Galveston Labor Journal (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, December 18, 1908 Page: 1 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Texas Labor Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Rosenberg Library.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Rosenber
"1
THE JOURNAL
ue
THE JOURNAL
GALVESTON LABOR JOURNAL
Upbuilding of Galveston
OFFICIAL ORGAN OF GALVESTON LABOR COUNCIL, AFFILIATED UNIONS AND STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR
FIRST YEAR
GALVESTON, TEXAS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1908.
VOL. 1, NO. 7.
ORGANIZATION
dent; W. S. DeVaux, first general vice
fort Is Here to Stay
History of the Brotherhood Since 1815,
Written by Bill B. Cook of Texas
in the working class ranks they would tempt at unity until the Milwaukee con-
join trade unions.
the workingmen
to
organize, times
that he would protest the election of
tion could be reached.
honor.
was informed that while no action had
protest of Delegate McCarren and the
i e-
But the rank and file re-
unreservedly, and surely they cannot
be accused of partisanism, and conse-
ing the Painters and Paperhangers
tary-treasurer, Bro. McKinney, visited
Chicago and St. Louis, whose unions
a total of forty locals.
so far have failed in landing any of
nunciamentos against the Brotherhood.
to the Knights of Labor. ■
of the unions responded to the call and
Employes now in process of organiza-
call to organize a Trade District of
capita to General Secretary-Treasurer
bers to secure work; the non-unionist
All
the
i
4
ney, he repaired to the office upon the
dent.
order in Cleveland, Ohio, December 3,
upward, always
striving to lift the wages of the lowest
The report of the general secretary- of Galveston.
I worse in his town.
The Trades As-
ment, as a century of effort has demon- wish to say that our death and dis-
strated.—Max Hayes.
Cole, of Erie, Pa., second general vice and extolling Debs in connection with
' to jail to work out his sentence.
excess of the capital of the Indiana
dee and Tweedie dum!—Kansas City
lectively, but as individuals.
Labor Record.
the gist of the matter was that at
I ly.”
I also have letters from numbers of
a
। passed out April 17,
the country.
men
forsaking their unions or union prin-
the propositions as submitted to the
After the Chicago assembly, held by
The slackness of business has
membership,
eral assembly, the city of St. Louis and
Where they
Correspondence was opened with the
the general officers to appear and clear '
the general president whom he had dissatisfied element in the Elliott fac-
lay down the work it is
helped to elect. From this little yellow
of L. has been held in Denver since my
Standard Oil company of Indiana is
fined $29,000,000, and the plea is made
I chara, third general vice president; W.
H. Sheilas, fourth general vice presi- ;
sume the appearance of an Interna-
tional Union and was the recipient of
letters of congratulation from P. J. Mc-
had advised Bro. Elliott to follow this
course, and he had decided to do as he
to him. From this office were sent out
the proceedings of the last assembly,
Today every student of economics,
every philosopher, every honest states-
tain conditions, Elliott would surrender
the office to McKinney, on a certain
the pleasure of being one of those who
sent James Scott to that convention,
milk and water unionists, “In Union
There is Strength,” was no mere catch-
in the central body; expects soon to
have the Clerks Union of his city affil-
put vim and vigor into the movement
through the monthly Journal and prop-
the larger portion of the unions con-
tinued with the Elliott faction, as it
soon became known, from the McKin-
President Carrick and General Secre-
tary-Treasurer McKinney, with the ap-
fused to accept the good offices of the
; American Federation of Labor, believ-
Brotherhood were threatened with os-
tracism if they did not resign from the
A conference was held between the
attorneys of both factions and an agree-
ment was reached whereby, upon cer-
versity, who made a careful investiga-
tion of the records of labor conditions
finish' up all business, report and re-
sign, and a new set of officers be elect-
ed to administer the affairs of the
the membership for a special assembly I
with the end in view of having the Bal- '
Manning urged the workers to protect
themselves by joining trade unions.
Prof. J. Thorold Rogers, of the chair
thrown many out of employment and
they leaving their localities have re-
First Vice President Berkly of Aus-
tin sends a statistical report showing
Bro. Josh McGrew of Sherman re-
ports the Carriage and Wagon Workers
organized since last report and says:
“Work is picking up since the election.
Most of our union men are employed.
The Painters have settled their trouble
and everything moving pretty smooth-
For the Uplifting of
UNIONISM and the
United Brotherhood.
This call was sent out by General
Fayette union gave their immediate ap-
proval and the executive board then
formulated a set of propositions and
the process of these or others return-
ing to fill positions vacated before.
The annual convention of the A. F.
ternity where jealousy and suspicion
exist among the unorganized.
wasteful competition.
That they educate the workers upon
public questions.
That they inculcate independence
and frown upon servility.
the unorganized.
Many men lay claim to being the
ing the office at Baltimore, and upon
his refusal a ban was placed upon him
and the fight was started.
That they are unequivocally opposed | and submitted tothe executive boards , Trades Assembly.
trade unions as the principal means of
benefiting the condition of the work-
ing classes.”
McKinney.
Counter action was taken by Elliott,
setting forth his version, and from the
fact that the old officers held posses-
sion of the records of the Brotherhood,
Prosperity makes friends—adversity
tries them.
ceived by men for the same work per-
formed.
That they are helpful to the family
selves.
The general executive board (La-
Fayette) instructed General President
eration of Labor convention.
From this time on, the history of the
Brotherhood was simply one of war-
fare, carried on with all the bitterness
of a Kentucky or Tennessee feud.
Every effort was made by both sides
tics of foremen who are inclined to
bully.
That they are no longer an experi-
friends, and his death was sincerely
mourned by all.
men come into the Brotherhood.
In connection with organizing work,
and friendship of men.
That they teach co-operation,
most beneficent rule of life.
proval of the executive board.
General Secretary-Treasurer McKin-
ney kept up a steady correspondence
with the dissatisfied element in the El-
liott faction.
About this time a rather arbitrary
act on the part of General, President
Sullivan and General Secretary-Treas-
urer Elliott caused thirty-five locals of
that faction to call a special assembly
at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1897, and citing
Of Condition of State Federation of Labor
as Given by the Vice Presidents
themselves of charges ranging from i
malfeasance of office to forgery. ! pick it uP and carry it
ate that fact. General President DeVaux of LoFay-
That they ieduce the hours of la- ette and General President Fred J.
bor. । Kneeland of Baltimore were formulated
place to work in and resent the tac- p.
with the Amalgamated whereby 3OCO
and Ward, but no terms of consolida-
Cardinal • • • • - - -- --
treasurer’s report showed a roster of
one hundred and eleven locals, with a
Miners are holding their own, however, | D1 ess, Samuel Gompers and the execu-
nature and persistency, yet history will
not lie when backed up by uncontra- been taken in the convention on the
PAINTERS AND
DECORATORS
are now in process of organization. The
ability fund is growing at an unreason-
able rate, and that 5 per cent of it
The active workers in the ranks of the send all money due the general office
Buffalo, N. Y., August, 1894, where the PENEETT Ac
split in the Brotherhood took place. LILI I ■ •I
and perous condition of our Brotherhood.
I he Knights of Labor then issued a returned their voting sheets and per
are familiar in every household might tion of Labor,
be quoted as endorsing trade unions
to child labor in any form. of each branch, then to the member-
That they aid the unemployed mem-
There is hope of the class that will
follow unwise leaders; but there is no
hope of those who will not unite un-
der any leadership.—Ex.
land of the unknown.
Yours for the toilers,
BILL B. COOK.
' where he was honored as second gen-
eral vice president, was present the day
around the city whose strength could
was again
by gaining the best possible terms ob-
tainable under present conditions.
undoubtedly have to do, under the con-
I templated change of headquarters. Del-
egate McKinney was declared elected,
general secretary-treasurer, represent-
This convention was de- paid.
That they make the shop a better I
vention, when Bros. Fred J. Kneeland,
Years ago, Abraham Lincoln advised general president, and W. J. Connelly,
Painters, Paperhangers and Decorators,
but the response was so feeble an ad-
journment was in order.
At the first convention, August 7,
1888, the Brotherhood had begun to as-
found guilty and fined $25. The fine would put the general office in better
being more than he is worth, he goes ; shape for the work they have to do and
circular started the battle that for bit- 1 faction felt that the condition of affairs
terness and venom no equal can be I justified them in submitting a call to
secretary- the LaFayette faction, more aggressive
treasurer issued his famous yellow cir- ' steps were taken by that side, but dif-
| Memphis, Tenn. Throughout the south- f ciples
ern country Charlie had made many
were represented at Buffalo, and upon
made public for the first time, showing their advice went to Baltimore and de-
than the unlearned non-unionist who I
permits some selfish petty boss to do
membership of over seven thousand.
, which they belonged. With the pres-
ou duty to I ent promising revival of prosperity the
If you do not belong to a labor un-
ion, you ought to join at once. It is not
fair that you should reap all the bene-
fits that organized labor has secured
for you without paying dues as a union
man and carrying a union card.—Ex.
sembly has suspended business, as have
also both the Clerks and Carpenters
organizations, and there are now only
the two Miners Unions left alive. The
penses and lists of secretaries were
receives no assistance.
That they" provide for the sick and
help the widow and orphan. . tective Association of Paperhangers,
That they strive to secure the same which had seceded in 1895,
compensation for women as that re-
Bro,
secre-
folowed 7 that of our sixth general. not in any instance the result of
vice president, Charles Lenxwieler, of I
manded of Bro. Elliott that he comply
From the inaugural session to tne with the action of the Buffalo conven-
dicted proof, and while we are at vari-1
... „ .. ,, . ,, . great majority of delegates had
ance with Brother Elliott as to the tac-
„ 1 . . 11 , turned home, yet the few remaining
tics he employed, we shall always de-
fend his title to the honor of insti-
tuting the Brotherhood.
July, 1887, saw the next increase in
the size of the Journal and receipts, ex-
of the American Federation of Labor
j and call a convention of all Painters I . a. .c
! | 2o unions in the city, 21 of which are
and Paperhangers six months after the
Scores of other men whose names adjournment of the American Federa-
treasurer showed one hundred and sev- dared the real bona fide assembly, and
I considerable revival of work in nearly
,11--every locality. Business is better and
I the first time Uncle Charlie March, who I
. . .. . more union men are employed. It is
, 1908, and whose .. „.. . , ,
i . . .a fact that many of the locals have lost
। memory is dear to every “brush in . , _ 1 '
.1, . , in membership from 5 to 25 per cent.
His death was quickly!. . ... . .
. . but this is true of only a few, and is
date set, and was politely informed
general secretary-treasurer-elect
Guire,"of the Carpenters and Joiners, ney faction.
the conference bore good fruit. The
Brotherhood and pledge full allegiance I charges preferred, and so forth. Many
g Library
Tremont, Ave. 1.
democracies,” and the late
a piled the history of the Brotherhood
joint assembly both executive boards and published it September, 1903, when
the consolidation came about. I had
date. This being acceptable to McKin-
his.body Was consigned againto theunion men over .he state, showing
earth that gave it, May 10, 1905. I
At the Memphis convention I met for
duced the membership of locals to
tion; is also trying to organize the
cular, attacking the work of the gen- i ferent tactics were employed.
Theatrical Stage
ette Brotherhood. Bro. Bell appealed to - . . ,. „ ..
11 board, and summarize them as follows:
the Brotherhood to accept the decision
t+ . ,, in the absence of any other nomina-
aganda literature was scattered among J
tions. Delegate McCarren gave notice
ing a balance of $11,000.
While all was good fellowship at this
convention and the election carried off
in the best of spirits, yet here was
where the cloud arose, small in itself
at the time, but later on settling down
over the Brotherhood like a death pall,
splitting the organization in twain, and
setting .brother over against brother in
fierce strife for mastery.
At the St. Louis convention it was
the bulwarks of
the general
assembly was held, the LaFayette ex-
ecutive board resigned and a new one
i was elected. The result of this assem-
: tary-treasurer at that convention, did
not long survive his election. Bro. W.
C. Reese filled the unexpired term.
calling for the expulsion of J. W. Mc-
Kinney was presented and adopted. At
this meeting hot resolutions were pass-
ed, censuring Cleveland and Gompers,
worked earnestly in the effort to estab- Past Grand Secretary-Treasurer Elliot
lish our Brotherhood is true, but Jno. should refuse to give over the office of
m 11:11 .1 e ..1 , general secretary-treasurer and the rec-
T. Elliott was the founder, the worker,
+ xu- t 1 0cc1. . . ords to the newly elected officer, owing
.the thinker and the fighter, and is en- 1
.... a.1 ... tt . the protest of Delegate McCarren.
titled to the credit. He made many
The
enemies on account of his aggressive
first assembly, August 7, 1888, our Bro- tion. Upon his refusal to do so, Bro.
therhood underwent a terrific struggle McKinney established an office in Bal-
to maintain its own, the leaders of the timore, sent out letters to all unions,
Knights of Labor having issued pro- i setting forth the facts in the case as
he saw it, and requesting the unions to
along for me.”
Bro. Oscar Ackerman of Beaumont
reports 24 unions in his city, 17 affili-
ated with the Federation and the
That they level
iated with us. A letter accompanying
his report says: “I will say that every-
, president; Elias Boeidenbach, second:
general vice president; C. W. Bet-
thing here in the union line is the best
: that ever has been in this city. Every-
body working and having no trouble
with their bosses. Doing all we can
for the labor movement and the cause.
The Trades Council is in good condi-
tion. I have visited the towns around
here and tried to organize them, but
A poor man is brought into court, transferred to the organizing fund
for six centuries, said: “I look to the
dent. Delegates J. W. McKinney and
J. T. Elliot were nominated, but Dele-
gate Elliott declined, stating that he
would not leave his home, as he would
improved greatly during the past
Knights of Labor were threatened with
expulsion should they aid in the organ-
ization of any movement that would
tend to weaken that body. Traitors,
rebels, seceders and insurgents were
some of the appellations given to the
men active in creating the new move-
ment.
But the time had come. The Knights
of Labor must meet its fate, and re-
gardless of strenuous resistance the
car of progress rolled onward.
The Knights of Labor had served its
purpose, and must give way to another
movement that -would bring the work-
ers nearer the final goal.
Threats and expulsion had no effect
on men who had convictions and would
assert them in the face of the world.
The advent of the eight-hour struggle
in 1886 gave the movement a new im-
petus. With the promise of assistance
from various localities, Union No. 1 of
Baltimore was formed in 1887. This
union was granted authority by sup-
porters in other localities to issue a call
for a meeting, grant charters, and pre-
pare a constitution and a ritualistic
work to be presented by the provisional
committee, which was to meet in that
city on March 15, 1887, the day the Bro-
provided to remove the headquarters
from Baltimore to St. Louis. This did
not meet with the personal views of
the general secretary-treasurer and his
advisers, so he approached the general
president in an effort to enlist his help
in the work of annulling the ac-
tion of the general assembly and retain-
was advised. The new general secre-
DeVaux to visit the locals throughout |
the country and ascertain the general
feeling in regard to unity and report
his progress. This gave Bro. DeVaux
month. The Farmers are affiliated in
ripe for a national trade union.
that was needed was a start.
The leaders connected with
That they curb selfishness
check the greed of individuals.
Nineteen delegates were present at this
the first convention. that Bro. Elliott had changed his mind
General officers elected were: Geo. and would continue to administer the
tion. The officers of the McKinney
Gladstone said that
branch of the Oily octopus. Tweedie
ing sixty-three unions organized since nays, 4. At the meeting the document
timore faction do likewise. The La-
word, but a hard, solid fact, when
W hile the vote was being taken upon working men desired to make it so.
)
)
That unions are respected' Power
wins respect from everybody.
That they reduce excessive and
to put the other out of business. An
organizer of one faction would place a
charter in a town, and a few days after-
ward one from the rival faction would
carry that charter in and leave one
of his charters in its place.
At each convention of the American
Federation of Labor the matter was
threshed out and over time and again.
The Elliott faction had the inside and
held it. The result was the formation
I ox
If You Wish to Keep Posted on Local. State, National and International Labor Affairs, You _______
Thirty-eight delegates were in attend-
ance. General officers were elected as
I follows: Jno. M. Welter, general presi-
ship, resulting in a love feast and a u. .
9 Hotel Employes and a Federal Union;
United Brotherhood, June 18, 1900, at +1 „ . . . .. . ,
I ’ thinks his territory a ripe place tor
Detroit, Mich. , 1 „ TT .
। work by a Farmers Union organizer;
At this convention the National Pro- i Woc . -nA ,, £
has some 200 or more small farmers
John Wanamaker has discovered that
a model home can be built and fur-
nished for $250,000. When the work-
ingman learns that a home can be built
for such a trifling sum he will certainly
cease paying rent to a landlord. Wan-
amaker is a genius.—Kansas City La-
bor Record.
fighters in the country.
Bro. J. C. Skemp, who succeeded Bro. r,,1 117 , , - 10
-gcs. : Iron Molders have been on strike now
M. P Carrick to the office of general for more than a year, the foundries
That they develop the spirit of fra- secretary reasurer upon the death of running unfair, backed up by the “citi-
the latter, and was re-elected at thenc, -1., A
i zens alliance.” As a consequence the
.Memphis convention, deserves credit i., .0. . , . . „ 1,
j „ . iron working trades and especially the
mo. 41 In • x for the business-like manner in which | 1 „ . ,, , ,
That they enlarge the acquaintance , , I Molders are at a low ebb, but condi-
he has conducted the affairs of his +n -11 n.. , ..
i ! tions in all branches of industry have
office and to him no small share of
the
the credit falls for the present pros-
To the President and Executive Board
Texas State Federation of Labor:
Cleburne, Texas, Dec. 10, 1908.—
The third general assembly was held against Secretary T. V. Powderly as a
in St. Louis, August 1, 1892, with sixty- delegate at the Denver American Fed-
— , the Labor Council at Houston and have
The fight left on hand for the Bro- Leo, €o , , , . , , ,,
.121111 , been found of great assistance to the
therhood at the consolidation was that .c .011 .. . , .
11 . cause as well as they themselves deriv-
of the Amalgamated Painters of New;,- „ g. e . 1.
. , mg much benefit from the association
York.
1 / ’ ! with other union men.
Just one year ago this month, Presi- p. p,.12 .... .
.1,1 , , ' Bro. J. C. Phillips of Bridgeport re-
dent Balhorn reached an agreement .. .... „ , , .
....... . . . ____ ports conditions gone from bad to
the A. R. U. strike. Also a protest
— ot the buralo "trade — are
Brother Elliott to retain the title of assembly a conference was held by a
That other men assisted and few delegates, and it was decided that
So men come and go.
information in this sketch. He com-
the opportunity to learn exact condi- n . ,
1 . . 5" wuux Georgetown and Taylor, as I have good
tions in the East, where the most seri- 1 , 1 .1 , , . ,,
, c —-3 cen men at both places pushing the cause
ous divisions existed.
On April 7, 1900, propositions from
I Gentlemen and Brothers.—I made you
Fayette branch, Bell, Brickell, Murphy no report for the month of Novem-
William E.
enty-four unions in good standing, mak- the one at Buffalo illegal. Ayes, 68;
five delegates present, the first Texas
delegate appearing at an assembly in
the person of Bart DeLong, of No. 130,
Houston, Texas. The report of the
general secretary showed the income to i
be $33,000 and expenses $22,000, leav-
The legislation of the convention
locking toward better things for labor
was put through with enthusiasm. The
keenness of perception and the grasp-
ing of the really big things presented
would have-done credit to any kind of
an organization. Surely no associa-
tion of employers has a broader vision
than had these delegates who repre-
sented the men of labor at their annu-
al gathering.
wSECRETARY GRAVES
DECEMBER REPORT
duently they are better authorities could settle their family affairs them-
ter off by thirty-five locals.
Experience Has Demonstrated Ef- But this did not end the war.
Burret, who was elected general
them. I hope to do some good at
The second convention was held at 1894. I notice the name of O. E. Ludd,
Pittsburg, Pa., August 5 to 8, 1890, No. 176, on the credentials committee,
with forty-one delegates in attendance. Ludd is now working for Jack Stanley
-- —- - - । on. They would membership will return to normal by
Both factions held their separate con- have it b0 could they speak from the
of the powerful Building Trades Coun-
cil, with headquarters at St. Louis. The
organization of the Building Trades
Council was brought about through the
work of a member of the Brotherhood,
H. W. Steinbliss of St. Louis. Bro.
Steinbliss demonstrated that the penny-
byword used as a motto by so many
and Samuel Gompers of the American
Federation of Labor, upon their sturdy
growth in the face of such strenuous
opposition. The general secretary-
tive council were heartly applauded
for their efforts in the last campaign.
Indeed, there wasn’t a suggestion of
criticism from the convention with ref-
erence to their action. Mr. Gompers
is more firmly intrenched than ever in
the hearts and hopes of the Federation.
, be added to the Farmers Union if an
united to the parent body.
- ’ organizer were sent into that field.
From this time on the history of the A nice letter and informal report
Brotherhood has been one of organiza- , comes from Bro. x Kessler of Thur-
tion. That has been the theme and.., nx.0.1. , •
, , , i ber, showing that little city as usual in
has been lived up to in spirit. ■ s. „ :.2 ... „ ,
! fine condition, with all trades organ-
J. C. Balhorn has been our general!:• a..
ized and union conditions prevailing,
president since the consolidation, and R,, I A c.. c t 4 .
Bro. L. G. Swope of Houston reports
while the writer is not in harmony 1. Al1pu. m , c
- an Allied Printing Trades Council or-
with the “Old Man,” I will take off my 1 0-n;o, L:0 , . .
, 1 J ganized in his city since last report;
hat to him as one of the best uphill 1t +1. p.. .c 1, ;
1 also that the Boot and Shoe Workers
and it is hoped that through their in-
fluence and with the faithful work of
i ! Bro. Phillips the other organizations
The still leave the fund in a healthy, grow-1 , , , .
... ‘9 may later be revived,
ing condition. „ i,,
t A xt. Bro. H. Kachel of Denison sends a
In 1900 the census gave us 299,000 . .1 - . ,
. 1 c -xt .. . . o . . , , good report. He reports 27 organized
that the fine is unjust because it is in Painters and Paperhangers in the - . ,
ro:c. ] —011081 Llunions in the city, of which 17 are
Im ted States, and we have about 76,000 : affiliated in the Central body. Has two it is quite -apparent that he knows la-
1055 oranied . Federal unions, a Label League and the bor as no other man does, not only col-
1 have used up about all the space; p.:1 . , . lectivelv hu+ ac imdi:a.-1-
..... 11,1 , I Railroad Orders and Farmers Unions
that is allotted to me. This sketch is . .. ... 1 ,
.. c,.2c 1 , , affiliate together with the Industrial
necessarily brief, as I have had to glean ro;oce „ ./ 4.1 ,
... .. , , ° Unions. He writes that “Labor condi-
the items after work hours. Tomy.. , , ,
e.tp, . , . tions are good, everybody is working
friend M. P. Carrick, who departed this , 11., - „
c.r . ... and no trouble at all in the city.
: life May 8, 1904, I am indebted for the 1
poorly attended, on account of threats
made by the Knights of Labor to expel
members taking part. Thirteen locals,
with a representation of about six hun-
dred, braved the displeasure of the
Knights of Labor and to them the
credit is due for the present organiza-
tion.
The first days of the Brotherhood
were ones of uncertainty. The officers
were often put to it to finance the or-
ganization. Office was not eagerly
sought after then, but rather avoided.
The powerful Knights of Labor, in con-
trol of the Painters assemblies, made
fierce opposition to the advancement of
the Brotherhood. But the men at the
conference were no weaklings, and had
pledged themselves to stand together
until the Brotherhood was an accom-
plished fact.
P. J. McGuire, of the Carpenters and
Joiners, was a great aid to the budding
organization, making many rough
places smooth.
Joseph Harrold, of Newark, N. J.,
was the first grand president; Jno. A.
Rose, Danbury, Conn., first vice presi-
dent; Geo. Harris, Toronto, Canada,
second vice president; Jno. Watson,
Baltimore, Md., general.treasurer; Jno.
T. Elliott, Baltimore, Md., general sec-
retary. The executive board was from
Local No. 1 of Baltimore, composed of
A. W. Young, H. G. Frisch, Jesse Mard-
sen, Geo. W. Jones and Wm. E. Laing.
The first Journal was a single sheet
of two columns. The second issue,
April, 1887, consisted of four pages
8x10, and was an appeal to Painters
and Decorators of the country.
After the adjournment Jno. T. Elliott ’
without number, and Wendell Phillips ing the Elliott branch, appeared and
spoke at many labor mass meetings. ; conferred with a committee of the I.a-
man and many employers admit the During these stormy times, my friend
necessity of labor organizations, and Asa M. Burgess of Galveston was a
, , I member of the executive board. The
they frankly declare that if they were . . .1 e .
- war kept up without any further at-
ventions on the same date, December 6.
A resolution on the question of unity
was passed, and on December 9 a joint1
the federation of labor
CONVENTION.
By the Rev. Charles Stelzle.
Under the shadow of the “injunction
contempt” proceedings in Washington,
the American Federation of Labor held
its annual meeting in Denver, during
the middle of November. It was a great
convention, every way. Great in its
personnel, great in the speeches that
were made, great in the manner in
which its business was transacted, and
great in the subjects which were han-
dled by the nearly four hundred dele-
gates who attended the convention.
The Federation has grown in member-
ship and in financial strength. It is
constantly developing in importance as
a factor in the industrial democracy
for the securing of which it is making
such splendid efforts.
. There was a strong undercurrent of
sentiment which was easily aroused by
the speeches which had in them an ap-
peal to the moral and ethical ideals of
labor. The general tendency was to-
ward a more scientific handling of la-
bor s affairs, especially in the. better
grouping of the crafts. This was mani-
fested by the formation of the Building
Trades and the Metal Trades Depart-
ments, and in the probable inaugura-
tion of a department for the crafts en-
gaged in the railroad industries. Such
organizations should very materially
reduce the jurisdictional strife which
has- consumed so much of the Federa-
tion’s time in former years, and which
has been a constant source of hin-
drance in the making of satisfactory
contracts with employers.
The political program of the Feder-
ation was pretty thoroughly gone into.
Despite the prophecies of the daily
Is Read by
5,000
Local Union People
ber, for the reason that I had only re-
Nevertheless, j ceived reports from two of the vice
! presidents and they contained nothing
American Federation of Labor refused c c. . . . .
i of sufficient importance to require a
to seat Bro. Bell at the Detroit con-, report from me
of political economy in Oxford uni- vention, either as a representative of This month 1 have received reports
the Omaha central body or of LaFay-from a number of members of the
therhood was born. This meeting was president.
March, 1887. At this convention
Thompson and Elliot held over, E. Pel-
letier, of Montreal, Canada, was elected
first general vice president, and C. L.
Hast report, the Federation being rep-
resented by Bro. Jack Thompson of
Fort Worth. The Federation has not
elected a delegate because of the ex-
pense, but the opportunity of repre-
sentation without expense was pre-
sented by Bro. Thompson, and under
instruction of President Fricke I gave
him our credentials. I have not heard
from him since his return and so can-
not here give any information bearing-
on his attendance.
I am pleased to report in connection
with the financial department of the
Federation that the percentage of
unions paid up in full is greater at the
present time than ever before. There
ai e usually from a dozen to twenty
unions behind from one to three quar-
ters, but at present I am able to report
all but five of the affiliated unions paid
up in full to January, 1909. I take it
that when men put their money into a
matter they have a real interest in it,
so my belief is that although our mem-
bership is not quite so large as it was
six months ago, the Federation is really
in better condition than ever before,
showing a full one hundred per cent of
enthusiasm among the members.
Most Truly and Fraternally Yours,
F. N. GRAVES,
Secretary-Treasurer.
his thinking for him.
The unions are here, -are necessary,
will remain, and have no apologies to
offer.
We are prepared to prove—
That the unions raise wages. The
evidence is overwhelming.
That they prevent reductions of
wages. Present conditions substanti-
The first organization of Painters
known in the history of America was
supposed to have been organized in
Philadelphia in 1815, but no records of
its affairs can be found.
In 1842 a union of Painters was or-
ganized in New York city, known as
the Protective Painters’ Union of New
York. For years they led a precarious
existence, and finally were absorbed by
growing rivals.
In 1862 the German Fresco Painters
came upon the stage of action. There
was also a union of Dry Dock Painters,
Custom Varnishers, Polishers and
House Painters.
In 1871, J. T. Elliott, founder of the
Brotherhood, together with other par-
ties, attempted to nationalize the trade
under the name of the Grand Lodge of
Painters of America. Four locals in
New York, one in Patterson, N. J., and
one in Brooklyn. Right here ended the
scheme for nationalizing the movement,
as the locals outside of New York could
not be made to see the reason why they
should pay an extra tax for working in
New York, while their towns were
gratis to the New Yorker.
In 1884, the Knights of Labor absorb-
ed the larger part of the Painters’
Unions throughout the country. Many
attempts were made to bring the vari-
ous independent locals and Knights of
Labor assembles together, but the at-
tempts were in vain. Local Union 1397,
Knights of Labor, Pittsburg, Pa.
(Painters)., issued a call in 1879. An
independent local of St. Louis, Mo., was
also desirous of establishing a National
Union. Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago
and other cities began correspondence
for the purpose of bringing into life a
brotherhood of the craft. The time was
found in the annals of the labor world.
The fourth general assembly met at
A. Thompson, Syracuse, N. Y., general affairs of the office until the calling of
president; Jno. T. Elliot, Baltimore, a special assembly in December, 1894.
Md., general secretary-treasurer; Geo. Bro. McKinney now opened offices in
A. Harris, Toronto, Canada, first gen- LaFayette, following the instruction of
eral vice president; G. A. Maxwell, Pen- the membership vote.
sacola, Fla., second general vice presi- The special assembly was called to
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View eight places within this issue that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Galveston Labor Journal (Galveston, Tex.), Vol. 1, No. 7, Ed. 1 Friday, December 18, 1908, newspaper, December 18, 1908; Galveston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1447534/m1/1/?q=%22~1%22~1: accessed August 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rosenberg Library.