The labor world., 1910-06-25
SECRETARY TREASURER
McEWEN'S REPORT
Continued from Page 1.

ment meets IN @hS pussy Htie meIIop-
product of that movement. and - as
suredly great tribute to! its. useful
ness and power il2 the servieesof man
has done during the year, what It
has mapped out to do in the immediate
future, cannot be expectedgto< set
7ePth ~Se1e ia HiorH ~ Come ous
ceedings Of the conventions. As to
the general trend. 1t Is enough for the
Saye hnns Ssch a"a to Thankful R for IN
tho progress of our movement In this
jurisdiction during the past year But
we have also to deplofe re hrin
us to longad-for goals: Perhaps, how
ever. if we could discern events and
appearances In their true light, we
should realize, as those who shall reap
where we haNe sown Will most likely
clearly perceive. that the providential
direction is far wiser than our haste
ments are parts Of the necessary
agencies whereby the successes or the
future will be rendered complete and
enduring.
with many rebuffs. 1t seems as though
the onsla,.gats on the labor nnovemen Mt
been 1errc aipwf dpecfon nave
decisions have been decidedly against
trade union policies which heretofore
were considered perfectly legal, and
no opportunity to take advantage. OF
our every weakness. = -, "
In spite Of all this the labor move--
ment comes m i ouf OF its tn9 ranHs nbroken
and it's banners flying as proudly as
ever. neralaing to the world that this
movement OF ours stands for all that
is ennobling and e1evating to the hu-
4 careful review of the financial
report supplemented hereto is rabund-
,~tt
m.nt in this portion of the United
States. We have lost no ground, but
on the contrary we have made steady
and permanent advancement. There
is scarcely a union but what shows
a satisfactory Increase in membership.
An examination OF ou1 roster Will show
large number of ;;,t ne" uni unions sarc9n con
fore not enjoyed the benefits Of or
ganized efforti AS the present Is
Bright the future gives promise Of
Advantages of Federation.
Several trade unions Tn1 tinI have avina- Wi1h
drawn from yanr Shs Each of te nnona
reasons reason for r. their action: but the prin-
cipal one was that thsy fslt they did
tion. In every trade union there are
members who hold to this thought.
and yet in times of trouble they. are
the State Federation of Labor. a
A federation Of labor is as neces-5
sary to the success of the labor move,
ment as is union Of trade. The
federation more now than they ever
did. While there are builders ex-
changes, manufacturers associations I"eas;I
sociations which embody all classes Of
4 state federation of labor is as nee
a5ar TO the state
as a local trades assembly Is neces-
sary to father the labor movement in
city Any n16ni i6in or baq 4hsv
are able to long stand upon their bot
tom will find. probably when it is too
late, that their brand of trade union
ism has been most selfish one. :;
The Minnesota State Federation of
Labor is without question the mos.
potent factor in the labor movement
n eHe al af1if1aIea unions derive can only
be of an indirect character, except
in crises when its influence can be
welded in the interest of any body
eOus conflict.
However, the greatest benefits Of
federation are enjoyed by that great
whom this Federation has always ex-
tended a helping hand. A trade union
Which pays Per Sagita tax into the
that no direct benefit will come to
them because of it's support of the
Fedration, but there are direct benefits
nevertheless, and these are most mani
fest when it is considered that during
the past ten years we have organized
trade unions In cities of Minnesota
applied effort Of the State Federation
Of Labor no trade union would exist.
If all of the existing trade unions
in this jurisdiction were affiliated
f1,1 Stot Nn1n ~ h~~
we would be enabled, by the immense
revenue derived from such affiliation,
to have always in the field a big
would be to Garry the gospel Of trade
unionism to every town and every city
in this jurisdiction.
; The union which holds that it will
receive no benefit by affiliation, with
the State Federation Of Labor is in
practically the same position as the
non-union man who thinks that be-
cause of his superior skill he is able
to earn a living wage and fair work
ing conditions without the assistance
Of trade union. Upon this point
is the Imperative duty Of every trade
union i'm this jurisdiction to affiliate
with the Minnesota State Federation
Of Labor.
Joint Legislative Action.
At the Red Wing convention we
were honored oy the presence OF fra
session of the State Legislature of
Minnesota all of the legislative COM
mittees of the several labor organiza-
tions represented recognized that but
very little legislation was being adopt
ed for the amelioration Of the men
and women who work with their
hands
The. only legislation secured was
that for which they worked jointly.
The fruits of this effort were so mani
fest that all of the labor Legislative
representatives became advocates Of
the organization of a joint Legislative
board something similar to the plan
which has worked so successfully in
Texas for several years.
Mr.. D. J. Hayes, chairman of the leg
islative COMMITTEES for the Brother
hood Of Locomotive Engineers, had
made visit to Texas during the ses-
sion Of the legislature of that state,
and he was SO impressed with the
complete harmony which existed
among all Of the labor organizations
through their joint legislative board
that he came home.a most enthusiastic
advocate Of such an organization in
Minnesota.
The Red Wing convention author
lied the appointment Of a committee
to meet with like committees from the
nro1 roll