The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-02-19
SOME LABOR HISTORY
Success OF Trades Unlonlsm In
Great Britain.
FIRST UNION IN AMERICA.

Rise and Decline Of the knights Of La
Dor Phenomenal Growth Of the
American Federation - Strength Of
unaffiliated Organizations.
In America and to large extent In
England a considerable majority OF
workmen believe in the principles and
scheme Of trades unionism. In cont.
mental Europe trades unionism has
been abandoned largely for socialism.
To appreciate the rapid strides OF
trades unionism In England and the
benefits won for their members two
salient facts may be mentioned. Less
than generation since the large man
ufacturing interests concentrated their
energies on parliament for the enact
ment Of the drastic combinations
law" which made II crime for work.
ingmen to assemble and discuss meas
ures for their benefit. The defeat Of
this measure called forth all the re-
sources and courage OF men like
Bright, Golden and Goodwin Smith.
Tyrannous though this measure was
in spirit, II appears liberal when COM
pared with the preceding statute OF
laborers," which set forth that "ev-
cry man or woman, free or bound, able
In body and within the age OF three
score years, shall be bound to serve
the employer who shall require him
TO do 50 and shall take only the wages
which are accustomed to be taken in
the neighborhood where he Is bound 20
serve" This was subsequently sup
plemented by an act OF parliament
which arbitrarily fixed the wages at
which the laborer must work, nolens
volens. Under its provision the work
man was forbidden 10 leave his native
parish In search Of higher wages.
The penalty for violation Of these
statutory provisions was "that be be
branded on the forehead with a red.
hot IRON
Trades unionlsm In England has out
lived these violent measures for its
repressment and has succeeded In
electing members OF its councils to
seats Ia parliament.
The first labor union In the United
States Of which there is any historical
record was that Of the shipwrights,
who formed society in New York in
1903. The tailors and carpenters or.
ganized in 1906 In the next four OF
Ave decades organizations were estab-
lished In most Of the great industries,
some Of which lasted only few years.
Many Of these gradually became ma.
tional. The printers were the first
craft Of any consequence to extend
their organization all over the country. |
They established the National Typo |
graphical union in 1852. SO as to taxa
In Canada they established the Inter.
national Typographical union in 1852.
being the leader also In thfs broader
field.
The formation Of great corporations
and the immense expansion In industry
which began soon after the civil war
melted larger labor combinations than
had existed prior 10 that time, Some |
Of these formed the National Labor |
union. established at convention In |
Baltimore in 1866, which entered poll
ties In 1871 by nominating the Labor
Reform ticket, putting Charles O'Conor
up for president. Its votes were few,
and II attracted no general attention
ia the campaign. That broke up the
combination, and labor societies as
societies kept out Of politics for the
next few years.
Starting as a local secret society in
Philadelphia In 1869 and holding ifs
first general assembly N 1878. the
knights of Labor was the earliest soci.
ETY. which aimed to gather all the
workers OF all trades into single or
ganization. It had 100000 members in
1886, with Terence " Powderly as the
head. Then began it's decline and fall.
It's strike on the Gould system Of rail.
ways In st. Louis and the southwest
In 1886 1t won, but the larger strike in
1856 on the same roads 1t lost From
that time onward II gradually shrunk
In Importance. Today 1t ia only Q
shadow of its former greatness.
The American Federation Of Labor
rose as the Knights of Labor fell. At
a convention In Columbus, o., in 1885
tiie American Federation Of Labor was
formed, and 1t has gradually absorbed
nine-tenths Of all the labor organiza.
tions Of the United States, In 1t the
several crafts retain their autonomy,
but are federal for purposes of co,
operation. In 1907 the American Fed.
GRAFTON Of Labor comprised 119 ma
tional and international unions and
claimed to have 100000 members.
The afiliated unions publish 245 week.
" or monthly papers devoted to the
cause of labor.
Outside of the American Federation
are about fifteen labor organizations,
the most important Of which are the
Knights of Labor, the Stonemasons'
union, the Brieklayers
and Masons union and the various
switchmen, trainmen, conductors and
others.
The societies not affiliated with the
American Federation Of Labor have a !
of about 10000, making
The membership Of all the labor socie- .