Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-03
GROWTH OF TRADES UNIONS
Wonderful Increase in Numerical Strength
in Short Time.
GRAND ARMY OF ORGANIZED LABOR
J. l.. KENNEDY of the Late Industrial
Commission Gives some Facts
and some Opinions on
the Topic.

III VI the hdNb united states lu0uSlTldl
commission. was in Omaha for a short
time yesterday. Mr.. Kennedy is a printer
by trade and has been a member Of the
typographical union for thirty-one years.
He has twice served as president of the
Columbia typographical union Of Chicago.
He was a Washington newspaper CORES
pendent when President Mckinley APP
pointed him a member Of the Industrial
commission.
Mr.. Kennedy during his short stay in
Omaha talked Of the labor situation in
general, and among other things said:
I'm his New Orleans ar~raignment Of or
gained labor Mr.. Parry Of Indianapolis
called particular attention to the organized
labor OF Chicago, and In doing so gave
the movement in that city what the news
paper people would call a top OF first
column, first page, next to pure reading
matter ad. The trades unions of Chicago
did not need that ad, because they were
then and are now in the enjoyment of all
the boom that the most sanguine friends of
labor could desire.
Il have spent several weeks in Chicago
and have studied the movement there. II
is no exaggeration to say that the growth
OF unions in Chicago within a twelve
month is unparalleled in the history of
such organizations. Upwards Of 125. 900
workers have been organized in that city
in a year. Not even the knights of Labor,
In their palmy days, when they seemed to
shoot upwards like Jonah's gourd, could
boast Of such a record in any one locality.
The United Mine Workers have had a Won
derful growth in the anthracite fields of
pennsylvania since 1898. In that year, ao-
cording to recent statistics. their number
VIA 70 ono and d. Tnno A - -
264,4S9. But their greatest growth in any
one year during the period from 1898 to
1903 was 90, 6S4 in 1900.
~hicaEo' Great Union Army.
This years growth, added to the former
number OF the unions, has brought the total
strength Of C~hicago's army Of organized
workers to 2S5, 900: and the leaders are con
hdent that before Labor day shall come
again they will have gone far beyond the
10000 mark. 1t is a tremendous army. No
captain ever commanded so many men on
any one of the great battlehelds of modern
times. The day will not be long enough
when the workers holiday shall come In
September for this army, in close march
ing order and files extending from curb N
curb, to pass IN review a given point. OF
course not all of this great number are
men. Many thousands Of women and not
a few boys and girls are organized. Two
organizers, Messrs. Fitzpatrick and DIETRICH.
have to their credit for the past year 100
600 workers organized. Theirs is a splendid
record and cannot be matched in the annals
OF American unionism.
MANY trades, the names Of which will
not SOUND familiar to the average union
list, are in the fold in Chicago. There ara
! DnlOnH . OF HnmmnRnta1 o-NfA-
spectors. optical workers, sprinkler 1tters
surgical instrument makers, shining ana
receiving room employees, sub-payIng In
spectors. solar printers, and so on at great
length.
But the unions which have deveIoned
the greatest strength In a short time are
the teamsters and butcher workmen
There are forty unions Of teamsters ana
their membership is IS, 900. The butcher
workmen in the stock yards section aIone
have twenty-nine unions and 21. OOo msm-
bers. The Transfers union button 9ener-
ally worn in the headgear Of drivers l.
one OF the most familiar sights in Chicago
and the teamsters' union, together with
great numerical strength, has exerted a
large lnnuence In behalf OF other unions.
MOI a rev strikes have been won through
the sympathetic action of the teaustors
They have always been willing. but thew
begin to see that a free horse is very ant
10 De ridden to death, and the 'show-me'
spirit Is developing in their ranks. The
union Transfers are so numerous In the
streets OF Chicago that they can harrass
annoy and pocket scab drivers so that the
latter cannot move a mile in eight hours
But they have contracts with their en-
pioyers, and their leaders are now en-
deayoring to instill in them a proper re-
gard for the saeredness of contracts.
Mistakes of Enthusiasts.
Naturally, where so many raw recrr,ts