The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1909-05-22
CONDITION LABOR 4
MOVEMENT ! IN EUROPE III
Fourth of Series Of Labor World
Contributions by Rev.
Charles tStelzle. Il 55 /:

= Who ever heard of a temperance
society composed exclusively Of walk
ing delegates" or. business agents and
other labor officials?z But that's pre-
cisely. what. I found in Great Britain.
At the last convention Of the A. F. of
L., Andrew Furuseth Of the Searnen
who had gone over to England as the
fraternal delegate representing the
American Federation of Labor, re
ferred to- this unusual organization,
when he made his report, and I deter
mined to investigate it. =
The Trades Union and Labor Offic-
ial Temperance Fellowship" was or
gained in 1905 at the Hanley meeting
o fthe British Trades Congress at a
gathering of three hundred delegates.
Every year since it's, organization the
fellowship has given tea" at the
time Of the annual meetings of the
British Trades Congress, and in every
case about one-half the delegates at
tending the congress have been pres
ent. At tn last meeting. there were
present two hundred and seventy dele
gates, representative of body of close
! upon one million workingmen, which
comprises nearly one-half the trades
unionists in England. -
Object of the Fellowship.
The Fellowship has for it's object
'the personal practice and promotion
of total abstinence and the removal
of trades society meetings from Ii
censed premises" Every trades union
list knows how important the latter
| section is to the welfare Of the labor
movement. It's a pity that the labor
union must frequently become an an
mex to the saloon, often because there
is no meeting place to be had aside
from the room given by the saloon
keeper. The result is that many of
the men are unfit for business when
the meeting begins. It's all right to be
a good fellow" but the labor move
ment will never succeed when it's Of
ficials are '"boozers.'' The time will
come in the labor. movement when the
union will demand that those who rep
resent it in the transaction of it's I'M
portant business shall be total alb
sta1ners, for there is too much at
stake to leave in the hands Of befed-
dled-minded men the future. economic
welfare of our wives and children.
Evidently, the Englishmen have got
ten to this point already. It is no
longer considered an honorable thing
to put away three bottles of porter as
the secretary of the general liberation
of trdes' unions put it.
Officers and Other Particulars.
The Fellowship has for it's president
Arthur Henderson, M. P, who is also
the chairman of the labor party.
Among the members of the executive
committee are John Burns, NJ p
member of the cabinet, Will Stead
man, Nj. p, secretary Of the labor
party, D. J. Shackleton, M. p, chair
man Of the British Trades Union Con-
gress; indeed, there are twenty-six
vice presidents, every one of whom
is a member of parliament, and every
one a trades unionist. The secretary
Of the Fellowship is. Harry Gosling
la labor member Of the London county
council.
The fellowship issues considerable
literature and sends out it's manifest
oes through the various labor unions
and through the labor press When
the National : Freedom Defense
League representing the liquor inter-
ests, sent out >a~staternent purportine
to be in the interest Of the workers
the. entire executive committee an6
all of the vice presidents got out q
counter petition, smashing to smith
Greens the statements issued by tht
pretended friends Of the workingman
Will not in affiiation with the Brit
lsh trades union congress, the fellow
snip is in close touch with the entire
labor movement There is no do.1b
that the organization is performins
most valuable service in behalf O.
the great mass of toilers, to- say moth
ing about their wives and the child
rem.