Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-03
SHOWS LARGE GAIN
Trades and Labor Unions Increas
ing in Membership.
PRINTERS GET NEW SCALE SIGNED
Now Being Organized in This Country,
Three Hundred Unions Each Month
Total Membership of Affiliated Or
eanizatons Nearly Three Million.

Total Membership OF Affiliated Or
ganizations Nearly Three Million.
[From Wednesdays Daiy.]
1.-THE matter published in this col
umn is furnished by the officers of the
Federation of Labor
That some idea may be attained of
the enormous growth of the labor
unions in this country with which the
Ottumwa unions are affiliated refer
ence is made to the national and in
ternational unions, affiliated with the
American Federation of unions, its
state branches, city central bodies, To-
cal trade and federal unions, showing
total of 1,966 unions, with total
membership of very near 100000.
This comprises the different crafts
and laborers throughout the country,
and does not include the railroad or
CARNATIONS. There is now being or.
ganized in this country about 800
unions each month which makes it ap-
pear that the aspirations and hopes of
President Gompers will be realized at
day not far remote when all OF the
wage workers of the country will
have formed themselves into unions.
There is at the present time nothing
but the most harmonious feeling
throughout the country between labor
organizations. There has been but
one attempt at separation and that
was by the Western Labor Union,
rival organization, who endeayored to
separate the wage earners of the
west from the American Federation of
Labor on geographical lines. The eff
fort was failure and since it's last
convention when it's name was chang
ed to "The National Labor Union"
lat which time it was swallowed by
the social democracy it not only lost
its prestige but it's power for good as
a strict trades union organization, and
hence it will be relegated to the rear
as all other organizations which have
adopted politics as means to an end
for all of their troubles.
Trades and Labor Assembly.
A special meeting of the Trades and
Labor Assembly will be held tomor-
row evening at Labor hall when i'm
portant business will be transacted in
the interest of the trades unions of
this city. All delegates are requested
to be present.
G. A. Hagberg, president.
j. II. Byrne, secretary.
Painters and Decorators.
The painters and decorators met in
regular session at labor hall Friday
evening and closed UP business for the
fiscal year. The reports of the Off
GERS showed that the finances We're in
good condition, and showed a decided
increase of membership over last
year.
Brotherhood of BIacksmiths.
From present indications the local
union of blacksmiths is beginning to
reach out for new members, with ia
vorable chances of doubling the mem
bership of their organization. The
b1acksmiths have without doubt, one
of the strongest International unions
in existence.
Typographical Union No. 73.
The typographical union No. 70 has
been successful in having new scale
signed by a majority of the employing
printers of the city, and the boys are
quite happy over the event. This
union Is the Oldest in the city, and it's
progress is well known to all who are
interested in the trades union move
ment 1t has grown from a member
ship that was very small, but now
four-ffths of the printers in the city
are within it's fold
Printing Pressmen No. 90.
The printing pressmen will meet at
Labor hall next Sunday morning, at
which time all it's members are re.
quested to be present
"Unite or Perish"
UNITE or Perish" has been the slo.
gan resounding down through the
ages, and indeed at no time in the
world sprogress have these words been
SO applicable as today. These words
!. are directed to the sons of toll, still
graphing with the question of over
work and under-pay, which is true of
every man who is today earning his
bread "in the sweat of his brow" We
have passed through a century of ma
teriai Improvement to the neglect very
largely, of the social well-being Of the
workers and their families, who con-
tributed practically to all the energy
that has wrought such marvellous re-
suits in the field of production, trans
portation, travel and transmission
and, SO it is, the closing years of the
nineteenth century have been charac-
terized by the gigantic concentration
of competitive business interests for
their mutual protection and profit. We
are, indeed, living in the height of con-
centration and combination, which
will, without doubt, reach it's climax
before we have journeyed much farther
up the hillside of life.
Therefore it becomes necessary that
workingmen should catch the spirit of
the age and make the first quarter cen
tury, of this greatest, the golden TWEEN
tieth century, unprecedented by the
wonderful organization of the sons of
toll into band Of brothers that will
ultimately bless mankind. Brothers,
we must organize if we would be able
to cope with the mammoth capitalistic
m5inations now threatening to fur
Their enslaye the workers, and If we
would have our petitions and demands
respected we must meet them with an
unbroken rank, carrying with It the