The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1906-07-06


Carriage and Cab Drivers union have
died within the past Is months. Near
ly ali suffered from consumption,
caused by the exposure to rain and all
sorts of weather. During the Is
months the union paid $4,000 in death
benefits and $4,000 to those on the sick
list.
The organized workingmen of the
United States are to have a. congress
slonal labor committee similar to the
parliamentary committee of Great Bri-
tain. Its object will be to aid union
men to be elected to congress. There
will also be state committees to urge
the selection of labor men to the legis-
latures. The proposition will be con-
sidere,l by the next convention of the
American Federation of Labor, which
meets in Minneapolis in November.
President Gompers and other leaders
of the labor movement are in favor of
such a committee and they will sup
port the move before the convention.
more Fuss Than Feathers" is the
way the Labor World of Duluth and
Superior characterizes recent muck
raking." There has been much said
of late of trust busting" the maya
zine declares. There have also been
many exposures of corporate iniquity;
the beef trust, Standard Oil, the coal
trust, paper trust, drug trust, and the
railroads all coming in for their sew
eral shares in the exposed rottenness.
To date, however, not one really effec-
tive blow has been given any of these
unlawful and unconscionable combina-
lions against the public welfare"
Strikes are becoming fewer in the
United States every year. In Great
Britain the Cancellation boards have
virtually eliminated strikes. During
the past three years few strikes have
been called in that country, and they
were small. The workingmen of the
United States are gradually doing away
with strikes by resorting to arbitra-
ton or making joint trade agreements.
The greatest strikes Chicago has had
were called by new organizations. The
rapidity with which workingmen would
join new unions prevented the educa-
ton OF the members on trade union
lines. When new union strikes it Is
almost certain to lose. Its members
generally never had any experience in
strikes. If an old union man would
endeavor to stop the strike he would
be ho6ted at and looked upon as a
traitor to the labor cause. But after
the strike has been lost and the union
disrupted it is too late to discuss who
was TO blame.-Chicago American.
The United Mine Worker of Indian
apclis discovers that labor has an in
terest in preserving Niagara. ITO the
coal miners the preservation of Mia
CARA falls may be subject of even
more interest and Importance than it
is at present when they realize just
what effect the use of Niagara power
by manufacturing establishments and
railroads will have upon them person
ally. The New York Central railroad
has arranged for 60,O00-horse power per
year to run it's entire western division,
now run by coal. This, of course, dis
places the coal which would otherwise
be mined by American miners, at the
| same time helping to ruin the falls.
The Lackawanna Steel company has
arranged for an enormous amount of
Niagara. power, to displace it's use of
coal. 1t seems quite as unreasonable
for congress to permit these railroad
and manufacturing companies to i'm
port power from the Dominion of Can
ada-as will be done if the present
plans of such concerns are not frus-
trated-as to permit them to import
labor itself. The power displacing coal
and the labor which mines it in the
same manner as imported labor would
! displace native workmen."
Four unions were added last week to
| the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and
Butcher Workmen of America. Two Of
them are located in Chicago-the
butchers and sausagemakers of the
North side. During the strike two years
ago they were affiliated with the Anal
gamated, but withdrew later Michael
Donnelly presided at the installation
of officers and then left for an organi-
cation trip south. The Amalgamated
had $4,000 members at the time of the
stocllyards strike. 1t now has 10000,
but all are from the ranks of the high
est skilled butcher workmen. The last
International convention adopted a
death benefit of $3.50. 1t also left to the
referendum a proposition to pay sick
benefits Oh HVe QOliarS week. Inc
vote is now being taken, and President
Donnelly says it is sure of passage.
Another advanced move of the butcher
workmen is the mailing to each MEM
Der every month of the official journal
Homer d. Call, the international secre-
tary, IS the editor. The Amalgamated
has 80 unions in Illinois outside of Chi
cago, and $50 in the United States.
I'VE are succeeding beyond our expec-
tations," said President Donnelly. 81
am well pleased with the future pros
poets of the union.''
After a four weeks session the
seventh biennial convention of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
adjourned sine die to meet in Column
bus, O., two years hence. The conven-
ton just closed has transacted much