National Civic Federation
The National Civic Federation (NCF) was an American economic organization founded in 1900 which brought together chosen representatives of
History
Background
One of the earliest forerunners of the National Civic Federation was the Chicago Civic Federation (CCF), which was also known as the Civic Federation of Chicago, established in 1893.
Easley was thrust into the public spotlight in 1899 when the CCF held a conference in Chicago on problems presented by the various
Establishment
In June 1900 Easley reestablished his civic federation idea on a broader basis with the formation of the National Civic Federation (NCF).[2] The organization drew its membership in equal parts from the camps of business, labor, and members of the unaffiliated public.[2] Easley would serve as chairman of the NCF’s executive council throughout the federation’s forty-five-year history.
Easley, a former teacher and journalist, was himself a staunch supporter of the
The NCF's work was conducted through special subcommittees and in national conferences. The group also produced publications, authored draft legislation, and engaged in
Early activists included U.S. Treasury Secretary
Other NCF founding members from trade unions included
Development
From the outset the NCF was dominated by the leaders of big business. In addition to Mark Hanna, leading roles were played by utilities magnates Samuel Insull and George B. Cortelyou, banker Franklin MacVeagh, and industrialist Andrew Carnegie.< By 1903 nearly one-third of the 367 American corporations with a capitalization of more than $10 million were represented in the NCF, as were 16 of the 67 biggest railroads in the country.[1]: 8
During its first years of existence the NCF mediated several labor disputes and helped to broker agreements between
: 12The National Civic Federation was instrumental in expanding and helping make uniform state laws regarding
The NCF is credited with the passage in 1913 of the
Decline
With the coming of
The death of Gompers in 1924 largely ended its relationship to the labor movement, and business leaders, too, withdrew their financial backing. Easley was consumed by
Opposition
The NCF's approach of bringing representatives of business and the labor movement together for negotiations drew criticism both from the anti-union conservatives of the National Association of Manufacturers, who opposed acknowledgement of any right of collective bargaining, as well as from socialists and syndicalists on the left, who saw in the NCF a concrete example of class collaborationism which would dull the desire of the masses for radical change.[2]
One of the rivals to Samuel Gompers'
...to housebreak unionism, to confine its growth to those fields where management could use it, and to emasculate it by a united front of labor leaders and captains of industry against all socialistic and insurgent elements.[5]: 11
According to this view, the NCF stood for "responsible unionism," in which union members were expected to follow the dictates of conservative union leaders whom Mark Hanna referred to as "the labor lieutenants of the captains of industry." Fully aware that lieutenants take orders from captains, more militant union leaders saw Gompers' participation in the NCF as a "sellout."[5]: 11
See also
- Melville E. Ingalls —Former NCF President.
- Archibald E. Stevenson —General counsel in the 1930s.
Footnotes
- ^ ISBN 9780807054574.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Augustus Cerillo, Jr., "National Civic Federation," in John D. Beunker and Edward R. Kantowicz (eds.), Historical Dictionary of the Progressive Era, 1890-1920. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1988; p. 307.
- ISBN 9780521314527.
- Approved July 15, 1913.
- ^ ISBN 9780917124037.
Publications
- National Civic Federation Review
- Vol. 1 & 2 (1903-1907) | Vol. 3
Further reading
- Christopher J. Cyphers, The National Civic Federation and the Making of a New Liberalism, 1900-1915. New York: Praeger, 2002.
- Marguerite Green, The National Civic Federation and the American Labor Movement, 1900-1925. Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1956.
- Gordon M. Jensen, The National Civic Federation: American Business in an Age of Social Change and Social Reform, 1900-1910. PhD dissertation. Princeton University, 1956.
External links
- "National Civic Federation Records, 1894-1949," New York Public Library, New York City.
- National Civic Federation Commission on Municipal and Private Operation of Public Utilities
- "National Civic Federation: Pamphlets," Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Martin P. Catherwood Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York