The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-08-31
The American
fCoo%;n,,eJ Er0yo p,oo Ope)

Continued From Page One)
and no salaried officers. The expenses
of it's management will be trivial and
can be provided for by the Trades
Union Congress.
Impressed with the necessity OF
such federation, and the Importance
of an International Trades Union Con-
gress, to perfect the organization, we
the undersigned, delegates, in a pre-
liminary national convention, assem-
bled at Terre Haute, Indiana, held
August 2, 1881, do hereby resolve to
issue the following call:
"That all international and national
unions, trades assemblies or councils,
and local trades or labor unions are
hereby invited to send delegates to an
International Trades Union Congress,
to be held in Pittsburgh, Pa, on Tues
day, November Is, 1881. Each local
union will be entitled to one delegate
for one hundred members or less, and
one additional delegate for each addi
tional five hundred members or ma
jor part thereof; also, one delegate
for each international or national
union, and one delegate for each trade
assembly or council"
Union Leaders Who Signed the Call
The call was signed by j. E. Cough
lin, President, National Tanners and
Curriers' Union; Richard E. Powers,
General President, Lake Seamen's
Union; Lyman A. Brant, International
Typographical Union; P. J. Mcclure,
St. Louis Trades and Labor Assem-
bly,; T., Thompson, Iron Molders'
Union, Dayton, Ohio; George w. Os-
born, Iron Molders' Union, Spring
field, Ohio; w. E. Pollner, Cleveland
Trades Assembly; Samuel l.. Letting
well, Indianapolis Trades Assembly,
and j. r. Backus, Terre Haute Anal
gamated Labor Unions
The following persons were also re-
corded as endorsing the call:
George Clark, President, Interna-
tional Typographical Union; P. F.
Fitzpatrick, President, Iron Molders'
Union of America; John Kinnear,
President, Central Trades and Labor
Assembly, Boston, Mass, and George
Rodgers, President, Chicago Trades
Assembly ~, (
}, Legislative Committee Formed
There were 107 delegates at the
Pittsburgh convention, representing
100000 working men. The convention
formed permanent organization
named the Federation of Organized
Trades and Labor Unions of the
United States of America and Canada.
A legislative committee was formed,
consisting of Richard Powers, of the
Seamen's Union, of Chicago; William
H. Foster, of the International Typo
graphical Union, of Cincinnati; Sam
uel Gompers, Of the International
Cigar Makers Union of New York;
G. f.. Burgman, of the Tailors' Inter
national Union, of San Francisco, and
A. c. Rankin, of the Knights of La
Dor Iron Molders' of Pittsburgh.
Declaration of Principles Called For
Labor Unity
The convention, which lasted four
days, set forth the views of the dele
gates in "Declaration of Principles"
the preamble of which declared:
"a struggle is going on in the ma
tions of the civilized world between
the oppressors and the oppressed of
all countries, struggle between cap
ital and labor, which must grow in
intensity from year to year and work
disastrous results to the toiling mil
lions of all nations if not combined
for mutual protection and benefit.
"The history of the wage workers
Of all countries is but the history of
constant struggle and misery engen-
dered by ignorance and disunion.
''The history of the non-producers
of all ages proves that minority,
thoroughly organized, may work Won
ders for good or evil.
'It behooves the representatives of
the workers of North America, in
Congress assembled, to adopt such
measures and disseminate such prin-
ciples among the people of our coun-
try as will unite them for all time to
come, to secure the recognition of the
rights to which they are justly en-
titled.
Conforming to the old adage, In
union there is strength the forma-
tion of a Federation embracing every
trade and labor organization in North
America, union founded upon a
basis as broad as the land we live in,
is our only hope.
"The past history of Trades Unions
proves that small organizations, we'll
conducted, have accomplished great
good, but their efforts have not been
of that lasting character which a
thorough unifcation of all the differ