The Connecticut labor press., 1920-10-09

1 HILL lie the Trials ana
troubles he had under monarchy from
whence he came, and we would extend
to him the handclasp of friendship in a
republic. The question of nationality
was one that Gabriel Edmonston wanted
| to be left on the outside. AS long as
a man took out his first papers, as soon
as he became citizen, then he was
| known as an American, and after that
the question of nationality in our DR.
ganization must be left one side.
He said: Men differ in religion,
in nationality and in politics, and if this
| organization is to live, thrive and pros
| per, party politics must be left out of the
union; men have the right to belong
to any political party they desire and to
vote as they see it; an organization
that is trying to get better working con-
ditions, to protect the home, to educate
the children, and to make them better
men and women should leave politics to
the po1iticians-on the outside of the
unions
| The fourth thing was the color line
| Gabe Edmonston was Southerner, but
| he said that the colored smen of the
craft must be taken care of as well as
| the white men, because if the co1ored
men are not organized, if they are not
4 getting the wages and working the
| hours, if they are not getting the same
| privileges and benefits, then when the
white men come out on strike for better
working conditions the gap will be wide
| open for the co1ored men to go in and
take their places. From that day to
! this we have taken the stand that men
| of the trade no matter what their col
or, are eligible to membership in our
organization, and in the conventions of
| the past, in this convention, we have
colored men sitting as delegates, and
| they are entitled to all the rights, bene-
! fits and privileges of the white car
| peflters.
Il said he was quiet, retiring fell
| low Yes,
Along the COOL sequestered vale of
life
He kept the noiseless tenor of his way
He held many important positions.
! You know he was delegate from
| Washington in 1881 to our first conven-
ton; you know he was first general
| president; he was also elected delegate
to the American Federation of Labor
convention to represent the new baby
| organization away back in the early
days. In 1884 he went there as a dele
gate. Gabriel Ednonston was the one
who introduced the first resolution in
| the American Federation of Labor de-
| handing the eight-hour day, and claim
he is the father OF the eight-hour day
| in the United Brotherhood of Carpen-
tiers and Joiners of america and in the
| American labor movement. He later
| became secretary of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor and filled that position
| for one term. After thar he was elected
| treasurer of the American Federation
of Labor, and following that he was a
delegate from Washington, D. C., to
| several of our { Inventions He was
| delegate to the Atlanta convention in
| 1902, and we were all glad to have him.
Six years ago, when the convention was
held in this hall, Gabriel Edmonston
was the guest of honor at the, invita-
] ton of the then living general presi-
dent, James Kirby. He sat here with
us six years ago, we listened to his
advice and we shook hands with him.
| When our general headquarters was
dedicated in 1909 he was the honor
guesLthe first general president. In
| this same hall at that time we had a
banquet in winding UP the dedication
ceremonies, and right here in front of
| this platform Gabriel Edmonston sat,
and when called upon to say something
| in connection with the dedication of
| our building and of our organization,
| it was the proudest moment in his life
when he got upon the floor and told the
| members of our organization that way
| back in 1881 he was present at the birth
| of the baby organization, the Brother
| hood of Carpenters; that now it was a
great, big giant numbering about ESQ.,
| 600 members Oh, if he was only alive
now and we could tell him that we have
| 100000 members-how his heart would
| be satisfied
'Gabe Edmonstont left his footprints
on the sands of time
Footprints that perhaps another,
Sailing Ger life's stormy main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, may take heart again
So if we should ever become dis
couraged, let us remember Gabe Ed
nonston and all that he had to contend
with His object in life was to make
this world better than he found it. He
wanted to see the little tots, the rising
generation, belt I men and women. bet
ter American citizens than he was, If
that was possible, and he worked to
that end, he worked all the time He
! waslpleased, delighted and satisfied with
the growth of our organization
/ Il was in Washington attending a
meeting of the executive council of the
American Federation of Labor when he
died. 1t cama as surprise to me. He
was still working at the trade, and only
/ the day before he died I met some of
the boys of Local No 132, and as was
usual on my trips to Washington, if I
/ went down to the meetings and did not
| find him there, / would inquire for
him. They told me the day before that
| he was all right, that he was working at
the trade. He had a little carpenter
/ shop where he was tinkering away him
| self. That day he was all right, and the
next morning / was called up and was
told that Gabriel Edmonston was dead
/ The members of his family did not
know | was in Washington, so they
| te1egraphed the general office / was
| there. The executive council of the
| American Federation of Labor went up
4 and visited the remains, because he was
a secretary of the American Federation
/ of Labor once upon time, because he
i was treasurer of the American Fedora
ton of Labor, because he was presi-
! dent of the Brotherhood of Carpen-
| tiers, and because was still trade union
ist / was at that funeral He was
| dressed in the gray of the South, and
the old boys as we will see them to-
morrow in this city in the parade, with
their blue and gray uniforms, were there
surrounding that casket Reverently
they bore it on the way to Arlington
Cemetery. was one of the honorary
pallbearers, along with other members
of Local Union No. 132, and it pleased
me when Uncle Sans brave, sa1wart
4 fnf1cmc m Of SIC ~ tIaa a,,fraoca TO 4ha