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Show Q Hub and Center of U y Organized Labor I rN n modern littlo brick struc- JH turo under tho shadow ot ImB tho monster pension build- JfH L Ing at Washington Is locat- fjJH ed tho nervo center ot the organized lavor moverricnt lH) tho United States and Un-do Un-do Sam's now possessions, writes Waldon Fawcctt. In thcso quar- HH tors, which aro nono too corn- modlouB for tho strenuous nctlvl- jjH ties carried on therein, an oxecutlvo slnrf of upward or throo dozen men jH and women keeps In close touch with Jk an army of 2,000,000 artlslans In IH every stato and territory In tho union, This bcehlvo Is tho national head-quarters head-quarters of the American. Federation of Labor, thnt great central body that JH exercises Jurisdiction over tho local jH worklngmcn's organizations from oco WKM end of tho country to tho other. 99 To appreciate tho significance of tho HH work carried on at this placo It Is SH necessary to know something of tho American Foderatlon ot Labor and Itn rcmarkablo growth. Tho first move IH toward tho voluntury organization o( labor lu America was mado early In jH tho nineteenth century but It gained KB almost no headway until a scoro ot BM years later. Tho earliest known trade H union composed ot Journeymen was tho New York Society ot Journeymen Shipwrights, which was legally In corporatcd In 1803, Unions ot tailors HQ and carpenters wero organized in tha fH metropolis In 180C and a union ot hat- WW tcrs came into existence In 1819. 4K1 Tho first crusado on tho part ot or- JKl gnnlzed labor was for a ten-hour work, fltl day. In tho spring of 1810 President Hn Van Huron Issued a proclamation cs- 2M tabllshlng the ten-hour day on all gov. HM ornmcnt work, but It was sovoral years wHL later ere anything approaching' n com- pleto victory was won In tho prlvatq Mtt establishments of tho country. Tha W!a year 1851 saw another Important ad oflj vanco In tho labor movement, namely PQ tho formation of tho first national aB -union by the banding together of varl- -B ons local organizations. Tho printers ;H were tho pioneers In this progressive '.lH step and wero shortly followed by the Jfl Iron molders. For somo years thcso two classes of artisans wero alone In their advanced position but with the. civil war and Its significant proclama- 9f lion abolishing slavery a spur was flB given to tho cause of organized laboi fl and In 18C4 tho National Clgarmakcrs' 9B union was formed. Tha Bricklayers ,j and Masons' International union came Vfi Into exlBtcnco soon after and before W many months had elapsed several oth- ifc cr classes of tollers had taken tho dc- V clslvo step ot formulating nntlonal bodies. j! Tho great panic ot 1873 gavo somo ! thing of a setback to organized labot for the reason that with tho shutting M down of manufactories and tho suspen- j-5 slon of work generally many toiler! f. wero unablo to pay their dues and In ;1 nomo Instances local unions wero com- S polled to disband for lack of funds. iv9 With tho advent of somowhat better fyfil Omen orgnnlzed labor gradually took "13 a new lcaso of -llfo and thoro was nur- f m turcd that spirit ot expansion which (yH led up to tho organization of tho Amor- jWi lean Federation ot Labor In 1881. 3 In discussing tho matter tho otbej WM day President Samuel Gompers, .head 9 of tho American Federation or Labor, tfl and the most powerful labor leader B In tho world, pointed out that tho do- velopmcnt of trades unionism In this RH country may bo classified, broadly aa speaking, In thrco successive periods, jfl Tho first ot thcso Intervals saw tho I'M rise of the local unions of various I I kinds; tho second period was charac- terlzfd by tho Inception of tho idea 'M ot the national union; and finally tho jj third era In which we nro now living -j has witnessed tho amalgamation ot J thcso national unions Into tho nll-pow- ' f orful federated body. By this amalga- 1 mntlon and centralization of power tho -J American working classes havo put '$1 themselves In a position to hold their ,3m own with thoso Immense aggregations jH of capital tho "trusts" of tho Indus- J5I trial and commercial world. |