The Connecticut labor press., 1920-10-09

SIT is fitting and right at this time,
when the Grand Army of the Republic
is holding its reunion in the city of
Indianapolis, that we should give honor
to Gabriel Edmonston, the first general
president of OUT organization. He was
a member of the Confederate army, he
fought on the other side of the line for
what he thought was right and just and
square and open and above board. He
was wounded in action twice, he was
taken prisoner four times. So that
when thi solicitation is taking place here
in Indianapolis, when the Grand Army
of the Republic is holding its reunion,
it is fitting ceremonial to hold i'll hon
or of Gabriel Edmonston.
A''He and / have been old friends for a
great many years. He has been my
close friend Every time / went to
Washington on business of the organ
ization or to attend meetings of the
executive council of the American Fed
Grafton Of Labor, Gabriel Edmonston
made it his business TO come and see
me and talk over matters affecting our
organization, He wanted to know how
it was getting along, how many local
unions we had, and how large our mem
bership was. He liked to get me away
to himself so that we could sit down
and talk Nover matters.
Il have asked him on many occasions,
he being the first general president of
the brotherhood of Carpenters-I say
the Brotherhood of Carpenters, later |
will explain why-to write for me on
the early history of our Organization,
and he would say to me Frank, can
write sometimes and at other times |
can not. When | sit down to write my
thoughts seem scattered; can only
write as the spirit moves me-" would
say to him in reply: All right, Gabe,
write at any time you may feel in
clined. will always be pleased and
glad to get from you any writings on
any subject, but particularly on the
Brotherhood of Carpenters
s'We should take some time this aft
ernoon, and we are taking it, to httingly
dedicate this bronze tablet to his MEM
ory. Since we went into session yes
terday morning we have been going at
our business like a steam engine, and
now when we come to tins part OF i
we should take a little time, and instead
Of looking to the future, as we all are,
{ let us look backward and find out what
Gabriel Edmonston had to contend with
in the old days, what p. j. Mcclure had
to contend with. in the old days. Both
of them were the founders, the organ
izers of this organization known today
as the United Brotherhood of Carpen-
tiers and Joiners of America. You
know it was organized IN 1881. Before
that, several attempts were made to or
ganize an international union OF carpefl-
tiers. Gabriel Edmonston went from
Washington to Chicago to attend the
first convention AT that time the pros
poets for organizing an International
union were not very bright. He had the
discouragements and failures of years
and years before that to face, and he
carried them with him.
aIn 1886 convention call went out
from the carpenters OF the independent
unions of the East to meet m Philadel-
phia. Pa to form an International or
ganization of carpenters. | have that
call I have the name of the man who
signed it as chairman and the name OF
the man who signed it as secretary. The
convention was held, and it was decided
to have an international union, so as
TO be able to establish better working
conditions, better wages, and better
hours. Carpenters worked then from
sunrise to sunset You heard one of
the delegates here say that carpenters
worked for from 25 to 80 cents an hour
in Washington, d. C., in Edmonston,s
day. That convention in Philadelphia
decided on an international organlza-
tion and decided that the next year they
would hold convention in Baltimore.
That Baltimore convention was never
held. as the international union went by
the board. That was the last of it.
And so the carpenters of the coun-
try went on for years and years, or
ganizing in New York, Boston, PhilaF
delphia: organizing in Cleveland, Buff
falo, Chicago and in the smaller places,
but these were independent organlza-
tons, formed for the purpose of get
ting better wages.
again in 1854 another convention
call went out to form an international
organization, and that convention. we
are told, was held. George MacNelll,
the father of the eigth-hour movement,
in his history of The Eight-Hour
Movement tells us of the carpenters
convention called in 1854. John Mitchell,
now dead and gone, formers president
of the United Mine Workers, tells us IN
his book on organized Labor of the
attempt Of the carpenters in 1854 to
form an international organization Pete
Mcguire, my predecessor, tells in The
Carpenter more than "a wears ago, of
the attempt made in 1854 to form an
international organization of carpenters
Samuel Gompers, president OF the
American Federation of Labor, only
within the last year writes me and told
me that the carpenters OF the country
tried to organize an international union
in 1854 and that attempt failed
They then went on organizing again
and taking care of themselves the best
way they could. Then, came 1861 and
the Civil War, and the, men in the trade
unions-the carpenters-just as they
were wanted by our Government IN the
World War, so they were wanted by
the Government in the civil war;
Unions disbanded, carpenters joined
the army. We have them here today
YOU seated one of them just few mo-
Irlents ago, member of the q. A. X
"a wears member of our organization
and there were several others who
came before the credentials committee
saving that they were members OF the
Brotherhood of Carpenters.
about the time that war was ended,
or, to be exact, in 1865, third attempt
to form an international union of car
penters was made, and this time the
convention was held in New York. l
have the names of the delegates VINO
attended that convention and the names
of the cities and states from which they
came. perhaps eleven or twelve local
unions, and they decided that they would
form a carpenters international union.
They thought they had formed It, but
in less than year, whether 1t was from
the effects of the war or the reconstruc-
ton period which followed, it went by
the board
r IL.