Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-10
IN LABOR CIRCLES
O.

l sSsss9S
| Washington workingmen are watching
| with interest the great meat strike in the
| west, which, OctOpus-like, is stretching gu,
| Its tentacles In various directions. The couI
of the Ice wagon drivers in Chicago. as
| described In The Star yesterday, is regarded
| by labor leaders here as a master stroke OF
the strike managers which will extend the
contest to the cold storage warehouses
| This and the strike order issued to the
| butchers In and about New York are re-
garded as evidence that every possible
| means will be resorted to by those who are
engineering the big strike to win at all
hazards. A letter received here from a
business agent Of one of the Chicago unions
in the strike says:
| our men are fast reaching the stage OF
desperation and there is no telling where
this thing will end. We cannot afford to
lose this time. It is to be a fight to a fin
| 1sh and we must knock out our moneyed
opponents or we may as well disband oul
| labor unions and let the Parryites rule SUI
| preme and grind us into the dust"
rms letter from one Of the active leaders
| IN the contest is believed to indicate the
temper of most Of those engaged in the
| struggle with the combined meat packers
| new developments are looked for by work
ingmen mere at any stage of the proceed
1
| magnitude of the strike Of the meat men
may be gained from the official statement
| tnat the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and
| Butcher Workmen's Union embraces all
men in any direct way connected with the
| handling of meat in the packing houses
| and has membership of 10000 1t was
organized two and a half years ago by
| Michael DOnnelly. At that time there were
| many Independent unions In the various
packing centers. Mr. DonneIly, himself a
| sheep butcher in Omaha, began the work
| or gathering these together in one central
| union.
secretary p. ]. Ratigan of the Council of
Allied building Trades has by direction of
Inat BODY sent communication to Capt.
| SneSter A. Harding, acting engineer COM
| missioner of the District, expressing the
| appreciation of the council at the action
OF the Commissioners for deciding to paw
tne union scale of 20 per day to paint
ers employed in the District repair shop,
1t looks as though the epidemic of strikes
| VIII spread general strike of more than
| ''ooU coal miners In the southwestern dis
| tr1ct. comprising Missouri Kansas Arkan-
| sas. Indian territory and Texas is likely 70
| occur soon after September l. 1t is said
unless the miners and operators agree upon
d wage scale. which seems Improbable
| Fhere is difference between them of from
| ~ TO - cents per ton, greater difference
| than has ever before confronted an arbitra-
| tlon committee in the southwestern dis
| trict.
Forty-nine new locals have been organ
lzed IN the past year by the Longshore-
| mems International Association along tho
American great lakes. seven along the
| American rivers, eleven along the Atlantic
coast. twelve along the Pacific coast ff-
| teen along the Gulf of Mexico, twelve along
| the lakes and oceans of the Dominican of
| Canada, four along Long Island sound
| three In the new possessions in the Ha
| Wailan Islands. making a total of rs new
| locals since the last convention Of the in
| ternational body.
A New York syndicate representative has
| peen IN Washington recently with a view
OF considering the advsablity of recon-
| mending to his company the erection bara
OF apartment or fiat houses for occupancy
by workinSmen and their families in lien
-, .ne small houses now so occupied by
| many 1ar from the business center Of the
city. - '''e
| Steps are being taken it is said. to form
| new international union of cooks under
charter from the American Federation Of
Labor. VIZ
knights of Labor which Is still said to
have a membership of about 1000. T. v.
ro"oerly, who was at the head of that
once powerful labor body. is identified with
! this movement. it is claimed
Ihe bricklayers claim their organization
Is one OF the strongest and wealthiest in the
! United States. with a membership of &, MS,
men in 621 local unions
President Samuel Gomrers of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor is announced to be
Labor day orator in Utica, N Y. this wear
Frank Duffy. secretary of the Brother
MOOD OF Carpenters and Joiners of America
mas hnlshed his annual report of that or
ganlzat1on. In 1t he says the EMPLOYERS
| throughout the country are organizing for
| a battle with the labor unions, and calls
the present momentous time.
William 8. Waudby. one of the special
agents of the bureau of labor is announced
In labor circles as candidate for the place
now held by Labor Commissioner Wright.
whose term will expire next February. He
is Endorsed, 1t Is said. by international, ma
tional. state and local labor bodies in all
| sections of the country. Mr.. Waudby is a
printer and has been a member of the In
ternational Typographical Union for thirty
five years. He began his apprenticeship
when but thirteen years of age. and on
becoming journeyman joined Typograph-
ical Union No at Columbus, Ohio. He
was the promoter and organizer of the
Craftsman in Washington. where he Is well
known, and represented the International
Typographical Union of North America at
the labor congress in Paris in 1889. 1t was
largely due to his efforts, it is said that
the government labor bureau was establish
ed by Congress.
The International Slate and Tile Roofers'
Union OF America will hold its second an
nual convention at st. Louis, beginning
September II.
A recently enacted state law In New York.
requiring journeymen horseshoers to be reg
iStered, has been declared unconstitutional
by the appellate division Of the Supreme
Court.
Justice Hatch. writing the unanimous
opinion of the court. said he failed to see
how the regulation of shoeing horses has
any tendency to promote the health. COM
fort. safety and welfare of society.
According to a late report of the inter-
state commerce commission, the number OF
persons employed by the railways OF the
United States is l. 1S9, 315, or an average of
594 employees for every 100 miles of line
The unions of railway employees rank
among the strongest and most influential
labor organizations in the world.
The Stationary Flremen's Union of Chi
cagO will dedicate a monument to its dead
members Labor day in Oak Ridge cemetery
This union is one of the strongest in the
windy city. having a membership, 1t is said.
of nearly 1900. The only other labor body
in Chicago which has a burial place for Its
dead is Chicago Typographical Union
No. 16.