NEWS
History of Labor Day in America
Labor Day: What it Means
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
Labor Day Legislation
The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed in 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During 1887 four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1884, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
Founder of Labor Day
More than a century after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.
Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”
But Peter McGuire’s place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.
The First Labor Day
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.
In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday” on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
A petition was filed mid-week with the 97th District Clerk seeking the removal of 97th District Attorney Casey Hall for “incompetency or official misconduct.”
The document was filed by Tim Cole, former DA and longtime area attorney, on July 17. Texas law allows any resident of the county where the allegations occurred to file such a petition on any elected official.
As of Friday noon, no judge had been assigned and Hall had not been served notice of the filing per the district court.
A recent example of this type of petition occurred in Clay County in January 2023 after Sheriff Jeff Lyde was arrested on charges of official oppression. Former District Judge Frank Douthitt filed that petition and the state was represented by Hall and the Clay County attorney Seth Slagle.
Casey Hall, DA for the three-county 97th District since 2016, was arrested on July 8 on a grand jury indictment for theft of property $2,500 to $30,000, a state jail felony. She was released on a $5,000 bond. The allegations stem from misappropriation of state grant funds with the investigation conducted by the Texas Attorney General’s staff.
Removal action
The removal action is directed to David Evans, judge of the 8th administrative judicial region, which has jurisdiction in this case. It seeks to have the officer removed for incompetency or official misconduct, acts or omissions while in the performance of her duties as the district attorney.
Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.
A missing person’s alert has been issued for Bryce Dingler, who was last seen July 16 at his parents’ home in Nocona around 10 p.m. as he left going home to his apartment in Plano.
The 29-year-old is the son of Dr. Len and Waynette Dingler of Nocona. According to missing person circulars posted by the Clay County Sheriff’s office and Put Me First, Dingler’s vehicle, a 2015 white Ford F150 lifted with large tires and Dallas Cowboy’s star on the tailgate was found on the side of U.S. Highway 287 in the early morning hours of July 17. His ID and phone were left in the truck.
The initial SO posting stated Dingler was at the courthouse Tuesday to midday, and he told his parents that night was he was heading home to Plano. His family tried to call him throughout Wednesday, but he never answered. It states his last known location was near Butler Road, 1 mile west of Jolly on U.S. 287. Those with any information are urged to call the Clay County Sheriff at 940-538-5611. Case #24010013.
The Put Me First circular stated a license plate reader picked up Dingler’s truck around midnight in Plano. He was wearing a light color T-shirt, dark grey athletic shorts and tennis shoes. He has a left lower arm sleeve with pine trees, leaves and a wolf. He is 5-foot-6-inches tall, 135 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
It continues the truck was spotted July 17 around 6:30 a.m. on the westbound side of U.S. 287 by Duck Creek. Put Me First states Dingler had a “promising job interview” the day he went missing, noting this is “not normal behavior.”
As of 2 p.m. Friday Dingler was still missing.
The regular meeting of the Bowie City Council for July 22 has been cancelled. City Manager Bert Cunningham and Mayor Gaylynn Burris will be attending the Texas Public Power Association conference.
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