Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-28
IN LABOR CIRCLES
g.

IH lHUUu UInUllU
| o.
The strike of the telegrapherS and the
| local lockout and strike in the building
| trades still occupy the center of the in
| dustrial stage. The efforts of the master
brickayers to restore harmony between
| the employers and the mechanics of the
| structural trades are said to have come to
naught and the breach appears to be as
wide open ever. Two recent opinions on
either side of the contest are given IL
| Illustrative of the prevailing temperaments:
Said one of the employers:
Our fight is matter of principle We
made concession after concession to the
unions until their demands multiplied and
became utterly unreasonable. 1t was like
the tiger with taste Of blood thirsting for
| more gore. The unions concluded that they
would control our business affairs We
said No, and the fight on. We will
not surrender our manhood and our bust
! ness affairs to trades unions"
Said a labor leader
The contest from its inception has been
for the open shop. the claim that we de-
sire to control the business of the bosses
Is but subterfuge behind which they seek
to conceal the real issue. Should we per-
NIT the open shop to prevail here it would
mean the death of Trades unonlsm i'm the
District So, you see. with us is a life
and-death struggle for a principle upon
which unfonism is founded
These expressions illustrate the temper
or the comb tants, and the outlook there
fore, appears to be dim for restoration
of harmony between master and mechanic
unless the unforeseen happens.
In the meantime the employers are bring
Ing non-union workmen into the District,
and the present building operations appear
to be going along. On the other hand, the
pickets of the unions are alert and claim
| to be making many captures" and CON
versions of non-unionists Money is being
spent on both sides of the campaign and
the end is not yet.
The Knights of Labor in the District are
manifesting much interest In the prospective
program of the meeting of the general as
sembly which is scheduled to be held in this
city November II next Preparations for
the entertainment of the officers and dele
gates are being made on large scale, it is
said.
District Assembly &C. knights of Labor,
of Washington. will enter upon its twenty
fifth year of active service in the realm of
labor October l, 1907. and will commemo-
rate the anniversary by publishing history
of the work accomplished by the assembly
in its quarter of century of existence.
The task of compiling the history has been
intrusted to Charles Walport, who is said to
have the necessary data as well as his per-
SOnal knowledge of the successful efforts of
D. A, &C. before both houses of Congress.
He believes an account of the various meas
; ures this assembly has been instrumental in
having placed on the statute books will no
doubt prove interesting to the public as
well as to the younger members of the
order.
Funds for the striking keymen are being
subscribed by labor organizations. it is
claimed. with the view of assisting the
telegraphers to win the strike they have
entered upon. 1t is said the Central Labor
Union of Philadelphia has taken steps to
raise fund of about $JoOiO for the oper-
ators. 1t has also been announced that the
executive council of the American Fedora
ton of Labor has voted $5O.0tU of it's de-
tense fund to be devoted to furthering the
interests of the striking telegra pliers
throughout the country.
This is the third week of the telegra-
pliers strike, and both companies declar re
through their representatives that they will
not WAIVER in their determination to hold out
against the strikers They maintain that
business is moving well over the wires.
and that as far as the service from this
city to other points is concerned they are
experiencing no difficulty. Men are not
needed now, the companies managers as
sert. since the volume of business is not
great enough to cause congestion of wire
traffic.
Concerning the attitude of the strikers
the companies insist that a stampede to
return to work may occur at any moment.
The mems daily necessities and the absence
of money with which to provide for their
families are given as reasons for this as
sertion.
The keymen, on the other hand, assert
that their demand are just, and If organ
ICED labor will stand firmly by them they
will win. They deny that stampede will
occur and declare the companies are caus-
ing canards to be circulated to weaken the
strikers
There is an interesting story going the
rounds concerning the strike of the tele-
graph operators 1t is follows:
Mrs. Rose Pastor Stokes will endeavor
to persuade Helen Gould and Mrs. Russell
Sage to throw the weight of their influence
as heavy Western Union stockholders in
favor Of the strikers.
Mrs. Stokes wife of ]. G. Phelps Stokes.
was a factory girl before her marriage two
years ago, and has been doing missionary
work in behalf of the 1000 women strikers
who went out with the men when the strike
girl telegraphers in New York and their
story has won her sympathy
s. J. Small, president of the Commercial
Union of Photographers. arrived at New
York Monday morning from the west. He
was met at the railway station by large
delegation of the striking teiegraphers and
was escorted to a hall, where he addressed
meeting of telegraph messenger boys and
check clerks
In the afternoon he attended a meeting
of the striking telegraphers. where he was
received with enthusiasm. He made brief
address. in which he dealt with the general
situation. again refraining from discussing
local conditions.
Mr. Small gave out a statement, in which
he said:
We have fully % per cent of all the
commercial telegraphers in the United
States on strike This applies to small and
large cities. We have started to raise two
large funds. for the benefit OF the
strikers and the other to be used in urging
government control of the telegram Man
remittances were received before l left Chi
cago and strange to say. much was re-
ceived for the campaign fund as for the
benefit of the strikers
The organized carpenters of Chicago have
passed resolutions favoring the restoration
of the army canteen. The repeal of the
canteen law is declared to have been 'arbi-
trary and uncalled for" and the work Of
idle theorists who made the army their ex-
perimental garden by and with the consent
of Congress.
Plans are being La by the Central
Federated Union of New York city for
monster Labor day pa ade there. 1t is
said it will involve 10000 men. represent
ing thirty-six labor organizations The most
striking feature of the parade will be show
ing of members of the Actors Protective
Union in the full costumes of the various
characters they have recently been por-