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Hellraisers Journal – Friday June 6, 1902
Denver, Colorado – W. L. U. and W. F. of M. Hold Conventions at Odd Fellows Hall
From the Butte Labor World of June 2, 1902, Convention Number:
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The annual convention of the Western Labor Union, and Western Federation of miners and the United Association of Hotel and Restaurant Employes, opened at Denver last week. These gatherings of men who represent the real producers of wealth showed in a measure the strength of the great organizations of labor. Denver received them with outstretched arms. The reception committees were busy looking to the comfort of the visitors and everything possible was done to make their stay in the queen city of the West a pleasant one. The hospitality was warm and well appreciated by the delegates….
There were nearly one hundred in attendance at the Western Labor Union convention and fully one hundred and fifty at the federation of miners.….
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[Emphasis added.]
Note: The first and second pages of this issue are devoted to coverage of the W. L. U. and W. F. M. conventions. On the fifth page we find the annual address of Dan McDonald, President of the Western Labor Union (now renamed the American Labor Union, see below).
The sixth page gives an account of the convention of the United Association of Hotel and Restaurant Employes. The eighth page carried an article by Debs on Social Democracy, as well as reporting on public meetings held at the Denver Coliseum hall on Monday, May 26th, and Wednesday May 28th, at which the featured speakers, Eugene Debs and Father T. F. Hagerty, spoke on trade unionism and socialism.
This issue of the Butte Labor World covered the proceedings of the two conventions from Monday, May 26th, to Friday, May 30th, and, therefore, did not cover the speech given by Eugene Debs on Saturday, May 31st, to the W. L. U. Convention in which he spoke out against the National Civic Federation and urged trade unionists to engage in political action along socialist lines.
From the Marysville Evening Democrat of June 5, 1902:
American Labor Union.
Denver, Col., June 5.-The Western Labor Union Convention in session here has adopted the name of the “American Labor Union” for the organisation, so that its field can be extended throughout the country. The convention also decided to send organizers through the East for the purpose of building up the union and proselyting among people there in the cause of socialism. It is hoped that they will be enabled to enroll on its membership list those members of the American Federation of Labor who have socialistic tendencies.
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[Emphasis added.]
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SOURCES & IMAGES
Quote EVD, Socialist Ripe Trade Unionist, WLUC p45, May 31, 1902
https://archive.org/details/02OfficialReport5thConvALU/page/n44/mode/2up
The Labor World
(Butte, Montana)
-June 2, 1902, pages 1-8
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=eGJUmgNLeWAC&dat=19020602&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
Marysville Evening Democrat
(Marysville, California)
-June 5, 1902
https://www.newspapers.com/image/837160503
See also:
Proceedings of 5th Convention of the American Labor Union
-May 26-June 7, 1902 at Denver, Colorado
https://archive.org/details/02OfficialReport5thConvALU/mode/2up
Debs speaks May 31st, afternoon session (preceded by Morrison of AFL, and followed by Father Hagerty):
https://archive.org/details/02OfficialReport5thConvALU/page/n41/mode/2up?view=theater
Name changed to “American Labor Union” on June 5th:
https://archive.org/details/02OfficialReport5thConvALU/page/n81/mode/2up
Proceedings of the 10th Convention of the Western Federation of Miners
-May 26-June 7, 1902 at Denver, Colorado
https://archive.org/details/02Proceedings10thConvWFM/mode/2up
“I Am with You in This”
-Speech [by EVD, May 31, 1902] to the Joint Convention
of the Western Federation of Miners and Western Labor Union
https://www.marxists.org/archive/debs/works/1902/020531-debs-speechtothealu.pdf
Note: I found no evidence of Joint Convention on May 31
-see WLU Convention for May 31, afternoon session, above,
and WFM Convention for May 31, afternoon session, here:
https://archive.org/details/02Proceedings10thConvWFM/page/n71/mode/2up
Tag: Western Labor Union
https://weneverforget.org/tag/western-labor-union/
Tag: American Labor Union Convention 1902
https://weneverforget.org/tag/american-labor-union-convention-1902/
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There Is Power in a Union · Street Dogs
Lyrics by Billy Bragg