, 1923-02-08
ORGANIZED LABOR: IFS ORIGIN
HISTORY. AIMS AND RESULTS
By Cheyenne Trades & Labor
Assembly


In This article we will take up
She purging of the real labor unions
of those so-called radicals and agitat-
/. ors. also on the stand taken by labor
During the Civil War.
About the year 1S49 the land
reformers and others became so
powerful that they were about to
dominate the real labor unions and
a resolution was introduced to ex-
clude them from membership. In
the year 1850 James Gordon Ben
net, writing in the New York Herald
on this point prophesied the end OF
the labor movement IL the radical
agrarians were not expelled. He
said a motion viii be made to limit
the membership to the trades and
thus purge the body OF men who
have no rights to sit in It. II this
motion be carried it will make q
clean sweep Of the politicians and
socialists end there will hs some
chance of the sound wisdom OF h
honest tradesman having fair play
to work out q practical redress OF
any real grievance under which they
may labor, but we fear the sinister
influences are too strong In the body
and the schemes too numerous to al
How that proposition to prevail. II
1t should be defeated thsn all hope
of accom- plishing anything useful
through this body is lost, and 1t will
fall into the hands of a few wire
puilcrs WHO Will turn T. to their
own advantage ana sell the tredee
to the highest bidder. Then will be
acted over again the Jar eiready
played in this city in which the
trades have been made the ladders
OF need for ambitious politicians,
who kick them away the moment
they gain the summit Of their as
pirations.
One year after this prophecy the
agrnrians expsilel and the
trades unions purged of all reform
ers.
In the late ~forties, industry having
revived the finding Of gold in CAL
ifornia had q great deal to do with
It, demand for labor was caused and
this gave an opportunity to the regu-
lar labor unions which they were
quick to grasp. Getting rid of most
of the theories of idle days they took
up the business of organization in
earnest.
The skilled trades setuirg down
to the cold business of getting more
pay for them.elves by means of
permanent and exclusive organixa-
lions at this time began the separa-
ton of the skilled trades from COM
mon labor, which was eventually to
raise the pay of the skilled me-
chanic far above the level Of emil
grant competition and to distin guish
American unionism from that of any
other country.
With the growth Of the labor
unions pure and simple came lead
ers of national standing and influ-
ence. men Of great force as organ
ixers and writer's. Among these were
w. H. Sylvis of the iron moulders
and Jonathan Fincher OF the ma
chinists. The managou .cnt Of So
cieties embracing thousands of men,
bers scatt led fro =. coast to coast
and carrying on constant negotia-
lions with employers over technical
points. called for business ability
and statesmen-like skill Of the high
est order.
The decade between 1850 and
the Civil War was marked by strikes
of great frequency and magnitude.
In spite Of the fact that collective
bargaining was becoming mere COM
It IL estimated that in the
two years OF 1853 and 1884 there
were about four hundred separate
strikes.
In 1887 there came another in
dustrial panic with the usual re-
suits: unemployment. wage reduct-
lions. loss OF membership TO the
unions. dissolution OF local unions.
financial weakness and hopelessness
among those that survived.