Samuel GCmpers of the American Fedora
ton of Labor to the central bodies aftil-
lated with that organization attention is
called TO the effort being made by the
Trades Council of Milwaukee. Wis, to form
a national federation Of central bodies in
dependent of the American Federation of
Labor Mr. Gompers regards the move
ment as tending to destroy the unity of la
Dor, and advises all central bodies to refuse
to respond to the call for convention to
form "a new federation
In his letter Mr.. GOmpers states that if
the contemplated project is completed diffu-
sion of effort, rather than unity. will result;
that 1.-The work, the battles the sacrifices
for more than quarter of century which
have effected the splendid organization and
fedora tion of labor are to be set at naught
and ruined. The lesson and the warning
of the concentration of the wealth possess
the workers.
American Federation of Labor which is
made by the promoters of the movement
Mr.. Gompcrs says:
belief that they are loyal, but it is only
! necessary to give the matter a moments
thought to arrive a the inevitable conclu-
sion that if this sO-called new federation
of central bodies were launched the con-
clusions 1t would reach would. beyond a
doubt, differ from those reached by the
American Federation of Labor-and then
| what? Rivalry and conflict, from which
the workers alone would suffer- and the
whole past effort for unity and federation
would nave to be begun all over again
from the very start.
1T may be asked whether different
policy or different conclusion would neces-