The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1909-03-20
TUBERCULOSIS.

Time more deeply stirring thu
ranks Of organized labor through
out the United States than tn,
campaign against tuberculosis
Politics, strikes, hovcotts. and al
o'het ISSUES are being side-track
ed TO make way for the fight which
is to save the lives Of thousand.
OF 'aho,ing men. Meetings are be.
ing held and movements started
IN hundreds Of cities for the pur-
pose OF stimulating the Iabol
forces to activity IN anti-tuhercul
osis work.
history OF MOVEMENT.
lhis uprising against the worst
toe of the workihgmen is OF such
recent growth that in spite of its
present magnitude and daily de
Nelopment, few people are aware
OF its significance and importance
Several years ago some larger
national and international laho,
unions, notably the printers and
cigar makers, began an anti-tuher-
culosis movement among their
members, which resulted in the es-
Enlistment Ivy the printers of q
sanitorium in Colorado Springs
Two years ago Mr.. Paul kennaday
OF New York, spoke before the
American Federation OF Labor, and
stirred many of the other unions
to definite action against tuher-
eulosis. This movement ripened
about year ago, when in Albany,
N, v. the laboting men got togelh-
er and built pavilion chiefly for
the benefit Of their afflicted mem.
/ bers. The members of the Cen
trail Federated Union of that city.
numbering about 5000. each pay
five cents month for the MAIN
tenance Of this pavilion. But
more than the pavilion was the
Interest they aroused i'm the rank 3
OF labor throughout New York
state AMI the country in general
SOME RESULTS.
| The result 8 of the movemep h We
been the establishment OF a labor
department by the state Charities
Aid Association and a special lee
turer to the unions, and an effort
to enlist the all of laboring men
throughout the state in the cam
paign against tuberculosis. The
American Federation of Labor, at
its recent Denver Convention, a
dopted resolutions of approval of
the general course followed at Al
bany, and called upon its afflicted
unions throughout the country to
follow this example. Several Of
the state Federations of labor
have also urged action against tu-
berculosis. The international Tu-
| herculosis Exhibit, held in New
York City recently, stirred the
Workingmen of that city and
| Brooklyn to realization OF dan
ger and responsibility, and they,
too recently took definite action
IN the warfare against this dis
ease From here the movement
has spread all over the United
States,until almost every labor
union of any Importance i'm almost
every trade is beginning to dis
cuss tuberculosis at its meetings.
Hartford, Conn; Galveston, Tex;
Newark, N. j.; st. Louis, Mo-; San
Francisco, Cal; Trenton, N. j.;
Reading, Pa; Bridgeport, Conn;
Boston, Mass; and Philadelphia,
Pa, are few of the cities that are
leading in this effort.
In Connecticut, largely through
the efforts of John F. GunshannOn,
a movement has been organized
in Hartford, Bridgeport, New Hav-
en- and several other cities,
through which the various en-
ployees of the factories are pay
ing for the treatment of their fell
low consumptives. Mr.. Gunshan-
mons plan is to interest each fac
tory in an effort to care for it's
own consumptives. subscriptions
are taken among the workingmen,
and In almost every case the en-
ployer contributes sum equal to
the total contributed by his men.
These various factory units are so
organized into a central body that |
the stronger ones are able to help !
the weaker. The money raised |
goes for the support of needy con-
sumptive workmen in tuberculos-
is sanitoria.
In this way hundreds of factories
in almost all of the large cities
of Connecticut have been organ
lied, and large number of sick
and their families are
being cared for.
CONSUMPTION FATAL
TO.LABORER.
That tuberculosis is particular
y fatal to the workingmen may be
Hearty seen from the fact that at
east one-third of the deaths dur