Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-08-12
WILL BALLOT SOON
State Federation of Labor Will
Have Permanent Organizer.
FOUR CANDIDATES IN THE FIELD

| IOWA LABOR unions Decided by Refer.
endum Vote to Institute New Office
Choice Will Be Made by Vote Of
Executive Committee.
The members of the Ottumwa
Trades & Labor Assembly are greatly
interested in the outcome of the race
LOT the position of permanent organ
lZer IN the state. The labor unions of
Iowa recently decided by referendum
vote to place an official in this capacity
IN the field and the choice will be
made by vote of the members of the
executive committee of the Iowa State
Federation of Labor. A. E. Holder, L..
M. Jaeger, J. H. Strict, Miss Mae Frost,
John P. Reese, ]. ]. jacobson and A.
M. Warner constitute this committee
and they will send in their votes at
once to Secretary Strict, when the de-
cision will be made known and the
new official will enter upon the duties
of his position.
Four Candidates.
-Four candidates for the plum are in
the field-Carl S. Evans of Muscatine,
| T. P. Mention Of Boone. w. A. Jacobs
OF davenport and c. G. Lanstrum of
Cedar Rapids. Local trades unionists
are OF the opinion that Carl S. Evans
VIII land the prize, with T. P. Mention
a close second. Jacobs and Lanstrum,
1T is said, are not as popular as their
opponents, and the feeling in this
city is that they will not land the re-
qu1slte number of votes. Mr.. Mention
has been acting as temporary organic
er the past two months, and his work
has been very satisfactory. For this
reason his friends are confident that
he will be chosen the first permanent
state organizer. The advocates of the
candidacy of Mr.. Evans, however, are
equally confident of his final success
in the contest.
Big Majority.
State Secretary Strict is sending out
circulars to the various labor unions
IN the state, notifying them of the
result OF the referendum vote, which
decided in favor of a permanent or
ganizer by vote of sixty-two unions
for to twenty-five against.
| AS 1t is the desire of the executive
committee to place the organizer at
work at once, the unions of the state
are advised to collect the per capita
tax of 10 cents and remit 1t to Secreta-
ry Strlef. The permanent organizer
will send in itemized accounts of his
expenses to the next convention at
Davenport, when the convention will
decide what steps will be advisable for
the next year.
Van Camp Denounced.
The advisory committee of the
| Trades and Labor assembly, in charge
of the telephone strike in Des Mcines
are much worked up over the card is
| sued by Charles Van Camp purporting
to call off the electrical workers
| strikes in Iowa against the Bell COM
pany. AS matter of fact he holds
no official position in the Electrical
Workers organization and has no au-
thority. The advisory committee said
last night:
Had No Power to Act.
"Mr. Van Camp, in the first place,
recognizes that he has no authority to
interfere in the strike of the electrical
workers against the Iowa Telephone
company for he carefully speaks for
the independent Brotherhood of Elec-
trical Workers when there is no such
organization. There is an interna-
tionaP Brotherhood of Electrical Work.
ers and his card calling off strike or
ordering one has no more authority
than similar declaration issued by
newsboy.
Moreover, the advisory committee
has never advised sympathetic strikes
throughout the state. although the
Davenport strike will be fought out
along the same lines as that in Des
Moines, now that it has been started.
We advised against all other strikes.
Tried to Backen Strikers Prospects.
ivan Camp acted without authority
from the beginning. When we found
1t out we quietly dropped him. His
statement, being an effort to blacken
our prospects and help the Iowa Tele-
phone Co., we think is effectually ans
wered by the letter from President
Jackson of the electrical workers, ex-
pressly placing full power in the
hands of the Des Moines advisors com
mittee and ordering Mr.. Van Camp ont
Of the state.
"The international Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers has two members
on the advisory committee, President
Morse and Business Agent Hump of
the local union.
"The committee hoped that it would
not have to say anything about Mr..
Van Camp, but he has invited it by his
efforts to mislead the people into
thinking the strike is settled and to
prejudice them against union labor's
interests. 1t is understood that he
VIII soon go to work for the Central
company at Peoria, ILL.,, Bell con.
Germ"
HAVE PAY RAISED.