Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-05

successfully by several railroads in France,
are being considered by number of lead
ing railroad mon OF the country. Those
who favor the scheme declare such plan
ployes more closely with the railroads. and
would do away with many controversial
that now arise. According to the plan. tho
road owning lands along and tributary to
it's lines will sell to its employees five or ten
acres of ground, as they may desire. sups
piled with water. In the event of the death
Of an employe In good standing while In
the service OF the company the land is to
be transferred to his wife or family.
The coal miners at Canton. H.. celebrated
last Saturday. The day was generally cele-
brated in all mining communities In tho
state.
woman's suffrage has been Endorsed by
one workingmen's organization-the Ohio
Valley Trades and Labor Assembly-which
passed resolutions strongly favoring tho
innovation.
The biennial convention of the Interna-
tional Association of Machinists will be
held September IL next in Faneuil Hall,
Boston. James O'Connell, international
president of the association who Is also
second vice president of the American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor, reports that 100 DELEGATES
representing 800 lodges, will be In attendS
ance.
An important meeting OF the executive
board of'-the Granite Cutters National
Union has Just come TO a close at head.
quarters, Quincy Mass. A referendum vote
will be taken within the next two weeks
on revisions to the constitution recommend.
ed by the committee
One of the most important changes pro.
posed calls for change of name to Inter,
national Granite Cutters Association Of
America, In order to extend It's Jurisdiction
over Canada and take in British granite
cutters haep fryi 10 I'm A.
mission for two years. This provision ID
safeguarded by clause which specifies
that no branch can be admitted or exist
In the organization unless the laws regard.
ing eight hours and So a day minimum
wages are strictly observed The change
also will give jurisdiction over Panama
canal work.
The Cigarmakers' International Union In
taking vote of the membership on tho
question or changing the manner in which
delegates to the American Federation Of
Labor shall be elected. In the past the four
delegates to the A. F. of L. have been
elected In convention. and the proposed
amendment to the constitution proyidea
that they shall be elected by she referen.
DUN at the same time the other officers are
chosen.
The United States Treasury authorities
have decided that the blue label of the
clgarmakers may be placed anywhere
on a cigar box, long as II does not
conceal any of the stamps or marks rel
QulreQ Dy the revenue laws.
The open shop crusade in New York
was slightly Jared last week when the
Associated Cap Manufacturers of that
city. surrendered their contention de.
clared their lockout mistake and asked
for the union label. Nearly a thousand
men went back to work. and the shops
VIII now endeayor to get back the busiy
ness lost through contentious hardheadS
edness The universal open shop is q
dream further from realization each time
1t is attempted.
Gertrude Barnum. who has done splen.
did service for the labor movement ha0
begun a campaign to organize the work~
ing women of New York city. For thie
purpose Miss ~Barnum has opened head>
quarters on the lower East Side AS secs
rotary Of the Woman's Trade Union
League she has called a conference to
be held today, in New York city, when
the problem of working women will be
discussed by persons from all parts Of
the country. The general proposition IL
that public opinion should support the
unions in their efforts to organize the
working women. Miss Barnum declares
that quarter of million of working
girls and women in New York suffer
from every possible industrial evil,
These women are, she saws treated UNI
fairly. They work in insanitary places.
endure long hours and low wages, and
there is vast amount of irregular EN-.
ployment
The defeat of the proposition to In
crease the per capita tax of the United
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners
will necessitate extra assessments. ac-
cording to an official announcements
made from headquarters at Indianapolis
last week. OF the large number of
amendments to the constitution which
were submitted to vote OF the menu
bership. all but three were adopted ana
these are regarded by the officers the
most important
1t is pointed out by Frank Duffy, the
general secretary, in communication
on the subject, that the members who
voted against these measures committed
serious mistake. He declares that the
monthly expenses of the big organiza~
ton exceed the receipts by several thou.
sand dollars and that assessments Will
be necessary to make up the deficiency
while by an increase of the monthly
per capita from 20 to 20 cents this
would have been avoided.
Lessons are still being learned regarding
strikes, illustrated by the recent SUBJ
way walkout in New York. OF this strike
Dan Wolfe, a Memphis labor writer, has
this to say:
Every great conflict between capital and
labor, in which the laborer is pited against
his fellow-worker, has a moral, and the
great subway strike in New York city.
which proved so disastrous to the strikers
when a settlement was reached, has proven
no exception to this rule
History of strikes among unSkilled work.
men has invariably shown thar the strikes
breaker of today is the striker OF tomorrow
Where several hundred unskilled work,
men organize and make a stand for better
conditions, as they did in the strike of the
marlborough Rapid Transit Company at
New York they find that their places are
quickly filled by other workmen brought to
the scene by the corporations. These strike-
breakers, with a little coaching, in a few
hours generally learn to do the work of the
strikers in an acceptable manner and in a
few days are just proficient in the duties
as the old men who have gone out. This
was demonstrated in the conflict just ended,
The street company, 70: r. few hours,
was Inconvenience; but after two or three
days had practically resumed schedule time
with the non-union men, which virtually
ended the strike. What has been done in
this case has been done in former struggles