Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1905-05-05
TO CONSIDER P0lIIICS:
Likely to be a Change in
State Labor Fedora
ton Methods -:

The call for the twenty third annu.
al convention Of the Minnesota State
Federation Of Labor to he held at
brainerd on June 10. has been issued.
Inc secretary treasurer is attemr ting
TO mail a copy to every trade union il
Minnesota whether or not it ie afili-
ated with the Federation. According
to the call each union is entitled t.
one delegate for each twenty five
members or major fraction thereof.
Delegate bodies, such "a trades Assem-.
olies and building trades councils, are
each entitled to not more than five
delegates.
A fare and one third has been &C.
cured on the railroads Of the state.
In all probability the coming con.
vention will be the most important
from labor standpoint ever held in
the state. says the Duluth Labor
World. There is everything coming
before it to make it important. After
terrible struggle with Parryism, and
coming out of the fight slightly diefig-
ured, but completely victorious, un-
ion labor is now in a position to
take up the work OF extending its
organization from where it left off
when attacked by the Parry organiza-
lions. If the opposition from this
source intended to do harm to union
labor it was certainly frustrated in
Its attempts. Its antagonism only
tended to strengthen the labor move
ment. In isolated casee, where the
unions were young. or where proper
business principles were not adhered
to, Parryism did succeed in striking
some effective blows, but where con-
sistent and sound organization was
established it's opposition did little
harm.
The convention will have much to
do to properly inaugurste the work Of
Organization. Minnesota is more of
an agricultural state than it ls indus
trial. This fact makes the work of
Organization decidedly difficult in the
smaller cities. The farmers have been
taught to believe that the union labor
movement is Diet rimental to the in
iterest of the farmers. We do not
know where they got this impression,
but we do Know that interruptions
politicians have done much to make
them believe that the organization
of the workingnen. with eight hour
demands and increased wages. means
high wages and short hours for farm
laborers.
This argument must be met by the
Convention. The farmers must be put
lon the right track. Their attention
must be called to the shallowness of
such opposition. Union labor, high
wages and shorter hours of labor are
net the cause of the farmers trouble.
If their minds have been diverted
from the real reason for their diff
culties, they should be shown by H.
Dor that they are in error. The inter.
esls Of the farmers and workingmen
are closely allied. and the fact that
they are divided against each other
only encourages those who prey on
both to pursue their work of plumber
more dercely. When farmers and la.
borers are united, aud when they
Thoroughly understand each other.
there will be little show for the para.
sites whose present tactics keep then
apart. When once union labor gett
this prejudice removed from the minds
of the farmers there will be such 8
campaign Of organization in this state
Us was never known before.
Another, and really the most i'm.
portant question to come before h<
convention. will be that Of politica
action. Efforts have been made TO,
years to have the Federation declare
itself politically, bat ultra conserva'
tlsm has prevailed, and every effort
in this direction has met with defeat.
There Ia strong sentiment growing
that this ultra conservatism has had
its day. For ten years organized labo,
has gone before the state Legislature
asking tor legisiation for the relief
Of labor, and for ten years 1t has met
with repeated defeat. Politicians
have made ante election statements,
and have pledged themselves to sup.
port certain labor measures, but when
it came to show down. most oil
them took to the woods
The last legislature was the weakest
and most servile ever held In this
state. It gave labor absolutely moth
ing. except q 'sugar.coated" one city
city free labor bureau law. Every.
thing with any merit to it was killed,
either on the floor or in committee.
| With this result fresh up,n the
minds of the workingmen there ought
not to be many obstacles to taking
steps to get more workingmen in the