Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-03-13

llES mdIleI puDllSueu Ill lulS SoT
umn is furnished by the officers of the
Federation of Labor.
tFrom Wednesdays Daily
REORGANIZATION of the miners of dis
trict No. 13 with the state federation
of labor, brings with it good cheer
from all the organized working people
in Iowa, and it means much for the
good of the whole movement in this
state. 1t means solidarity of the
movement along legislative lines also
the assistance and advice of the
brainy officers of the miners. 1t
means as much and more to organized
labor in Ottumwa as any other city in
the state. 1t is pleasant to note that
the miners convention elected John
P. Reese, John P. White and Edwin
Perry as delegates to the, state feder-
alton of labor. These men will bring
with them the knowledge of years of
experience in the labor field and they
together with the talent in the state
federation of labor will be able to bring
about marked improvement in the in.
dustrial fields. The writer attended
a. smoker given by the Des Moines
Trades and Labor assembly in honor
of the miners delegates which turned
out to be a love feast between the Off
GERS of the state federation of labor
and the officers of the miners. The
, short addresses which followed the
smoker were all of a character that
would have been a pleasure to all
members of organized labor to have
heard, and would have brought to
them much benefit. After the conven-
ton of the state federation of labor
which is to be held in May, a decided
:. effort will be made to more thoroughly
. organize Iowa.
Building Trades Council.
i The Building Trades Council held
an enthusiastic meeting at the brick
layers hall last Saturday evening.
The council is getting itself in excel
I: lent shape to take care of things in
$ the building trades line. A study OF
its constitution calls ones attention
9 to the fact that there are bright and
conservative men at it's head. The
organization will be of untold benefit
to the building trades as well as a pro.
lection to all home labor.
Painters and Decorators.
The painters held a large and en-
1 thusiestic meeting at labor hall or
last Friday evening. At no time ir
the history of this organization have
the painters been so strong and sole
at this time of the ear and with the
Looming of spring they will be among
the best organizations of their Graf
> in this state.
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
The electrical workers are moving
steadily along with a gradually in
oraacin0 poopahorcli syIv;tl, ~. -,
ening of spring it is thought that thei
: membership will double. AS it is eve
I ry competent electrician in the city il
Z a member of the organization.
Conditions of Human Life.
A well informed student of the con
ditions which surround humanity in
d this life has recently given a vivid ac
count of the things which his stud,
S shows and of what he considers tn,
causes for many of these evils. Th,
presentation of these questions is a
follows:
n mo one can pass through this worly
8 with open eyes and avoid being strucl
}. and s%addened by the misery of human
:. lllfe-that awful misery thai encom
passes the vast majority from lhei
cradles to their graves What is to b
80 10 shSio any iSip, uuS uOpS, IL
all these millions to make their live
better for them? The answer mus
come from the people, the people mus
" help themselves; n those who az
vocate violence say that the answe
will force itself upon the world if
/. change does not come over the spiri
of society as we know it,; if it doe
- not become less grossly material in it
ends, and less merciless In its mean
to attain those ends. Another al
swer is that the spirit of society coul
a easily be changed were it not for tn
ignorance or the Indifference of tn
;, workers themselves. We, the worl
= ers, are not conscious cf our powe
We are not conscious sven of til
7 wrongs under which we suffer.
1 The Fundamental Power.
= IF we were conscious of the fat
that it is from us that. the rulers d,
rive their power, that we constitute til
fundamental power, that no govern
mental function can be exercise
e. without our consent--in fact, if W
a, knew u power and had the INTEL
gence to use it, how easily the remed
for the benefit of mani Kind could be a
. piled. Some day we hope to see til
workers educated ui) to the propt
n standard, some day we hope to see til
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