Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-10


also made strong fight on Speaker Can
non two years ago. but he is too strong
~ lntrenched to be in danger of defeat
from this quarter.
president Gompers of the American
Federation of Labor Is doing all i'm his
power just now to influence organized
laoor throughout the country to vote
Tor principles. not parties or men, 1t
Is an effort to wrest the members of labor
organizations from the thralldom of ira
ditional party allegiance-to induce them
10 th1nk for themselves. or to accept the
oictum OF the organization rather than
cihls TO party because their fathers and
,neir srandtathers belonged to the same
party And it is plain. pre-eminently
plain. that there is not a candidate in
the neld for the presidency who can Sc
cure the labor vote so nearly unanimously
as can William Jennings Bryan Taft has
past as a judge, which smells to
heaven In the nostrls Of organized labor,
by reason of the fact that he was one
or the originators of the blanket in
functions against labor unions AS a
prominent writer expresses it-and the
prominent writer is not employed by any
poiit1cal publicity bureau-'Mr. Bryan
seems to please the laboring contingent
as none of his probable opponents do
Among the unions and the various or
CARNATIONS in which labor is interested
Nothing has ever served to shake labor $
faith in the Nebraskan He is looked
upon in such circles as one man i'm whom
dependence may be put-even to the utter
most. "
James T.. Etzler. until the last few years
a resident of Washington recently scored
a natterlng vote for councilman of Tam
pa. Fla. beating the second man in the
race. who had been a member Of the
council for the past two years, by a large
majority. Mr.. Etzler is prominent in cir
cles of organized labor i'm his adopted
home. and the vote he received showed
the esteem in which the voters Of his
home ward hold him.
An effort is being made by the unions
of organized labor in the District of Co
lumbia to prevent the awarding of gov
eminent contracts to firms and individuals
who will not employ union labor or OBJ
serve the eight-hour law.
In San Francisco. Cal. there is a move.
ment to organize all the laborers of the
several departments of the municipality
into a new union The men of the fire de-
partment have asked the labor council
for information upon the subject of form
ing a union. to work on lines similar to
the various unions affiliated with the
council.
Describing the decrease of child labor
in Rhode Island the Labor Bulletin of
Massachusetts, says: The chief factory
inspector of Rhode Island in his annual
report said that i'm 1894 when the inspec-
of child labor was as high as 50. while
last year it was about 4j, little more
than one-half.
The ei2ht-hOur law went into effect i'm
MarysviIle, Cal. Every contractor. builder
and employer gave notice that eight hours
will constitute Il working day. There will
be no decrease in wages.
The national executive committee of the
United Garment Workers held a conven-
ton recently at the Bible House, New
York city. After the session s. l.. Ian
ders of the general \eXecutive board said
that movement had been started tC
1ors National Union, 1000 members; the
Shirt Waist and Laundry Workers, "a.
GOO members. and the International Won
ems Garment Workers Union, 27,O0t
members.
las the United Garment Workers as i!
stands now he said, has g. ,OGO mem
bers. the amalgamated body will have
about 10000 members and will be the
third largest national body in the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor. The largest two
are the United Mine Workers, with a
membership of $4,000. and the Brother
hood of Carpenters, with a membership OF
10000
The first notice Of labor unions was
when Plutarch' wrote of various Graf,
guilds as having existed in the Roman and
Greek dominions From Rome the idea
was passed on to the young nations that
followed, and in the middle ages the
guilds were to be found everywhere. A
guild was a voluntary association of those
living near together, who joined for q
common purpose. paying contributions
feasting together temporarily, helping one
another in sickness and poverty, and
sometimes uniting for the pursuit of spe
cial objects. 1t was undoubtedly from
these early associations that the idea OF
the modern labor organizations came
Denver will soon have a union labo,
hospital costing 100000 and accommodate.
ing $50 to 400 persons. The city is now
the headquarters for the National Union
Labor Hospital Association. which will
proceed with the building of hospitals fol
members of labor unions in all large cities
Of the country.
Every one of the 40 lamplighters in
Boston is member of the Lamplighters
Union.
, Mine workers affiliated with the general
federation of German trade unions num-
Der 1l0.241 members.