The circular says: “Many efforts have
been made to organize tho men who are
employed by’ the street railroad com
panies, but only to a very limited ex
tent have they’ been successful, and then
mainly’ upon tho lines of local interests.
Experience has demonstrated that singly
and alone unions have too often been de
feated in the contests with concentrated
capital, and that if the toilers are seri
ously’ inclined to disenthrall themselves
from the slavery of long hours of
burdensome toil, to improve their con
dition and participate in some of the
progress and advantages of modern life,
it is essential that they must not only
organize unions of their respective locali
ties, but have these unions formed into
a national organization, thus enabling
all to concentrate their efforts upon a
given point to obtain success where
otherwise by isolated action defeat
would nessarily ensue.
“In the name of our great cause I ear
nestly appeal to every organization nf
street railroad employees to be repre
sented at this convention. To the men
interested in furthering the labor move
ment the request is made to use every
possible endeavor to make this conven
tion a success by persuading every or
ganization of street railroad employees
to send delegates. The perpetrating of
the crime of long hours of burdensome
toil must cease.”
Child Labor In Rhode Island.
The wages paid to the 5,273 children
under fourteen years of age working in
the Rhode Island mills are indeed mel
ancholy texts for those who preach the
“protection of American industry.” The
average wage is $1.25 a week, and in
many cases it is as low as 74 cents.
