I~ Energy, - IBEW

\TOr.. 8, No. (.

ROCHESTER, N. Y., JANUARY, r899.

SINGLB COPIES, to CE.~~TS. Sr.OO P"":R YE".hR, I~ ADVA:':CE.

Or')E'>u:\.!.1??;'LI,'l,r.,..'U~ Energy,

Po." Job:; Dennis.

A ti,"&.l of thought has been gh'en to j'our n>~lut'5t ;0)" Ill)' vil!w5 on lalJor quest~~:;ns. hefclre fratning a reply. Not that ::l} \?~?:-\v~ [in.! of an:' }-d.rLieular ilnportance, l.-rd. 0ecall,oe I be'ieve that these qnestions fxe of pararn':11.111t itnportance to the \YCa] (I': tIlt'. .:;it)' 1 the stute! the conn...ry, and the '.'.'Grid.

,\':hile Jr..bol' organizations hayc been in ~?-C:?~~dt:. f(;r lih1.11Y ye8i"::-, it is only ,,-jnlil1 a ~("r;p;;riHiv('l:.' short pel'lO(, tllat they l"l\'~ ':C'lIe to be viewed ill til" dear light of pohLlc'.ll eC0nnl!1~' and 'w(:igbcc1 in a ll"lh; bal-

III the 1irst place it IllIlSlllOt be fOlgotten 1.k,t ski.\i>:'cl l"bor forms, in reality, an ~nOnfl0ilS ,e::ted capital, and tl;at without i:a1l1al1 en,lenvor or energy properly apl,;it!rl, i~allitnl, cunsidE:n:c1 as lllolley, \-,"ould 1,(; ll'"rvele,;~, HE::!!ce, uuder the present lighl, skilled lah0j' as~uriles a certain dig~ l1it.1' and i1l1pOrluilce whic.h sound political ecollomi:,;ts ell) 1101 llllt:lerestilllate,

Let us fi>;l!!"(? a bit, right here, as ;11) iJ!u~lmtio!1 of the point I a!n trying to 1."iug Ollt. It will, I think, readily be COllc'?(1c:tlll1~t ~2.')O ner rlay is::t vel'V low aver-

age for skilled' ","~rk; 1~~lL I wunl to assume

"J.ci\ low ayerag'~ for pre~ent PUI-poses; tlle tignre it$t"lf is in this I~:'se arl,itrai'Y, Yet lhe work of 011C I1lall, at the price nalllcd. i:.);' three Imlld ....,cl da:'s ill a year, me'lHS lh" euiplo)'llH!nl of a chpilal, or acldilifJ!! ?i:.o the n.:.'~:nltr!:"!i', uf allY gi\:en plaul, of .::: i :',,(')0 tor ectiYe crafts, but in a general way, not entirely connected with their df:ily vocation, by reason of the educational alJd social influellces which are inseparahle hom a proper organization of craftsmen. In other words, by increasing their skill, by an interchange of ideas and broadening of UJOught, they have vastly increased this capitalized energy that we have been considering, and thus made themselves of far greater value to the world at large. 'Vhile much of this result may be ascribed to natural and general progress, by far the greater advancement has, in my judgment, been owing to the advantageous features of organization.

My first proposition is, therefore, that improvement in conditions begins in the local organization. Space will not admit of enlargitlg, at this point, but I want, to bri ng out a few ideas which are pressing on my mind, having just now in view the electrical industry. I do not wish to be miRunderstood,-I am not making any invidious comparisons, ,.hen I say that the avocc,l"ion of the elec:lJical workman offers e"-!:":jJli':.nal arlvantages for widening and b1'O~,delling the scope of the intellect. The phenomena which enters so fully into your daily avocation, fonui' to a great extent an t111 been swept away, I fancy this is the real,

THE ELECTRICAL WORKER

[January.

=====================

tUlIg-ible pruuielll. Sl.a!l a sk:ii~t.l w0rk- delegates certain powers to its r"pre5e'l'!laluan try to \,\"oTk out his QWI} sulvu1~.ion, by ~i\',"s \\'llich it semis to the bi-cllnial eon-

isoJatiH6' l'ill1Self and l~tili.zi!ig hi!) ;~~ncrgy "(,Ht :on. \\,hile at that eOil\'entioll -the

~.vitholll ref~lellce to l~is feaO\l;S? ~.halJ delegates act for the local, in canying' out

he juin ethers ina ql1:!.!~' Ol-g:.ll:!1!alioll and the desires of the loeal as de~igllated ill

place lU5 interests in tbe ltalld~ of Oiie man the I'ote by which they ""ere selected.

or s~t of Ill(:l!) ,,;110 \t'ill utHi7.(! the energy _.\cting as such representati \'es,. these dele-

as tt!ay seen\ to h!lH or thel!1. jl!.~t? or, gates-still uuder the majority rule--se-

shall he nlli(~~ wj III l~is f~1Jo\':s i:l ~!. genuine lect certain constitutional OmceTs for the

co:.r'.. ?~)illatioIi \,-hich is ail illch.:pelldeut lluit, national body, who with others, cO!lsti1ute

the !'caden; only jJos~essi\lg snell jJuwer as an executi\'e body. And it is the clear

may be delegated to thelll, and wlJ""e only duly of such executive body to carry out

fUIll'lioll or office i~ to c:trry ,jut the the wishes of the entire org(l11ization, be-

wii) (If till: rcJaj')Tity, af',er a v;dl llefilled iug ~_bo governed by the inexorabie rule

j);.)~iey has lJeell mapp(;d nll,t (t1'!d adopted of the majority.

j tl cons-=:.itntl0nui fOflll ?

It "'ill thus he seen that, theoretically

If I read the signs of the tilll~s cor- aL least, all power conllnitled Lo the exec-

rectly, Lhe tende!lcy (A L0-duy is Lo lhe utive body is delegated accurding to the

L\':o e:-2trellles llldi(:ated in \ hese three ques- cOllsiitntion, and delegatec1 on!y. This

tiullS; Either to \\'(Jl k iudep"llf,emly with- brings us back to the local body as the

out regan1 to organizatjuTl, or i..u \\"'.Jck un- source of ail power in org:1.llized lJOdi('~ of

der the llIost appro\'ed alld llWS~ eJiective skilled workmen.

lue.thotls of CUJJl Lill~) tl(ll1. Th(: tillie whell

No',\', frolll t!Jis st.andpoint, how "'un all

a large bociy of illtt:l1ig'~l1t, skiil"d \l'ork- organization of the energy of skilled work-

!itCH, was \\,'111ing tu ft:.-\C(; its irt(;rt';::,ts anu men be must efficienl' This is lht: real

the interests of its iodi, i'~u8: l::elllbers qncstion, I take it, ul-'on \';ltich you solicil il' the halllb of one l1ian, to h~ used for m)' views.

good or for ill, as tl.ie jndgment of snch

Lem'ing aside, jnst for the moment, th~

person or body of per~t)J1s siJ0111d tlictate, qnestion of cohering local bo(\ics iuto nu-

has passed. The reasuns fo,' tllic; Heed not Le pointed cut; th'~Y are olY'ions to anyOlH! who io familiar with tl:~ history of

tional organizations, aud finaliv naliOl;r.l organizations l11tO COllC~'ete nnits l tIl ere are l11allY ad,oantages arising fronl as~ociatjol!.

guilds, crafts atld uuio;\s.

This is particularly true of the particular

It would seem that the heti.er thonght of \\:ork in which yOll are engaged. Jnt:~:.".:_:.:;:

Local Union No. :i.

St. LOlli..;, !VIc., ];,n. i, 1898. Editor EI'':: hf!ard noth- everyw!lere if the Press Secretaries will

ing definite. If allY broLher call give me try to do better tltis year than thtCy' lIid

any definit.e illformntioll at any time I will last. Come, brothers, be men, not lllice ;

be very grateful. If Colambus is success- don't be afraid to write.

ful in gettilJg all ,bPPosltioll telephone \\"ell, we had our annual election of company, let rue saj' to all who may go officers, and we are ready for busine~s' in

there to work Olle of the first and the earnest this' year. The officers elected are

trIOst ess"!ntial thi!!gs in that city is a local. as follows:

if tlIe trade in that city coulrl he organized

yon would fir;d it a g,;od city to work in,

Presidel1t-John Berry. Vice'-President-S. B. French.

but there are several there who are bitter' Recording Secretary-George Beecher.

against it. Cheap labo~' has always been

Financial Secretary-L. E. Jones.

tlllployed, Lnt at the same time there are TreasuI'er-Phil Hayden.

many goou. l1ien there wltv work at the \Ve had a very interesting meeting last

We business, hoth inside an-l outside, and they night.

had a great deal of important

are men that I kno':v' would he glad to business to altend to, together with instalbelp a Uni,OIl to tbe f~oI1t; hul a town is lation of officers. ""e meet every ;\10nday

bad when a fOl1rteen-year-old hoy and a evening at 8 P., M .. in Mozart Hall, 39 S.

Ilegl:o are working l'ight along with the Del. St. Hoping this letter will 110t tire

rest at about the same pay. 1 -understand you or tlte readers, I a111

tllat the Cel1tr~1 Dl1io~l i;; 1J!,.king a bitter Ii(!lit 8!{ainst "P)1' ,sition tlwre. :>.~ usual,

Fraternall y yours, . E. E. RA CMAN,

and why shoulel:t't they? ,Vith the exct:erliugly high r.~11t for their telephones

Press Secretary.

:>'l1d ('.heap lahor, thcj' have got a gold

Loca.l Union No. IZ.

!1l1!le, Olle of tlleir men tcid llll" olle day

Brooklyn, N. Y., Jan. 9, 1899.

1.h~t laboring pe')ple diel no; need big Editor Electri~al Worker:

wag.es any more, foJr they had learned As. you must know by this lime Local

t:CI:1I0jH~; s~uce tite hard titnes of the past

,v ie,~r :rerL-::s.

c kno',v ,,~:ha1 l:c lS at, and

there are other~ we know of, !,r)llle there

.~\11(1 ~ome. here ln 1I1dhmapolis,' t1;at I

~o. !2 is hotly engaged in open warfare with (as it has been designated hy the Central Labor Union of Brooklyn) thp. '! Sc:tb Union," otherwise known as );0. 3 of tlli:;

know, and I ITI:ly ten wher,; to lind a few city. The occasion of hranding them tilu:;

before 1 ha\'e 11nished scriLlhi'll,; this time, was brought about by 1"0. 3 bringing

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