Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1908-09-11
HUB AND CENTER OF
ORGANIZED LABOR

In II modern little brick structure
under the shadow of the monster
pension building at Washington is
located the nerve center of the organic
ed labor movement of the United States
and Uncle Sans new possessions.
writes Walden Fawcctt. In these quar-
ters, whicl, are none too .commodious
for the strenuous activities carried
ward of three dozen men and women
keeps in close touch with IN army
of 100000 artisans i'll every state
and territory in the union. This
beehive is the national headquarters of
the American Federation of Labor.
that great central body that exercises
jurisdiction over the local workingrnen's
organizations from Onc end of the
country to the other.
To appreciate the significance of the
work carried Oh ut this pace it is
necessary to know something of the
American Federation of Labor and it's
remarkable growth. The first move
toward the voluntary organization of
labor i'll America was early in the
nineteenth century but it gained
almost no Roadway until Il score of
years later. The earliest known trade
union composed of j%ourncymcn was
the New York Society of Journcymcn
Shipwrights. which was legally in
]corporated in 1903. Unions of tailors
and carpenters were organized in the
metropolis in 1906 and Il union of hat
tiers came into existence in 1919.
The first crusade on the part of or
ganiZcd labor was for a tcn-hour work
day. In the spring of 1910 President
Van Buren, issued Il proclamation cs-
t%ablishing the ten.hour day on all gov
eminent work, hut it was several years
later ere anything approaching II com.
plctc victory was won in the private
establishments of the country. The
year 1851 saw another important aC.
vance in the labor movement, namely
the formation of the first national
union by the banding together of vari.
ous local organizations. The printers
were the pioneers in this progressive
step and were shortly followed by the
iron mOldcrs. For some years these
two classes of artisans were alone in
their advanced position hut with the
civil war and its significant prOclama-
ton abolishing slavery II spur was
frtx-nY, -, f1,n .,,,-a sc a,1 1-l-.
and in 1864 the National Cigarmakcrs'
union was formed. The B%ricklaycrs
and Masons' international union came
into existence soon after and before
many months had elapsed several 9TH
er classes of toilcrs had taken the de-
cisivc step Of formulating national
bodies.
The great panic of 1873 gave some
thing Of II setback to organized labor
for the reason that with the shutting
down of manufactures and the suspcn-
sion of work generally many toilcrs
were unable to pay their dues and in
some instances local unions were com.
PEELED to disband for lack of funds.
With the advent of somewhat better
times organized lubsr gradually took
q new lease of life and there was nur-
turcd that spirit of expansion which
led up to the organization of the Amer.
lean Federation of Labor in the year
1881.
In discussing the matter the other
day President Samuel Gompcrs, head
of the American Federation of Labor,
and the most powerful labor leader
III the world, pointed out that the de
vclopmcnt of trades unionism i'm this
country may he classified. broadly
speaking, in three successive periods.
The first of these intervals saw the
rise of local unions of various kinds;
the second period was characterized
by the inception Of the idea of the.
national union: and finally the third
era in which we are now living has
witnessed the ,nmalgamation of these
national unions into the all -powCrful
federated body. BY this amalgamation
and Capitalization of power the
American working GLASSES have put
themselves in II position to hold their
own with those immense aggrcgations
of capital tho trusts Of the indus,
trial and commercial word.