The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-03-12
organization Of Industrial
Workers into an Associa-
ton for Their Own Bet
ternent and Uplift.


Whether to be Independent or I'm
Her the auspices Of some other
present organization here to be de.
sided later by the committee Of fifty
chosen from the factory workers last
.veninq.
Annual dues OF So or 8.
The association to have as execu-
live secretary very high class man,
capable OF supervising it's depart
nents, each and all.
The departments Of the association
10 have as their special detectives:
Education; social affairs; athletics;
better housing conditions and new
houses for Workmen; factory incuba-
tor building; a dozen others.
Organization to take an Interest In
everything affecting the condition in
life Of Its members.
Membership limited to employees
IF keokuk Industrial plants.
That Is part of the program out
lined last night at the biggest ban
luet ever held in Keokuk, attended
by five hundred indus trial workers
Of this city.
& The organization was described
rom the stage of Woodman hall and
practically all the men in the hall
approved it.
Then a committee of over fifty
men was chosen to fashion con-
srete plan and specifications for the
new organization and report 1t to a
mass meeting of the workers to be
held In a few weeks at the Grand
.heater.
This committee consists OF dele
gates from the offices and work
shops of the American Cement Ma
chine company, the River Smelling
and Refining company, the Electro
Metals company, the Purity Oats
company, the Huiskamp Brothers
company, the Standard Oil company,
he railroads, the Standard Four
Fire company, the United Lead COM
pany, the Irwin-Ph1llips company.
he J. G. Hubinger Brothers COM
pany, the Pechstein Iron works, the
Keokuk Box company, the whole
sale grocery houses, the Stone &
Webster companies, the Hawkeye
Button company, and the Iowa Can
company.
It's Ancestors in Europe.
The plan of organization was said
asst night to be largely cooperative,
with the object of using the energy
,f the aspiring workingmen to lift
themselves into better conditions OF
Ill kinds.
1t is much more like the co-opera-
i've societies of Great Britain,
France and Belgium than the Ameri-
,an trades unions, lacking the direc-
ion Of the latter toward wages and
he employer, and being directed
more toward the environment Of the
entire life of the worker with mus
lies.
Development of social outlets, and
education, specialized or general, and
happier homes, seem to be the chief
advantages the new association hopes
20 gain in Keokuk, it was said last
hight at the meeting
Preceding the adoption of the idea
by the banqueters, there was
strong speech by its father here,
.. S. Phillips, presenting forcibly
he advantages Of mental, moral and
physical Improvement to all wage
sarners.
Some Details That Came Out
f. MI. L h1l1ipS ocAtl tbCAC 81 AbNii
here who will spend thousands of
dollars to put the thing over If the
men want it put over.
He described factory incubator
Is a big, low building with many
movable partitions and central
power plant, in which many small
factories and laboratories can oper-
ate.
He spoke of cooperation to finance
inventors and inventions.
He was applaudedf when he men,
toned a movement for building mod
arn. cheap houses in Eeokuk as one
hing the new association can do,
and thus get real homes.
He said he knows an ideal man
tor the executive secretary of the
new association.
Answering question, he said the
men will choose the association Of
TIGERS and secretary.
Practically every hand was raised
10 show the willingness of the ban
1ueters to appoint a committee ito
meet with me and about thirty-five
more business men, spend week or
TWO going over this organization,
and then reporting back to a mass
meeting in few weeks" Then they
all said they were willing to put UP
the annual dues of few dollars a
year, and Mr. Phillips said If there
was any deficit he would furnish the
money to meet it.
and when your committee meets
hose business men, doctors, lawyers
and bankers, you can tell them you
lon't ask them for anything but ad-
vice. he said.
The Temporary Organization.
Mr.. Phillips kept the big crowd of
men well in hand all the time, and
showed himself master of organi-
zation and methods in starting the
Keoiuk movement as far as he
chose to carry it last evening.
He left it with the main idea
adopted by about five hundred rep
resentative factory workers of Keo-