Old newspaper files reveal the activity of local labor unions in matters of public concern such as a night school once organized In Marion for immigrants who were deficient in the language of their new country.
The influx of refugees to the United States today, particularly from Asia, poses problems which are not new to the country which earned the title “melting pot of the world.” Today, few of us realize perhaps that those problems existed long ago in this community where native population took notice of the problems of immigrants and did something about them.
The newcomers to the community in those early years of the century were from Europe, many of them English, but many more of them Italians who had language difficulties in addition to other problems attendant upon being transplanted to a new environment.
They came here as workers in the coal mines. It is a commentary upon the compassion of members of workers unions that it was they who recognized the newcomer’s problems, and acted to make life easier for the immigrants.
A resolution adopted January 3, 1917 by the Marion Trades Council recited that the City of Marion has just had a meeting of its representative business men, professional and labor men, together with foreign born adults who are seeking to merit the responsibilities of citizenship by first educating themselves to a better understanding of our language, institutions and form of government, at which meeting a night school for alien adults was organized.
The resolution adopted by the Trades Council pledged members of that organization to seek passage of a bill in the Illinois legislature appropriating funds to be used for the education of such adults.
Member unions in the Trades Council were the American Federation of Labor, United Mine Workers local unions 117, 1880, 2129, 2704 and 923, Marion Typographical Union No. 518, Blacksmiths, Glove Workers, Painters Local No. 431; Barbers, street railway employees, Bricklayers, Hod Carriers, Retail Clerks, Teamsters and Carpenters.
The resolution was signed by William H. Rix, President, and G. J. Frick, Secretary of the Council.
(Glances at Life article by Homer Butler dated September 1, 1979)