The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1920-08-27
Labor's First Striving
for place in the Sun
Was Mainly Political

>
was placed in nomination in New
York. This political movement spread
into Pennsylvania and Massachusetts
and contributed to the formation Of
the Loco Foco party which played an
important part in the politics Of that
period Political organization FASTENED
organization for trade purposes and
n 1888 the General Trades union of
the city of New York elected its presi-
dent 10 congress. In 1882 the New
England Association Of Farmers, Me-
chanics and Workingmen was organ
lied IN Boston. The three most I'm
portant labor organizations which ap-
peared before the Civil war were or
ganized in 1916 The New England
Workingmen's association, the New
England Protective union and the In
dustrial Congress of the United
States. All three organizations waned
in the early SOS, and from that time
until the end of the Civil war many
trades unions of the narrower kind
were formed. During this period
many trade union leaders character
lied the trade Union as exclusive and
warmly advocated the formation of
broader organizations which would
elevate the masses by other means
than the strike and the regulation Of
apprenticeship. In 1866 their. efforts
resulted In the formation of the Nh.
tional Labor union, which attempted
TO found a Labor Reform party and
died in 1870 'of the disease known as
politics"
The work laid down by the National
Labor union fell into the hands of the
Knights OF Labor, formed In Deem
Der, 1869. by leaders of q dissolved
local union of garment cutters In
Philadelphia. Until 1882 the name
and purpose Of the order were kept
secret. In 1856 it became involved in
the Missouri Pacific strike. Its mem
bership then numbered 100000 There
after, split by internal dissensions,
and weakened by strikes, its member
ship and influence declined. In 1914
it had less than 100000 members The
American Federation of Labor orig
mated in an attempt to found gen
erai organization Of American work
ingmen distinct from the knights OF
Labor on trade union basis. A pre-
lim1nary convention was called by the
Knights of Industry and the Amalga-
mated Labor union-the latter COM
posed largely Of seceders from the
Knights of LabOr-and met In Terre
Haute, Ind, August 2. 1881. The first
official convention met at Pittsburgh,
Pa, In November. 1881. The Ameri-
can Federation OF Labor has prac-
tically taken the place of its former
rival, the Knights of Labor, the organi-
cation which was all-powerful some
twenty-five years ago.
sents progress while the old guard
has lis eyes to the setting sun"
Worsts HeckIer in Crowd.
Cox displays absolute mastery On
the platform. He rs never at loss
for words and he hurls epigramatic
phrases at his Wauyence with
startling suddenness. For instance,
while addressing the open air meet
ing at South Bend he badly worsted
heckler amid the plaudits cf the
huge crowd.
The governor declared for the fed
eral regulation of the packing indus
try in order to limit the period in
which foodstuffs can be kept in cold
storage. Some one in the audience
asked why President Wilson had not
done that.
Pointing his finger at the man Cox
shouted:
Because the party to which you
belong has been in control of con-
gress for the past two years"
He gladly accepted the challenge
presented when the Republicans re-
pudiated the league of nations and
took their stand for a separate peace
with Germany. He described as
ldiSltclS lHOoc VIM ucCldIc luc
covenant would take the war making
powers from the hands of congress
and place it In super government
across the seas and labelled the Re-
publican efforts TO pervert the mean
ing of the pact as pure moonshine.'
His pledge TO bring about disarma-
ment under the league with a conse-
quent reduction in taxation, and an
illustration of the arbitration features
of the covenant evoked prolonged
cheers from the audience
Praises League to Top.
Opinion sounded in the wake of the
/ Cox speech shows that he has raised
the covenant issue from the depths of
misrepresentation where 1t was sent
/ by Republican propaganda, TO the SUI
preme issue of the hour His incon-
trovertible facts and his willingness
| to declare from the platform that the
old guard statements ARE not predl-
Gated en- truth has had telling
effect.
The South Bend meeting was held
IN a tabernacle that had been erected