You ought to be out raising hell. This is the fighting age. Put on your fighting clothes.
-Mother Jones
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Sunday March 26, 1905
Chicago, Illinois - A. F. of L. Declares War on W. F. of M. on Orders of Gompers
A resolution, passed by the executive council of the American Federation of Labor and signed by President Gompers, was sent to Chicago yesterday, and is, according to today's Inter Ocean, "a formal declaration of war" between the A. F. of L. and the Western Federation of Miners:
CENTRAL LABOR BODY IN WAR ON MINERS
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American Federation Asks Affiliated Unions to
Refrain From giving Financial Aid to
Western Organization of Mine Workers.
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A formal declaration of war to the knife between the American Federation of Labor and the Western Federation of Miners was proclaimed in Chicago yesterday upon the receipt of a resolution signed by President Samuel Gompers of the national organization asking all unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor to refrain from giving financial aid to the miners' organization. The move is interpreted by labor men to mean that a determined attempt is to be made to stem the growth of that organization.
The resolution sent to Chicago yesterday was passed by the executive council of the American Federation of Labor, and is in part as follows:
Text of Resolutions.
Whereas, The officers of the Western Federation of Miners have taken an active part in calling a "congress" for the purpose of forming another federation of organized workers of the country which would be detrimental to the trade union movement the result of which will be an accentuated division in the labor movement, and a consequent weakening of the organized labor movement throughout the country; therefore, be it
Resolved, That the executive council recommends to affiliated unions that no further donations be made to assist the Western Federation of Miners, and urges such unions as are in a position to contribute to respond generously to our appeals requesting donations for the members of the United Garment Workers of America in their struggle against the efforts of their employers to establish the nonunion or open shop in their trades.
The "congress" referred to is to meet in Chicago in June. Five mining delegates [U. M. W.] from Illinois are among those who have announced that they will attend. It is alleged in the resolution that the Western Federation of Miners, although it has been aided in past by unions belonging to the American Federation of Labor, has failed to reciprocate by striving to strengthen the labor movement throughout the country....
[Photographs added]
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SOURCE
The Inter Ocean
(Chicago, Illinois)
-Mar 26, 1905
http://www.newspapers.com/...
IMAGES
AFL Button
http://www.laborsolidarity.info/...
WFM Button
http://www.nps.gov/...
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A Study of US Labor Federations to the Eve of Founding of IWW
The following is a study of Labor Federations in the US, written by William Kirk, PH.D., instructor in political economy in Brown University, and published by Johns Hopkins Press. Although the work was published in 1906, its coverage of labor federations ends in March of 1905. This is fortuitous for us since it helps to set the historical stage as we prepare to cover the founding convention of the Industrial Workers of the World.
The entire book is not long, and makes an interesting read, but I have provided links below for easy access to the parts that I find most relevant to the progression of events leading up to the founding of the IWW:
SOURCE
National Labor Federations in the United States
-by William Kirk
Johns Hopkins Press, 1906
https://books.google.com/...
From Part I. Chapter I: WFM, WLU, & ALU
The Western Federation of Miners withdraws from
the American Federation of Labor
and forms the Western Labor Union:
https://books.google.com/...
The name of the WLU is changed to the American
Labor Union and the ALU adopts the
platform of the Socialist Party of America:
https://books.google.com/...
The Platform of Socialist Party of America
https://books.google.com/...
The ALU "at the present time (March 1905)"
= local unions and state federations plus
four national unions holding charters:
1. Western Federation of Miners
2. United Brotherhood of Railway
Employees
3. Amalgamated Society of Engineers
4. International Musical Union
https://books.google.com/...
From Part I Chapter II: "There are thus at the present time in America three general federations organized on a national scale....The Knights of Labor, the American Federation of Labor, and the American Labor Union."
https://books.google.com/...
From Part I Chapter III: The decline of the Knights of Labor in membership and power since 1886 (when Organized Trades became AFL).
https://books.google.com/...
Part III Chapter I: Industrial Unions, History
The entire chapter is relevant:
https://books.google.com/...
Esp relevant is this brief discussion of Debs and the American Railway Union of 1894, and the January 1905 Chicago Conference of Industrial Unionist:
https://books.google.com/...
IMAGES
ALU, 1902 Convention
https://books.google.com/...
Knights of Labor Poster
http://commons.wikimedia.org/...
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Workingmen Unite! - Joe Glazer
Conditions they are bad,
And some of you are sad;
You cannot see your enemy,
The class that lives in luxury,
You workingmen are poor,
Will be forevermore,--
As long as you permit the few
To guide your destiny.
Shall we still be slaves and work for wages?
It is outrageous--has been for ages;
This earth by right belongs to toilers,
And not to spoilers of liberty.
The master class is small,
But they have lots of "gall."
When we unite to gain our right,
If they resist we'll use our might;
There is no middle ground
This fight must be one round
To victory, for liberty,
Our class is marching on!
Workingmen, unite!
We must put up a fight,
To make us free from slavery
And capitalistic tyranny;
This fight is not in vain,
We've got a world to gain.
Will you be a fool, a capitalist tool,
And serve your enemy?
-E. S. Nelson
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