Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1914-08-20
The Ohio Valley Trades & Labor Assembly Stands Firm
The Belmont Central Trades e Labor Assembly Dsbands
Lewis Meeting
A Flat Failure


Gag-rule and trrannical me- sure
generally where the chief char acter
istics Of the meeting presided ovt las
Sunday afternoon by National Organ
izer John Lewis, of the America Fed
GRAFTON of Labor, when he atte, nptet
to organize new central labor unioI
for the city of Wheeling, and net EN-
brace the5Stogie Makers League Tht
meeting was held in the Ohio FalleJ
Trades & Labor Hall, on N arke1
sstreet, and National Organizer FETAL
ski acted as secretary.
Lewis has been in the city of Wheel
ing for the past several weeks and
has visited practically all of the l)cals
and it is openly charged that be de
: liberately misrepresented the laws OF
the American Federation of Labor by
stating to the different local Unions
he visited that if they did not af iliate
with the new "A. F. of L. Central Body
they ould eventually be forced n.
Capacity Audience.
The hall was filled to it's lllest
capacity last Sunday and the large
crowd waited fully an hour and thirty
minutes before Chairman Lewis called
the meeting to order. Lewis me- de a
most appealing appeal at once TO- Gre
dentials, but, to his chagrin, none were
forthcoming, although he beggeC for
half an hour. i. He called for locs Is of
the A. F.~of L., and when repres enta-
tives Of those bodies arose he would
ask the question: 'fWho do you epre-
sent?" and when told that the A. ?. of
l.. was represented he would ask:
Have you credentials" The an swev
would be: mo, i have not,D and ewfs
would thunder out: 'tSit down!| He
refused the floor to every A. r. II L.
man, hardly permitting them to get
in a, word edge-wise; and this OUT
rageous treatment was accorded hem
In spiteS of the fact that they we're
present upon Chairman Lewis ow ur-
gent invitation, extended to hem
when he called upon their locals. His
manner, generally, was the most Ear,
like ever itnessed in this section of
West Virginia and, unless CORE tied,
will go far toward placing the 4. F.
Of L. in great disfavor in and around
Wheeling. Gag-rule and steam roller
methods were used with the greatest
abandon.
After Organizer4C Chairman Lewis had
utterly failed to induce one single
local union to present credentials, he
called upon Mike Snyder, of the Bel
mont Trades and Labor Assembly, for
assistance, who then presented the
resolution adopted by the, Bell lont
Trades & Labor Assembly tuT hing
over to Mr.. Lewis seventeen loca Is
constituting. that assembly - w TIL
OUT THE CONSENT OF THOSE LO-
GALS. Mr.. Lewis accepted them and
then made the announcement thal he
would grant jurisdiction to the new
Marshall counties. He then appoi lted
Mike Snyder temporary president, and
John Shehan temporary secretar!.
There being no further business be-
fore this august body; adjournment
was duly taken" and Lewis and his
colleagues in the farce filed out Oh the
hall, in spite of the fact that hey
were most cordially and earne silly
urged to remain to ATTEND AN
OTHER MEETING WHICH WAS I'M
MEDIATEI4Y CALLED BY HE
OHIO VALLEY TRADES & LA SOR
MEN PRESENT. They were gwen
every assurance that they would not
be, gagged and steam-rollered and Ear
by the Ohio Valley mel, as
the latter had just been by Chair nan
Lewis and his colleagues, but all
was in vain and the nief
actors in the serio-comedy made heir
exit.
No stronger evidence of bile" G 1uld
have been displayed by Lewis ano his
colleagues than was shown by them
when stogies, made by the mem lers
of the Stogie Makers Union, we're
passed around and Lewis and his
three strange colleagues refused to
smoke them. However, every her
union man in the hall accepted them
and appreciated the courtesy OF the
stogie makers, who presented them.
The meeting of the Ohio Va ley
Trades & Labor Assembly went on,
Immediately, and committee was ap-
pointed to visit every local uniol IN
Wheeling for the purpose OF acqui mt
ing every union man in the Ohio Val
ley of the character of the Lewis n eet-
ing, and also urge them to stand loyal
to the Ohio Valley Trades & Libor
Assembly until the American Fec era
ton of Labor would issue q, cha ter
with the stogie makers included. An
other resolution was adopted, ur ing
every local union to protest to the
president of the American Fedora ion
Of Labor against the attempt Of J ohm
Lewis to divide the labor Of Wheel
ing.