488 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



bodies were protective, many benevolent, and at least two were secret — 

 The Supreme Mechanical Order of the Sun and the Knights of St. 

 Crispin. In 1869, the assembly favored the establishment of coopera- 

 tive enterprises; but little progress was reported for the year 1868. At 

 the close of that year there were at least six cooperative foundries in the 

 state. 



The Workingmen's Union of New York City and vicinity, "reor- 

 ganized in 1861 and incorporated in 1866," was a city central labor 

 union. All representatives sent to this central body were required to be 

 "practical" workingmen actually working at their trade. The objects 

 of the union were to unite the strength of different organizations in 

 the city, to foster a friendly feeling between workingmen, to discuss and 

 modify proposed legislation, to adjust difficulties between labor and 

 capital — accepting the "axiom, That the interests of labor and capital 

 should be identical," — to discountenance strikes except when " they 

 become absolutely necessary." Evidently class consciousness was not 

 as yet highly developed among the organized workingmen of our larg- 

 est city. 2 A very interesting preamble to the constitution of The Stair 

 Builders' Mutually Protective and Benevolent Union of New York City 

 offers further evidence. The Stair Builders deplored the concentration 

 of wealth in the hands of the few. They asserted in italics that the 

 "interests of the employee and the employer are identical." But they 

 also declared "the independent and irresponsible action of individual 

 employers ignores the claims and rights of employees, casts upon the 

 field of labor incompetent workmen, lowers the dignity of the me- 

 chanic, and degrades labor." Through union action they hoped to ad- 

 vance the interests of labor and to secure their just reward. 3 



In 1868, at least twelve national and international trade unions were 

 in existence: International Union of Bricklayers, Plasterers' Interna- 

 tional Union, Carpenters' National Union, National Typographical 

 Union, Moulders' International Union, International Union of Ma- 

 chinists and Blacksmiths, Coach Makers' International Union, Ship- 

 carpenters and Caulkers' International Union, Brotherhood of Locomo- 

 tive Engineers, Glass-Bottle Blowers' Association, Cigar Makers' 

 International Union, Knights of St. Crispin. The Daughters of St. 

 Crispin was organized in 1869 ; and was the only women's trade union 

 having a national organization. One authority states that more than 

 thirty national trade unions were in existence during the decade, 1863- 

 1873. 4 



The President of the New York State Workingmen's Assembly re- 

 ported a membership of 280 organizations in January, 1868, and 305 



2 Laws, Rules and Regulations, issued 1867. 



3 Constitution and By-laws, printed in I860. 



4 Andrews, "Report on the Condition of Woman and Child Wage Earners in 

 the United States," Vol. 10: 89. 



