Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-08-13
STRIKE IN REVOLUTION
TYPOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY BEGUN
IN NEW YORK IN 1895.
It Lasted but Two Years and Half
It's Successor the Franklin-Subse-
quent Organizations.

| 1.-THE success OF the International Typo
graphical Union and its pre-eminence in the
| labor world naturally draws interest to
| the first attempts made by journeymen
| printers to organize said Milo Shanks Of
the government printing Office. Printers
| Of the present time who enjoy the many ad-
vantages in the trade secured by strong
| and powerful organization: frequently are
| not advised at what cost and what hard
| labor these advantages were secured to
| them, and labor writer's generally do not
| delve down into the musty records to bring
| these facts to light.
| THE present printers organization has
| been f1ourishihg institution for the past
fifty years. notwithstanding the many at
| tempts previously made to organize and
the equally as many failures. The strug-
| giles of the pioneers in the profession is a
matter for conjecture. but the wisdom that
| marked their deliberations have had a last
| ing influence and serve to this day as pat
| terms for the crafts guidance.
| First Association Of Printers.
1.-The history of the early labor movement
| is somewhat obscure but enough is preserv-
ed to establish undoubtedly that there was
an organization of the printers in New
| OTK curing Inc Revolutionary WdI AOI they
struck for an advance in prices and were
| successful, but no record Is left of what the
scale was, and the existence Of an organiza-
| ton is mere conjecture. The first associa-
ton Of printers of which there is positive
knowledge was the Typographical Society,
begun in New York in 1906 1t was weak
ling from its birth, and died at the age Of
two years and six months. in 1897. The
| employers were extremely eager for an or
| ganization, for it meant better prices for
| themselves, but the rate of wages was
| about the same from 1884 to 1900
! THE next organization was called the
| Franklin Typographical Society 1t was
| started in 1899. Its flame fickered feebly
! for a few years and finally died out in 1904.
| I'm 1909 there was a decided revival In
| the printing industry. The New York print
| ers again rallied and formed the New York
| Typographical Society. Boston. Philadel-
| phia and Washington also had their socie-
| ties. correspondence was begun between
| the societies, views exchanged, lists or OBJ
| jectionable men sent to each other, and a
| general understanding and combination ef-
| fected for mutual aid and assistance, but
nothing was done toward forming central
| body at that time.
First Advance Of Pay.
THE first known successful movement for
an advance in the rate of pay following the
strike during the revolutionary war was ac-
complished by the Washington Typo
| graphical Society in 1913.
1.-THE New York Typographical Society
| was forbidden by Its charter to touch the
| the question Of wages SO that nothing was
| accomplished along this line in New York
| until about 1880, when the Franklin Typo
| graphical Association was formed which
! was purely union as unions are now
| formed. This association lived until 1874,
| when 1t gave up the struggle and went the
| way of its predecessors
| Representatives from a number OF
| printers unions met in New York city in
| December, 1885, and formed central body
| The organization instituted at that time
formed a nucleus of the present body
| known the International Typographical
| Union of North America.
| THE organization maintained the ma
| tional form for eighteen years, meeting an
| nually with the exception of the year 1861
| the first year of the civil war;, when, at
! the Washington session Of 1868, Toronto,
Canada, sent delegate, and it was the
presence Of this delegate that suggested
the changing of the name, which was sub
| sequently done, to that of the International
| Typographical Union of North America
| During the war the southern unions
withdrew from the national organization.
| and were not again represented until the
session of 1885, held in Washington. D. C..
A Woman's Typographical Union.
"A Woman's Typographical Union was
organized in New York In 1868, and it was
admitted to the national body in 1870 at the
| Cincinnati session. The charters given to
women separate organizations were re-
voked, however, at the session Of 1872. held
in Richmond, Va, and they were urged to
join the local unions The Washington
union at this time has about fifty female
| members on its membership rolls.
| THE present president of the Internation-
| al Typographical Union is James M. Lynch,
| a member Of the Syracuse, N. Y, union.
| His administration has been remarkably
| successful. and today there Is not a cloud
on the horizon of organized labor SO far
as the printers are concerned. Strikes with
| the printers have become less and less fire.
quent, and 1T would now require a great
| provocation for them to declare strike.
| The printers stand ready, as they ever
| have, to claim fair treatment and a reason
i able compliance to just demands but so
| much has been learned by experience that
harsh and extreme measures are rarely re-
| ta1 tn