The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 13, 1904, Page 2

2 , NS ate ¥ T A e P S = F the two million eight hundred thousand workmen who form the great army of trades unionism in America more than two million are afliliated with the American Feder- ation of Labor. The proportion of the two—the army of the federation and the lesser arm¥ of the unaffiliated—may be presented by an effectite it of black end white like this AFFILIATE of course, the aim of the feder- ) complete the circle. 1f the growth of the movement con- ti he ratio of increase that has v s ry for the past two ye gap will be closed in less than ty ears more, and every trades in America will have its repre- tives at the gathering of the dele- in 1906—wherever it be. ts of the executive officers to be e In San Fgancisco concerning the f the order since its session in twelve months ago will be g character. Indeed ts in these reports repre- n the black and white {llustra- re given the ‘“not affiliated” tion would be reduced to a smaller area. Tk gr ng with such speed that it may re the it” as representing its the labor union field of The great gathering of the rs trades unic held n to be » in Nov there- workers of s of the world ation of Labor > 1881, Amal- ron and Steel cons tisburg t side of the tion e number of city trades unions Reso- rms we on that » law of the alled r the es- - embers of those 8 v eeded to or- Agitat Jegan for Van B 1, he ited States by 10, fixed it so fo until 1544 shorte g up to i y the shipwrigh erected on the street, New ang out the itting work. now in every but until the v did not pass isolated unions instances. In the first this direction was ade by the organization of the otherhood of Locomotive Engineers n Detroit The National Cigarmak- ers’ Union quickly followed with head- quarters in New York. The Bricklay- Masons' International Union d in/1864 and a number of fons came into being be- d 1872, good beginning thus made was ked by the panic of 1873 and for serve funds many of these d out during the long period yortant ep i nd ession. Various secret societies took their places and held attention for e time, but soon lost their influ- wce. The year 1872 saw the total dis- n of what was the first attempt a general trade union federation. It as known as the National Labor Un- and Its field was politics. It was to work its reforms by first elect- a President of the United States. egan in 1866 and its life, therefore, x years. Many other like move- were started, but ran thelr ccurse quickly. The Knights of Labor was born in 1869 in Philadelphia, hav- federation iu. VNN ST THE .. ing its inceptions- in a local union | Samuél Gompers, President American Fedcration of Labor. of clothing cut-F————— ters. It was & By S.W. Wall, secret organiza- {Washington correspondent of The Call. tion and spread with great rapid- it: over the en- tire country and was for a long time a most pow- erful factor in the affairs of the workaday world. It was at all times, however, out of sympathy with the ideals of the * open trade union and its de- - 7z i SAN.: FRANCISCO. SUNDAY i ng;»r i 1) @ 55 / /i 66Y N amodest brick building on G street, this city (Washington), on the square facing the big pension office, is the executive de- partment . of this all enveloping order. There sits Samuel Gom- pers, its president and head, the man who twenty-two years ago was chosen from the cigar-makers’ union to direct their new order to the ful- fillment of the great purpose toward which it is just eow fairly rising. That that early convention in so im- portant a matter as choosing an exec- CALL. DERATIONor LABOR Clgarmakers’ Union. utive was very wise has been con- firmed year by year through the de- vious history of the order. It has not been the history of a triumphal march. Mr. Gompers himself is an old story. His force; his clear vision, his energy, his conservatism, his power as a plat- form talker, his logic, his resourceful- ness—that power that is knowledge— his general effectiveness with men of big affairs in business and statesman- ship, all being employed one way or another these many years have made him a familiar figure. In telling the story of the growth of the Amerjcan Federation of Labor in 7o R an 'interview Mr. Gompers took occa- sion first to point out what he beljeves to be the very basis of its strength: Conservatism—that goes hand in hand with aggressive organization. “The American Federation of Labor has grown strong through this tenacious policy of conservativeness,” says President Gompers. “I:-has come to be recognized by the wise and judicious, outside its ranks as a most valuable, agent of social progress, It is a highly disciplined army that is traipned to seek its ends through diplomacy and that will engage in industrial war, orly when its utmost efforts in that direction fails.” cline had iong set in when In 1881 ——————————p the trade unions, now revived and reh a bilitated, through. a period of prosperity. called the con- vention of Pitts- burg that result- ed in the forma- tion of the Amer- fcan Federation of Labor. Samuel Gom- pers was chosen permanent presi- dent at the gen- eral session of the federation held at This session waas indorsement of Cleveland, Ohio. marked by the & communicgtion from P. J. Me- Guire of the Brotherhood of Carpenters, which declared the su- premacy of industrial over political questions and at the same time defined more precisely the scope of the feder- ation. It said: ““We favor this federation be-~ eause It is the most natural assim- flative form of bringing the trade and labor-unions together. It pre- serves the indudtrial autonomy and distinctive character of each trade and labor union, and, without do- ing violence to their faith or tradl- tions, blends ghem all in one har- monious whole—a ‘federation of trade and labor umions.” Such a body looks to the organization of the working classes as workers, and not as politiclans. It makes the qualities of a man as a worker the only test of fitness and sets up no political or religious test of mem- bership. It strives for the unifica- tion of all labor, not by straining at an enforced union of diverse thought and widely separate meth- ods; not by prescribing a uniform plan of organization, regardless of their experience or interests; not by antagonizing or destroying existing organizations, but by preserving all that {s integral or godd in them and by widening their scope =o that each, without destroying their indi- vidual character, may act together in all that concerns them.” At the third session held at New York City reports were made showing the {ll success attending efforts made By the federation to establish a modus vivendi with the Knights of Labor. At Chicago, the fourth session, a res- olution to inaugurate a general agita- tion for an eight-hour workday was adopted. The fifth session was held in Wash- ington, where the methods of the Knights of Labor in organizing reject- ed, suspended and expelled members and their imitation of trade marks and labels of the trade unions were t principal subjects of discu: n At the sixth session, held at Col bus, Ohio, the title of the Ameri Federation of Labor was adopte from which point the o dates the beginning of an firm, onward march that has not ed since. At this session t ers, printers, granite cutters, workers, miners, tailors, ba bers, metal workef: carps cigar-makers joined the federat together with several loc central unions swelled the ranks membership of 316,469, During the last few years the gros of the organization has e forward by long bounds owing to methods adopted f: propaganda, the geners its merits and the mom by ity long and steadv pros The - American Federation is composed of constitue sentative bodies. Of the eral labor unions, indeper unions and international uni second are cemtral labor un State branches. Federal labor unions are societies formed by wage earners working at different trades are only established where there are not enough werkers at the several trades to form separate unions. Local unions having no international unions of their crafts are composed of members working at the same trade. These are recognized al ed to affiliate only while the are as yet too few unigns of the trade to permit the formation of a national union The supreme power of the Ameri- can Federation of Labor Is veste its convention. This is compo delegates, one or more accord its strength, from each national general union, the delegates ha one vote for each 100 members 3 represent. Independent local unions and federal unions are entitied to one delegate regardless of the k their members. City central bodies are also entitled to on gate, having but one vote. and The American Federation of La- bor had affiliated to it May 1, 1904, 118 interpational unions. These national unions have complete juri tion over their own trades and haye 23,- 500 subordinate or lecal unions with an aggregate membership exceeding 2,- 000,000, Besides the international unions there were affiliated to the American Federation of Labor 1501 local trad unions and federal labor unions, 60 city central unions and thirty-two State federations. The revenue of the American Feder- ation of Labor .ls derived mainly from a tax levied on ‘each union, at the rate of one-half of one per cent per month from each member of international unions, of 10 cents per month from each member of local and federal unions having no internationals, and of a fixed tax of $2 50 per quarter from each city and State body. Of this, 5 cents of the 10 cents levied on members of federal unions is applied to a defense fund. The executive council has also the power to levy assessments on all af- fillated unions to sustain u ns en- gaged Iin “Industrial econfli the levies not to exceed 1 cent per member per week and for not more than ten weeks in each year. The reports for the first ~:x months of the fiscal year, Octoker, 1903, to March, 1904, show total receipis for per capita tax of the federation were $72,810 02, as against 151,188 15 the same months the pravious ye showing jthe increase in member The session at San Franeisco will be the largest, most successful and alto- gether the most auspicious in the his- tory of the great unifying labor organ- ization. for