The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-03-24
LABOR VIEWS ON WET AND DRY ISSUE
THE DRY SIDE.
WHAT HAPPENED
IN DRY DENVER
BY Henry Dworschak Jr, President Duluth
Trade Union Dry League.

BY Henry Dworschak Jr.. President Duluth
Trade Union Dry League.
Union labor men of Denver, Colo
RADIO, are satisfied with prohibition.
Prohibition went into effect in that !
state January 1, 1916, and the organ !
lied labor movement has had a tre- |
mendous growth since that time.
Chester J. Common, president Of
the Building Trades Council Of Dem |
yer, in letter dated October %, says: !
II am frank to say I voted against !
the prohibition movement, thinking
it would hurt business in a general
way.
In Better Shape.
"Organized labor in Colorado is in
better shape than it has been for
years. Our members are better fed,
better clothed and have more money
in the banks than any time since I
have been in Colorado-14 years."
VIM. c. Thornton, president of the
Denver Trades & Labor Assembly
also states that he voted against pro-
hibition. IT venture to assert" says
Mr.. Thornton, "outside of the old
saloon interests, you couldn't muster
a corporal's guard in the labor move
ment of Denver today, who would
assert that they were in favor of the
return Of the saloon"
The strongest endorsement of the
prohibition law in Colorado comes
from Otto F. Thum, the first presi-
dent of the Colorado Federation of
Labor and nationally known in trade
union circles.
Mr.. Thum says that prohibition has
strengthened organized labor in that
state, and is in better condition today
than ever before.
brewers and MASTERS" writes Mr..
Thum, "have suffered loss in their
trade, but the other departments of
the brewery workers are still intact
bottlers, drivers, enginemen and sta
blemen. These are all thriving.
But to the surprise of all, the
cigarmakers have more members at
work in Denver now than at any
other time. BARRIERS have more
members employed than ever before.
1.-THE movies are the greatest bene-
ticiaries. and we have one of the
strongest movie operators unions in
the whole country. The musicians
feared they would suffer the loss of
the cabaret. But they are more than
compensated by the gain in the
movies, where they are much more
numerously employed under vastly
better conditions than. in the saloons.
The milk business has grown beyond
comprehension, and we expect to or
ganize these in the near future.
To Build Labor Temple.
I'm Denver We have been for many
years trying to get the boys to build
a Labor Temple, but were always
thrown down by a sinister influence
the saloons. We have 108 unions in
Denver and they met in % different
buildings. The saloons saw to it that
we were not punched in a labor tenn
pie. But now that we are we'll rid of
the saloons we are able to get to-
gether, and in a very short time we
will have a Labor Temple to cost
about $125,00O.''
Mr.. Thum's high standing in the
American labor movement stamps the
above testimony as absolutely reli-
able.
IS Wage Increase.
The Denver Labor Bulletin, in a
recent issue, says that the musicians
in that city have secured wage in
crease of IS per week. Certainly
there cannot be surplus of labor
among musicians when it is possible
for them to force an increase of IS
per week.
The correspondent of the Machin-
lists union reports that Machinists'
union No. AZ, moved next door in the
Florence Building into larger and
more convenient quarters" Evident
J. ly the Machinists' union is not suffer-
ing loss of members on account Of
prohibition in Colorado.
Since prohibition went into effect
Denver bricklayers have increased
their wages from Sc to 81 per day,
First Agreement.
Carpenters in Denver have sue
! ceeded in securing the first wage
| agreement with the contractors in
that city for number of years. It
provides for an increase Of five cents
per hour-forty cents a day-the
eight hour day, and Saturday half
holiday
The fathers have increased their
wages from 81 to IS per daylight
hours at that-since Denver went
dry.
In July of last year E, r. Hoage,
organizer for the American Fedora
ton Of Labor in Colorado, sent in to
headquarters his official report of
conditions in his state
Here is what Mr.. Hoage said:
| "Organized labor is in better con-
dition than it has been for years.