Denver labor bulletin., 1916-08-26

NJ. l<SHch, ny iHNltdlloH, uellNeieu All
eloquent eulogy to the late William B.
Prescott, who was president of the or
ganization when typesetting machines
ewre introduced, and whose forsightedness
and diplomacy saved the union from
what many at that time thought would
prove its utter destruction as a militant
labor body.
Mr. Lynch. now Industrial Commits
sioner of New York state, spoke as fol-
lows:
Mr.. President and Ladies and Gentle
men-I am sure you know that | keenly
appreciate the honor that you have done
me in unanimously requesting that / say
few wrds to you today on the life and
work of one of the great presidents OF
the International Typographical Union.
| will not promise any oratory III con-
nection with this eulogy. l am going to
try to make it a plain matter of fact,
as I know the subject of the eulogy
would like to have it if he could dictate
its form and manner of utterance. If
there ever was a simple, unpretentious,
transformations member and officer of
this organization, it was the late presl-
dent whose memory we are honoring here
today.
The first record that We have of Will
liam B. Prescott, as far as his official
connection with the union is concerned,
is as a member of Toronto Typographical
Union No. 81 and president of that or
ganization, delegate from that union
to two International conventions. at both
of which he was a member of the most
important convention committee at that
time and now-the committee on laws
and at one of which much against his
personal desire, he was elected president
Of the International Typographical Union.
That brings us TO a consideration OF his
official career as president of this great
organization.
On a number of occasions it has been
nv privilege to talk with Mr.. Prescott
about his early days in office. and he
told me that when he reached Indianap-
lis to take up the duties of the great of
office that had been assigned to him his
desire was to at once lay down the
power and authority and return to To-
ronto. He was absolutely overwhelmed
with a sense of the responsibility that
he had taken on himself but he finally
concluded that he would do the best he
could to-day" and the next day he con-
cluded he would do the best he could
for that day, and so on, until he was
planning to do the best he could for next
week, next month and next year, and for
all the years that were to come.
think that to get an adequate idea
of the work that he accomplished during
the seven and half years that he was
president of this organization we must
take into consideration the conditions
that he found when he reached Indian
apols after the adjournment of the Bos-
ton convention. Organized labor is a
force and power in this country today.
This union is a tremendous force and n
great power in this country, but at that
time conditions were much different. Or
ganzed labor was not by any means as
strong as it is today, nor did it hold at
that time so high a place in public esteem
and public estimation and public knowi-
edge. This organization was not n strong
organization from an international stand
point. 1t had been only for the previous
two years that there had been an inter-
national headquarters that could be
termed an international headquarters es-
tablished in a headquarters city. That
headquarters office, established by an
other great president of this organza-
ton, former President Plank. had been
running for the prior two years, and pre-
vious to that time the secretary treas
urer had an office, / believe, in Chicago,
mainly for the purpose of receiving the
very limited financial contributions that
were then made by the membership Of
this organization. Then there had Just
begun to show itself that spirit of de-
termination, if / may use that word, on
the part of some of the unions of other
craftsmen that had been organized by
the International Typographical Union
and affiliated to it, to break away from
the parent body and establish interna-
tional organizations of their own. The
movement was very strong with the
pressmen and was also being agitated by
the stereotypers. There was a consider
able feeling of unrest in the general la
Dor movement, such as it was at that
time. The influence of the Knights of
Labor had not passed away, and many,
especially the older members of the then
International Typographical Union, had
a very fond feeling and strong leaning
toward that organization. Now all this
Mr.. Prescott found when he went to In
dianapolis to assume the office OF pres
ident He found an International Union
that was only just in the making, just
the beginning of the foundation, and he,
a young man about twenty-six years of
age. took on himself the burden of fash
Joining the foundation stones and build
ing a great foundation on which this or
ganization was to live, flourish and pros
per in after years. / don't know that it
is necessary to here allude to the many
things that he did do, to his effort to
hold together all of the unions that then
formed the international Typographical
Union "a question that was then not very
well understood by the membership, and
to his handling of that great problem,
the introduction of typesetting machines,
to his continued insistence that the
members of the international Typograph-
ical Union should welcome the machines