The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1920-09-04

d4lc1 LILO OIAASIs giving employment
in their construction to hundreds" of
saw and hammer" carpenters. When
they were completed grain was rushed
in from the west. and it was not long
before they were overlooking. It be-
came necessary to build temporary
sheds to store the surplus grain until
the opening Of navigation.
New Industry Comes.
The next industry that came to the
West End was the National Iron
Works, which was built on Michigan
street between Garfield and Seven
teenth avenues west. It gave en-
ployment to many mechanics and
prospered for a time. It contained
a. machine shop. boiler works and
foundry. The machine shop was in
charge OF Joshua Evered, father Of
Walter Evered Of the present organ
ization: The boiler shop was bossed
by. Jim" Dacey,. father of Frank
DaceJ Of the Duluth Boiler Works.
I have forgotten who had charge of
the foundry, but I we'll remember
many Of the old-time molders, when
as a boy I watched them pour their
molten metal into carefully prepared
forms. .
Organized labor was little known
among the home-guard, but new
Corners had the virus and they were
not long in getting a labor movement
started in the West End. The, rail-
road engineers. firemen, :: brakemen
and: conductors had their brother
AAi~
widely circulated about the boarding
houses and switch shanties. I re-
me mber the first one I ever read. I
was attracted to it by a poem writ
ter by we'll known man Of his time
whose non de plum was SHADY Mac
Guire.' Then came the Burlington
strike of 1887, and while it did not
affect employees Of t. "Scally" or the
N. p. it was the main topic Of dis
cussion among them in the boarding
houses and on the streets.
First Labor Experience.
I was but 13 years of age at the
time, but in my boyish way I became
devotedly attached to the cause of
the B. of L: e. I listened for hours
to railroad men as they discussed
their grievances. I waited for the
next issue Of the Engineers Journal
and l. read the accounts. of the strike
with keen interest. I,remember quite
distinctly hearing brakemen complain
of their, salaries of $55 a month, with
no limit in the number of houfssthey
worked in day. ..NS's
My father was a car repairer. He
nj MO,
10 to Is hours a day, for which: he
received $45 every. pay day, andsat,, a
time when the pay car was usually
from two days to a week late in
arriving with the employees monthly
stipend. Section men received the
There were no unions for such rail-
road laborers and they were forced
to take whatever was meted out to
them.
X. Of Il. Their Hope.
The Knights Of Labor offered their
only hope. A local assembly was
formed in the West End in 1887. It.
grew by leaps ana bounds: It was
lone Big Union" that admitted;
into one hall every wage Garner from
baker to a candle-stick maker"
Men with K. of L. cards worked in
machine shops, foundrfes, railroad
shops. on sections, on buildings, in
sawmills, and most anywhere. It was
a great conglomerate body. with too
much to do for all. and poorly
equipped to provide for the partic-
ular needs Of each. It was on this
rock it finally spliti>as has every
Zone Big Union: that has come
since.
. While I was too young to become
a member I paid close attention to
the work. Of the knights Of Labor.
was given employment as janitor
o the K. of L. hall, building owned
by the Knights and located on. the
corner Of Seventeenth. avenue west
and Michigan street. It has since
been moved and enlarged, and is
used as a. barracks for the Swedish
Salvation Army on Superior street
and the same avenue.
Formed Newsboys' Union.
But I had resolved to become
actively identified with tho labor