The labor world., 1906-09-01
MURPHY FEELS GOOD
OVER TYPO MEETING
Duluth Delegate to the I. T. U.
Convention Gives Review
Of Big Gathering.
kenews Efforts to Continue
Eight Hour Struggle Until
Success Is Theirs.

| A. Murphy, secretary treasurer OF
Duluth Typographical union, No. 1876.
and delegate to the convention OF the
International Typographical union at
Colorado Springs, Colo, commencing
Aug. l3 and lasting for one week, re-
turned home last week.
Mr.. Murphy, in speaking of the
convention. said that 1t was the
largest. most important and most sue.
cessful ever held In the annals OF the
l. 1. U. 1t was the largest because Of
the fact that the organization has
been engaged in one Of the greatest
fights that any labor organization has
ever entered into. On Jan. l last
An assessment OF 10 per cent was
not working on the eight hour basis
ceased work until the demand had
been complied with. For over eight
months thousands OF men have been
| on strike for the shorter workday.
! An assessment Of / Oper cent was
levied on every working member Of
the International Typogra phical Union
IN order to finance the strike to a
successful termination. Notwith-
standing this heavy tax on the mem
bers hundreds of the local unions
| working under the jurisdiction Of the
l.. T. u. elected delegates to this great
convention with instructions to con-
tinue the fight and the assessment
until the eight hour day Is a complete
victory.
At the suggestion Of President
James M. Lynch, meeting of the
presidents Of local unions, where
strikes were still on, was called to
meet at Colorado Springs during the
week Of the convention. The object
Of this meeting was to hear from the
men who have had charge of the
strike in the various localities as to
the true condition Of affairs in the
strike centers. This was certainly an
excellent move on the part of Presi-
dent Lynch and met with the hearty
approval Of all the delegates as it was
the only reliable way of getting at
the facts in the big strike. Mr..
Murphy, as delegate of the local
union, in the absence Of the president,
attended the presidents meeting and
he says that 1t was most interesting
session.
President Kempton McKim OF
Winnipeg and President T. ]. Don
nelly of Cincinnati we're chosen pres
ident and secretary. The first meet
ing held lasted for nearly six hours.
AS the presidents Of the local unions
| were called in numerical order they
each went into details in connection
with the strike, the number Of men
on the strike roll, the cost and other
facts relating to It's conduct. Nothing
was concealed by any member in
order to try to deceive those present
| and give the strike in his locality a
different appearance from what 1t
truly was.
The meeting of these repres.
entatives was called to hear the
truth and the truth was told. A Sec
ond meeting was held that lasted for
nearly five hours and the work un-
dertaken was completed. The pres
ident and secretary of the meeting
were instructed to appear before tho
eight hour committee of the l. T. U.
and convey to that committee that in
the Judgment of the struck city rep
resentatives that there should be no
cessation of the vigorous prosecution
Of the eight hour strike until the
II
every city under the jurisdiction of
hastily, but only after mature and
careful deliberation and every detail
of the great strike had been fully
considered.
The eight-hour committee, in
| It's report to the convention,
said: Your committee takes the oc-
caslon to state, with unalloyed pleas
ure that the eight hour day has been
established. Indeed the report might
end at this point, almost before it is
begun, that statement Of fact being
80 generally we'll known and acknowl
edged (although with bad grace by
the U. T. Az, we're 1t not deemed de-
sirable to give few of the details
connected with a revolution of such
stupendous magnitude In working
conditions that its success in gratify-
ing results has scarcely been equaled
in trades unionism since its incep-
tion."
The report of the eight-hour
committee was an exhaustive one and
most interesting. 1t covered every
detail in connection with the struggle
for the shorter workday and made
some excellent recommendation for
the future conduct of the strike which
were unanimously concurred in. Con-
sidering the great cost of the strike
and the many sacrifices made by
thousands of members who have been
! loyal and true to the I. T. u, there
was the utmost unanimity that the
shorter workday must be won CON-
| cletelv before there will be any cessa-
ton in the efforts of the members
until that end is achieved. No labor
organization has made greater fight
and at a greater cost than the men,
bers comprising the I. T. U. have for
the past nine months in order that
they might secure the eight-hour day.
The new arbitration agreement to
he entered into between the newspa-