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Show M , fi "5m fStA' V A Monday in September should be set f 2 ', Lc" V ii(v"!:,('i Z apart as "a ' laborers' national holl- t "f A 'J day" and recommended its observance . f " "L VVk 7 "by all wage workers, irrespective of t t -s tf V -vlStf sex, calling or nationality." Although U V Ajv5! tV-WJ 'I popular response to this resolution Vt - iVA,lw sAv i VI Y,.,i was spontaneous, it took untiring V . 1 I hL7 A, work 0Q the part of organized labor j:'4 . ,m- " wrjis 7'r'i t to secure legal sanction for such a A 'J 5 s'M's -3T 4 -SkVSY holiday. Although congress and , "" V "V'A"1 jvpf r; state legislatures received constant Ur i ,rVlB; requests for the enactment of fed- nm . 'nAsI jtidt eral and state laws recognizing the .J f,-" . S&Jkfc' day as a national holiday, it was ten KTtf- c&sSErF' ? mW& years before the passage of an act t 4W ?T MhWj' by congress, establishing the first By ELMO SCOTT WATSON tetfy ' ' Wnday ia SePtember aS a leal hU; j wii wmisu.n day for the District of Columbia and N SEPTEMBER 3 will f jf the territories. Oregon was the first f I T 1)6 observed tlle forty- ' state to act upon the jnatter and it I I'i sixth anniversary of a tTfZffaZXZRS? F. CZTft legalized Labor day as a holiday In By ELMO SCOTT WATSON N SEPTEMBER 3 will i he observed the forty- j'S sixth anniversary of a ; J holiday which originated J in America but which," )T In less than half n cen- tury, has become inter- tSSVTv' national in its scope. nL Mr For tllat ls tlie date of gt)Y the annual celebration of Labor day and its advent recalls the little group of workers in New York city who on May 8, 1SS2, heard the suggestion which eventually resulted in the addition ad-dition of this holiday to our national calendar. The man to whom the Idea of Labor day Is usually credited was P. J. McGuire, for many years secretary secre-tary of the United Erotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, a vice president of the American Federation Fed-eration of Labor and one of the best-known best-known labor leaders of his day. McGuire's thought was that one day in the year should be set aside as a general holiday for the men and women wom-en who toil. In its initial form he contemplates a festival day for only those who work with hands and muscle, mus-cle, a day to be devoted to parades, picnics and speeches. MelJiiire presented his idea at a session of the newly formed Central Labor union in New York city in May, ISS-!. His choice for such a holiday was the first Monday in September as a strategic date midway between the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. He felt that this was the most suitable clay of the entire year for a new holi day and especially for the workers, for It offered a respite in their labors after the hot weather of July and August. The choice of the day of the week was a happy one, too. for it really meant a two-day respite from work Sunday and Monday. How wise his choice was is shown by the fact that in recent years there has been a tendency toward a triple holiday, holi-day, the laborer laying down his tools Friday evening and not taking them up again until Tuesday morning. In fact, no other holiday of the year, year In and year out, offers a similar advantage to that of Labor day. McGuire's suggestion was readily accepted by the members of the Central Cen-tral Labor union and the first celebration celebra-tion took place in New York on September Sep-tember 5, ISS2. Although, as previously previ-ously stated, McGuire Is usually credited cred-ited with having originated this holiday, holi-day, there Is another man who had some part In It. That man is Theodore Theo-dore F. Cuno and his part In the origin of Labor day is told in the following fol-lowing story which appeared In the Kansas City Star under the headline of "The Aristocrat Who Planned the First Labor Day": Fron: his Utopian colony shnclc In the stump-dotted uplands of Vernon parish, I,(misiana. Theodore F. Cuno, International Socialist who set American Amer-ican labor to marching thirty-five years npo. will mark with satisfaction MondaVs parade of labor ail over the United Slates. Cuno, an aristocrat hy birth, breeding breed-ing nnd nelination, despite his long life of socialism and "eo-operativism." will do no marching Monday, F.vory day Is lnbor's day In Uio colony that the late Job Harrimr.n, Los Angeles lawyer, established first in the Mojave desert and later two miles south of this parish seat. Every day of the HOiS Is a denionsl ration of the theories that Theodore F. Cuno was besinninp to plimpse la 1SS2, when, during the Powderly flht In the Knights of Labor, he .vrote the first American, Labor day proclamation. Uriah Stevens' secret society of 1 S CO had evolved preatly from Us original form when Cuno, then editor of the Brewer's Journal In New York, wrote the simple call to labor, which he still has tn his scrapbook at the Llano colony col-ony shack. Since the first general assembly as-sembly of the Knights of Labor at Reading, Pa,, the organization had begun be-gun to assume the form which It was o maintain until the American Federation Federa-tion of Labor displaced it as the most powerful factor In American labor affairs. af-fairs. In 1881 the society had dropped all secret furbelows with which Stevens Ste-vens had endowed It. In 1882, while the commotion over the Powderly leadership leader-ship was threatening to split the Knights asunder, a group of the leaders, lead-ers, including Cuno, met in New Tork and made plans for the first Labor day demonstration to prove the solidarity of labor. Having written the proclamation calling for the parade, Cuno marched at the head of tfie procession carrying a banner on which were inscribed the words: "PAY NO RENT" And now, thirty-five years later, he is realizing in fact the dtictrine that he preached on his banner in that first parade of labor. For as a colonist of New Llano, Theodore Cuno pays no rent. Neither does he. pay board, nor ts he bothered by tailor bills, shoe bills or light bills. As a member of the colony col-ony he is entitled to all those things, and therefore contributes his share of the colony labor. That is the way they do things at Llano colony. Cuno believes that despite the legal difficulties through which the colony has passed under the administration of the much discussed Oeortre T. Pickett. the Llano experiment will succeed. Faith, says Cuno, is "believing something some-thing that you know isn't so," but be has faith in the colony of which he is the dean and frw which he has been a financial angel. Noting the progressive strides of American labor In the thirty-five years that have passed since the first Labor day parade in New York, the scholarly, philosophic old man of seven languages and a background of liberal European education holds to the opinion that never in the history of man has the laborer been so comfortable as ls the American laborer in this day. When he wrote his proclamation as the Jefferson of the American toilers the place of labor In the American scheme was indefinite; in-definite; its future nebulous. Collective bargaining was not generally recog- , nlzed; the courts had not passed on labor's rights and limitations. Now all that is changed. And Cuno believes that labor truly dominates In a partnership part-nership to which it Is as indispensable as capital. Largely aloof from the world about him, surrounded by his excellent library, his numerous scrapbooks and his memories, Cuno has a detached view of the problems of the world In which he was once greatly embroiled as a Socialist of international repute. His grandfather was a Belgian baron, and wealthy. Theoretically Cuno has nothing more than his interest in Llano colony. He wears the simple overall uniform of the colony and the rough colony shoes, yet he smokes excellent ex-cellent cigars; and with those and the classics he is content. "I would rather have a glass of water and a crust of bread in peace than to live comfortably in unhappiness," is his way of putting it. After the New York celebration of Labor day in 1SS2 the popularity of the holiday grew with1 great swiftness swift-ness until it had extended to every part of the country. It became not only a holiday for the man who worked with his hands but for the man who worked with his brain also. In the years that have intervened it has become a festival of relaxation and recuperation for all strata of our social structure, for millionaires and mlllworkers alike, so that it is doubtful doubt-ful if there is any of our holidays that has such universal popularity. Formal action toward making Labor day a national holiday was taken by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United Unit-ed States and Canada, the predecessor of the American Federation of Labor, at its annual convention in Chicago in 1SS4. There the delegates adopted a resolution stating that the first Monday in September should be set apart as "a' laborers' national holiday" holi-day" and recommended its observance "by all wage workers, irrespective of sex, calling or nationality." Although popular response to this resolution was spontaneous, It took untiring work on the part of organized labor to secure legal sanction for such a holiday. Although congress and state legislatures received constant requests for the enactment of federal fed-eral and state laws recognizing the day as a national holiday, it was ten years before the passage of an act by congress, establishing the first Monday in September as a legal holiday holi-day for the District of Columbia and the territories. Oregon was the first state to act upon the -matter and it legalized Labor day as a holiday In 1S03. Other states eventually followed fol-lowed Oregon's lead until it is now a ( legal holiday throughout the United States and extends to Hawaii, Porto Iiico and the Virgin islands. In most states it Is established by statutory provision, but in Wisconsin and Wyoming Wy-oming Labor day is established by the governor's proclamation. From a strictly American holiday to one of world-wide observance has been the history of Labor day since Its establishment forty years ago. In continental Europe, however, It is observed ob-served on the first of May instead of the first Monday In September, but this adoption of the American Idea came about in connection with the eight-hour movement, Inaugurated by the American Federation of Labor in 1SS9. In that year a meeting of the International Labor congress was held in Paris and Samuel Gompers, president presi-dent of the American Federation of Labor, sent a message to the congress urging the international body to cooperate co-operate in the move for the eight-hour day and appealing for demonstrations in all European countries on May 1 of the following year. Gomper's suggestion found favor with the international organization and plans were made for such a demonstration the following year. So the start, made In 1S90, caught the fancy of European workers and May 1 became the recognized Labor day in Europe. However, European countries coun-tries have been slower than this one in granting a legal status to the day. probably because the May day demonstrations demon-strations were at first made the occasion occa-sion for radical activities and disturbances disturb-ances which brought the workers into conflict with the authorities. In lata years, however, the scenes of violence have largely disappeared and now five European countries Austria, Czechoslovakia, Czecho-slovakia, Esthonia, Finland and Madeira Ma-deira recognize May 1 as a legal holi-cfuy. holi-cfuy. In South America the same thing is true in Colombia, Ecuador and Uruguay and in Latin America May day is a legal holiday in Haiti and Panama. Incidentally, one of the possessions pos-sessions of the United States, the Philippines, follows the European custom in celebrating Labor day In May instead of in September. The labor holiday ls celebrated variously in the Britisli possessions throughout the world. Canada joins with her sister on the south by celebrating cele-brating it on the first Monday in September Sep-tember and Newfoundland observes it on September 2. Queensland and Western Australia follow the European custom by observing May 1, but Victoria, Vic-toria, Australia, observes "Eight-Hour "Eight-Hour day" on April 21, New South Wales on October 6 and South Australia Aus-tralia on Oclobe. 14. All of these celebrations in foreign countries, however, how-ever, go back to the basic idea which was presented to the Central Labor union in New York city in 1SS2, so that is why it can be said that Labor day, whatever the date of it may be, is the one American national holiday which has become an international holiday and it ls one important contribution con-tribution which America has made to the social history of the world. |