THE OMAHA DAILY BEE: VI ET) A OCTOBER 2. 1900.
VISION OF THE DARK DAYS OF 1893-1896
Extracts from The Omaha Bee Recalling that Period of Business Stagnation, Industrial Paralysis and Financial Distress-Do You
Want to Bring Back Those Conditions ?-Facts Presented Relate Largely to the Gloom Which Pervaded This Section-To
Cover a Wider Scope Would Require Volumes-Genuine Calamity.
"Leat we, target." Tur bae to tkf 8les
of any newspaper or tk yean 19M to
t&9 ami yon will Had chrenteled. day or
lay the IndettMe record f mCortntt hu
manity during Uh brd time.
Ac this time, when the people of the
I uited States are enjoying tin precedes ted
prosperity and when they are called upon
to express at the polls their satisfaction or
dissatisfaction with present conditions, it
may be wall to give publicity again to the
news of 1SM-.
On this page is reproduced news matter
from the columns of The Omaha Bee for
tho months of December, 1S93. and January,
1S4. It suffices to recall to mind the gen
eral business depression of the tour years
trxmedlately preceding the inauguration of
President MrKinley. aaM it is unnecessary
o reprtnt items from the (Ilea of subse
i scut months
The news of th" winter of lM-4. as re
produced here, brines before the people a
ear vision of the soup bouse and the destl
t'Jto home of the worklngmon at that time.
TA'h thousands of willing men out of em
p.oyment. with the charitable Institutions,
puoilo officials and labor organisations
'raining every net-re to afford relief to the
hungry and Homel)-. with weak women
and : title children on the verge of starvation
and freeing, with able-bodied men apposi
ng 'o charity awl beting plteously for
work, and with idle factories and work
Fiiopn throughout the land, the picture is
cot a pleasing one to look upon.
But the veil is drawn for ,1 moment "Lest
w forget. '
HARD ON THE LABOR UNIONS
V Keiv l!Mii Till, en from File
Files for Ileremher.
uml Jiuiiiiiry. 1MM.
' Jmuha Bee. Dwi-mhir 11'. 1S93 1
Stretched without bedding on the battle
fields of life, seeking to benumb the mis
res of detllrutlon with snatches ot sleep.
' ' idle men passed last night at Rescue
nail In this city.
Hungry, homeless. ithout work, money
-r Jrtends. in fuct. without anything ex
ept appetites, these unfortunates appealed
'or shelter in the hall. The request was
granted and the mon seemud to feel grate
'ul for tho prtvllege of sleeping on the
hard floor or In chairs In proximity to two
:arso stoves.
The wolf of poverty, with a double row of
MM'th. is also at the door of the institution
wbuh affords these starving, sleepless un
employed their only resting place. Unless
relief comes quickly the Christmas carols
of 'hese men will be cries for bread and
her will he turned upon the 'streets with
no place to lay their heads at night.
Last evening a Dee reporter visited
Rescuo hall. It was a pitiable picture nf
poverty In Ite worst stage. The helping
hand of Kev. A. W Clark had lifted pennl
'.css men from street to shelter.
tn tho rear of the hall, behind a thin
partition. 12S men were reclining on the
floor, while thirty or forty more were sit
ing around In cramped positions in chairs.
All were endeavoring to sleep, regardless
nf personal discomfort. One young man.
stretched upon a plain pine table without
bedding, was suffering with sickness,
while another unfortunate lay on the floor
near the stove groaning with an attack of
a grippe. An old white-haired roan Occu
pied a chair and vatnly wooed the god of
ileep. Ills chin sank on his breast. Tears
were in his eyes. This was only one of tho
many living pictures of despair that greeted
'he visitors.
Not a pillow was vislblo in the room.
Blankets and bedding were an unknown
quantity. Newspapers spread upon the
floor were substitutes for mattresses. All
nativities, including an Afro-American,
were huddled together in cIoho quarters.
Very few of the men enjoyed the luxury of
an overroat. They possibly had pawned
'hem for bread. Those who were left
with overcoats utilized them for pillow,
while others rested their bones upon theso
Improvised "springs." The windows In
tho room wero all tightly closed, in order
to keep out tho spray of tho cold wave.
This gave the disagreeable odor full pos
session and the aroma was burdened with
"steerage fragance" when the men dis
charged their boots for the evening. Many
were socklnss.
In the mam portion of the hail, around
tho other stove, another large buarh f
sleepers reclined In various positions nn
the floor. Similar scenes existed here.
On tho stago a number of bunks had been
fixed up. They were double-decked cols
with scanty bedding. Theso beds sold fnr
'2 'ents per night to men who are fortunute.
enough to earn a pittance at odd jobs dur
ing the day. Soup and bread are gtven to
all twice a day. but this Is barely sufficient
to stay the pangs of hunger.
A register is kept at Rescue hall and It
contains the name. age. nativity, occupa
tion, address and religion of all applicants
for relief. A perusal of this record dis
closed the fact that 43S men had applied
for food and shelter within the last few
weeks. The bulk of tho applicants aro
deserving men who aro out of employment.
It includes machinists, railroad men, car
penters, laborers, cooks, clerks and In fact
all branches of mechanic life. Tramps are
scarce. The unemployed come mostly from
Chicago and the east, while many consist
of railroad laborers from the west. Colo
rado mlntrs and wage-earners are largely
represented.
Among the penniless men bowed with old
age whose names Join the record of hard
ship is William Stout of Topeka. Kan., aged
0 years; Patrick Flaherty of Omaha, who
has seen slxty-ilvn winters, and . hard ono
this year. Is on the list. H. g. Wllke of
Dfs Moines, Ia a painter by trade, has
pasted his 61st birthday The youngest
on the list Is W. K. Fellows of Clinton. Ia..
who gives his ago as 17 years. One of tho
saddest eases was that at John Moore of
Wllsonvlllc, Neb. He Is a deaf mute.
Some of the stories of suffering ami want
told by the men are piteous. They would
911 a bock.
ALARM OF POVERTY SOUNDED
( lflsens' Meetlntr Culled tu Provide
Itrllef far Tuonsnuils nf Lneiu
plnyril uml Destitute In Omuliu.
'Omaha Bee, January 25. ISM
OMAHA. Jon. 24. -To the Editor of The
Bee Please do all in your power to let
ctizensaknow that there is an immediate
and imperative duty before them to save
ome of our people from perishing. I know
what I say when I put it so strongly I was
out in the storm yesterday an J saw 'he
aerll with my own eyes. You mar ave
lives now la danger whfle tkls coM lasla.
There Is no time for debate ot the matter.
It Is the moment for action and nothing else.
(Signed.! J08KPH T DCRTSA.
Mayor Bemls and Dr. Duryea yeetenlay
issued the following call for a mass meeting
at the council chamber last night:
AH the visitors in the homes of unem
ployed men and women report that a lare
number of persons are destitute of the
necessaries of life, and that during the next
thirty days the number will steadily in
crease and with it the amount and degree
of privation and suffering. Had it not been
for the activity of the visitors during the
past two days there would have been ex
posure of death from hunger and cold
There is Immediate and imperative neeessl.y
that alt of our citizens who are able to aid
:n providing 'eraporary relief units in de
vising and conducting miasures which shalt
commend themselves to the common Judg
ment as systematical, economical and bene
ficial alike to the persons to be relieved and
the community as a whole. Every citlien
who has due regard for the honor ot the
city, a heart of compassion for the multi
tude of men. women and children who are
keenly suffering, and a disposition to do
bla equitable part, as a. member of society,
should respond to the call for a public
meeting In the city council chamber this
evening at S o'clock. Yours respectfully,
GEORGE P BEMIS.
J. T. DCRYEA.
In resprnse to these appeals a large
number of citizens assembled In the city
council chamber last evening. Mayor
Bemis called the meeting to order and
stated that It was one for action and not
for Idle words. The object of the meeting,
he said, was to provide for the poor people
ot Omaha, many of whom were without
food and fuel a condition of bitter pov
erty which confronted every metropolitan
centeD' of the I'nlted States. Omaha w3s
better off than most cities, but. neverthe
less, there was a vast amount of destitu
tion in the community which needed prompt
relief. He advocated prompt charity, fol
lowed by the adoption of some plan for
the relief of the unemployed during the
winter months to Ic-cp ihu woles of famine
from the doors of the deserving poor If
the people did ooi come to the rescue when
the lives of impoverished citizens wero
imperiled he was willing to place his
autograph on any city council measure
passed for relief, even if it was necessary
to strain a point or two. He hoped, how
ever, that the people of Omaha who were
blessed with homes and means would come
to thu front and adopt a systematic plan
to sustain the destitute during the winter
months. If necessary, bo would favor
throwing open the churches, city hull and
county building for the shelterless at night.
Dr. Duryea then recited experiences en
countered in a personal investigation of
cases of poverty which exist in thiB city.
Hu drew several pathetic pictures from life
and cited cases of gray-haired women and
little children shivering without food or
fuel, with the thermometer 21 degrees be
low zero. He said that there were too
many theoretical philanthropists tn Omaha,
who were ever eager to sit upon a benrh
of judgment during this freezing weather
and challenge tho worthiness of unfortunate
wage earners who wero out of work.
Women, overcome with the cries of their
shivering children, left their hovels of pov
erty and breasted the blasts of the storm
last Tuesday to gather coal and wood in
baskets. Deserving worklngmon. who had
always provided for their families in former
years, were out of employment and their
families were on the vergo of starvation
and freeezlng.
Mr. Edward Rosowator fallowed with a
brief appeal for immediate action and less
talk. He said an emergency confronted
the people and there was no time for red
tape or frivolous formality of any kind.
Some people were without fuel and they
should be taken care of at once. A con
dition and not a theory confronted the peo
ple of Omaha, and in view of tho crtsis be
believed that the county commissioners
should order i.00 tons of coal .it once and
have it distributed among poor peoplo who
were freezing and needed immediate as
sistance. He furthermore believed that
the city council should follow suit. The
greatest law was the law of self-preservation.
PITEOUS PLEAS FUR WORK
lliinury Men at Ilese-iie Hull Actunlly
Co on Their Knee to 11 end
for IteKffiirly John.
(Omaha Bee, December 20, 1SW.)
Idle men continue to appeal for shelter
at Rescue hall every night. Yesterday the
coal si'pply of the institution was ex
hausted and had it not been for the rustling
abilities of Superintendent Clark his pau
per guests would have shivered with cold
on a hrrd floor last night. Pending defi
nite arrangements for relief the superin
tendent has rented the hall on bis own re
sponsibility for fifteen days. He has held
a conference with the city and county otfl
ctals, but Snds that no funds are avail
able for the consummation of his plan to
erect temporary shedB and start a work
house, where the labor test would soon
demonstrate that the men who are now on
the vergo of starvation, and whose heads
have not rested on pillows for weeks, anj
willing to work at anything that will earn
bread and bed.
Tho appeals for shelter are not confined
to the masculine gender. Women in rags,
with little children crying plteously for
food, often ask for a bowl of soup and a
bed. In most cases they are deserving
cases of destitute widows and deserted
wives, who sell the scanty furniture of
their hovels, piece by piece, to buy bread,
until at last the chair or bed 1b parted with
and the unfortunate woman is thrust Into
the street to battle with the cold world.
If definite arrangements for relief are per
fected cois for homeless women and chil
dren will be erected in the hall.
An illustration of the willingness of tha
men to work was demonstrated yesterday.
Mr. Clark announced In tho presence of the
men at the hall that he had a Job for some
one to shovel coal. It meant 75 cent to
the one who secured it. No sooner had the
words left his lips ere he was surrounded
by fifty or sixty impoverished men wiili
outstretched nands. They plteously
pleadod for the work. One old man was
knocked down in the wild scramble for
employment Another got on his knees
and grasped Mr Clark frantically around
tha legs. He shouted a despair for the
Joh. It meant enough tsoaey for a bed
and a tries! of ratacleat magnitude o
smooth the wrinkles of hunger on his stom
ach. "Far God's ske. give it to me. sir. '
feebly gasped the old man from Sioux
city, who had struggled t his feet and
held his pinched hands high in the air. with
an Imploring clutch. He got the Job and
slept that alght on a mattress. His gray
hairs rested on a pillow for the first time
in fifteen nights.
Most of the men walked the entire dis
tance to Cut Off lake yesterday in hopes
of getting work on the Ice. but returned In
despair With weary feet 'hey scramble!
Into the hall and received 'heir second dally
installment of soup, with an unexpected
surprise party for their stomachs in the
shape of hotel scraps.
DRAWS PICTURE OF DESPAIR
Deplorable ( limit tlou nf the III em
ployed WorkliumHii In (hi sub
ject of mi IJIonneiit sermon,
i Omaha Bee, December 10. ltM. i
Rector Mackay of All Saints church
spoke yesterday for the worklngman in
reply to "What have you to b thankful
for?" He said
"The daily papers on Thanksgiving day.
which described the general festival, also
contained in obscure corners of lnstde
pages dispatches telling of the further ces
sation of industries in different parts of
the country. Three small paragraphs told
us that 4,000 mora worklngmen are to be
added to the rankB of the unemployed and
will have to fare a struggle for existence
this winter that will be almost beyond
human endurance. In the midst of your
praises to God for the bounty you have
enjoyed did you stop to think, that is. to
deliberately consider, what this day of
Thanksgiving has been to the millluna of
worklngmen In this land' Leave
your own personality behind and Imagine
yourself in the position that the working
man in yonder cottage is in.' See him sit
ting in his scantily furnished home, his
head hurled in his hands, the very picture
of abject despslr' His little children,
their faces pinched with cold and scanty
fare, lie huddled at his feet, their misery
intensified by recollections of the happy
Thanksgiving of a year ago. while the
brave, patient wife and mother stands si
lently by. almost heartbroken. His ardent
search for work in thiB broad city from
dawn to dusk for three long, weary months
has brought no success with it. and there
he sits, utterly crushed with the thought
that through no fault of his own he is
deprived not only of the means to provide
the little extra comforta that would make
his little family Joyous in their praises to
God on this bright Thanksgiving morning,
but even of the power to supply his dear
ones with the smallest neressarles of ex
istence. We pride ourselves on our pro
gressive city of Omaha, and yet this city
has no work for that unfortunate man. not
withstanding the fact that he is a sober,
respectable and diligent citizen, beseeching
for the opportunity of earning his living
by the sweat of his brow. My friends, there
are thousands of men tn bis position today
Think of it: Nineteen centuries of Chris
tianity, and yet millions of men In this
country have nothing more to be thankful
for than the bare fact that they are alive.
Our Almighty Father has blessed this
nation with bountiful crops far beyond the
needs of the population it contains, with
entire immunity from plague and warfare
and with a wealth of natural resources in
exhaustible, the development of which In
creases each year, and yet one-half of us
are denied the right to tho necessities of
existence I tell vou. my friends, the
present aspect of the business affairs of
this country is a most distressing one."
DEPICT DIRE DEPRESSION
ntloiini "onure Heine Floinleil by
Petition from Worklnurmrn Op
Iioxlnir Priiiur nf Wllnon 11111.
(Washington Correspondence In Omaha Bee
January 16, 1S94.I
There Is no doubt that a most profound
Impression is being mado upon even the
rabid free trade democrats in congress by
the flood of petitions coming In from the
farmers and wage earners in tho country
against the passage of the Wilson tariff
bill. It is true that a man in congress
has Immenso reverence for tho politician,
the merchant or banker or other person
with capital and labor at command, but
when it comes right down to tho fine
point of influence there is no person in
this wide world who can In a humble
way wield as much influence as the farmer
or the laboring man.
Some of the petitions which are arriving
in opposition to the Wilson bill are pitiful
tn simplicity of statement and sentiment.
They are written in the most simple lan
guage, by bands unfamiliar with the pen,
upon postal cards or little slips of paper
taken from the fly leaves of books. They
tell of how the writers supported tho dem
ocratic ticket last year under the Impres
sion that better times would come, and
how Instead their employment has left
them, and they are without work and with
out bread. They beg their friends in
congress to hasten action, if action is to be
taken, on the Wilson bill, but to vote
against it on its final passage and to save
the industries of the country. Other pro
tests agalnBt the Wllbon bill come in the
form of long petitions, signed in the plain
handwriting of the hard working man.
Many of tho signatures have been attested
by the cross which signifies that the man
bearing the name, although unable to write,
is intelligent enough to know why ho is
out of employment, why his family is suf
fering for bread and that he desires the
defeat of a bill which proposes to transfer
his employment to British hands.
Some of the introductory remarks upon
petitions are enough to melt the heart of
tho most insane free trader who has any
patriotism about htm. They depict the
deplorable commercial conditions, tell of
the large army out of employment and of
the suffering which abounds. All of this
is laid at the door of the policy which has
been adopted by the party la power.
W0RK1NGMEN IF DISTRESS
Mlienlter Think the Emrrgency .luatl
rt u Course of Irtlnn Out of
fiii- Imial Order.
'Omaha Bee, January S, 1SJ4.1
Half a hundred worklngmen, or those
whu would be work.ngmon if 'hey had th
orportunlty "met at Knights of Labor hall
yesterday afternoon to hear ;he problem
ot providing labor for the unemployed d.s
cussed. Mr. H. Cohen called the meeting
to order and introduced Rev Johir Wil
liams, who spoke briefly. He referred to
the action of the county commissioners in
refusing to expend the SlSO.ooO road fund
this winter, on the ground that the wurk
could be done only by contract, and ex
pressed the opinion that it ever there wae
an emergency that Justified a urse of ac
tion that was out ot the usual order tt
existed at the present time.
Mayor Bemls said that he was ready to
assist In any feasible plan that could be
devised to provide work for those who wero
in nt-ed of it. He mentioned the fact that
in Cincinnati MO. 000 had been appropriated
to beautify the parks and thus furnish work
for a large number uf the unemployed.
This, he thought, might be done tn Omaita,
where the Board of Park Commissioners
bad a considerable amount of nvney n
hand. He also endorsed the opinion ot the
previous speaker that the present emer
gency was enough to Justify the county com
missioners in departing from the letter of
the law far enough to begin he work on
the county roads at once. If tt could pos
sibly be done.
The speaker also took occasion to catl at
tention to the indifference which many peo
ple were displaying in this t;m of wide
spread distress. Such a meeting as the
one tn progress should have been held :n
the largest hall in the city and the
churches and the city and county officials, as
well as the millionaires who met in secret
conclave at the Paxton hotel to devise
means to stop improvements, should all
have been represented. A church com
posed of wealthy members should be able
tu assist to a large extent in this work.
Its members, if they were not willing to
give anything, might ratse a few thousand
dollars and loan it out to deserving people
to be repaid when better times come.
Famine, i'lnlll uml Mmple.
i Omaha Bee, January A ISM
It is evident from the results of Investi
gations that the prime cause of many cases
of destitution in this city is the same that
has aifllLtcd every metropolitan center of
the United States, namely, the aftermath
of the timidity of capital caused by the na
tional depression last summer. The hard
times have been couched In polite vernacu
lar as "flnancial depression." "commercial
prostration" and "monetary decrepitude."
but the poor of Omaha this winter are ab
breviating it and calling tt "famine." plain
and simple, without any embellishment.
Three-fourthB of the present destUute wera
found to be men whose names have adorned
the pay rolls of honest labor. The size of
their families, with a dash ot sickness in
many instances, precluded many of them
from saving money for the emergency
which now stares them In the face. Some,
however, managed to put aside a few dol
lars, but continued idleness and drain for
rent, coal and bread soon absorbed the sur
plus. And next was a struggle between
privation and pride. In many cases the
latter conquered and their condition was
discovered by a house-to-house eanv.is.
An investigation disclosed 'he fact that the
suffering was not confined to hovels. There
are many poor women crying with poverty
behind lace curtains and actually stinting
themselves in food in order to meet their
rent. It was found that notwithstanding
the fact that wages had been reduced in
many industrial plants the price of fuel
and commodities, except flour, has not de
creased to meet the cut. The cost of living
Is practically the same as usual fcr a wag
oarner on a retrenched income.
Drlrliliiyers mill lioiin Keel I)eirn
sion. i Omaha Bee. January 7. l&M.i
John Heart: of Denver, president of the
Bricklayers' and Masons' International
union, who is in the city to attend tho an
nual convention of that organization, said
yesterday
"The building trades in Denver are in
pretty bad condition, owing to the de
prsied condition of all business, but they
aro holding their union3 together all right
and waiting patiently for the coming of
better times, when, no doubt, they will be
In as good condition as heretofore and re
tain for Denver the name of being ono of
the best organized cities in tho country.
" s to the Bricklayers' and Masons' In
ternational union, I may say that the de
pression has been felt to a great extent;
still, very few of our subordinate unions
have had to succumb, and I may say that
we have lost loss unions by abandonment
than we anticipated from the trade depres
sion throughout the country. Usually we
have from 150 to 200 delegates In tho con
vention, but owing to the dopresaion
throughout the country we do not expect
more than eighty delegates at this meeting.
"The working people can, to a great ex
tent, blame themselves for the condition
in which they are now placed. They have
the power, through tho ballot, to modify or
repeil a great many of the laws that have
been enacted to their detriment. But as
long as they continuo to allow jealousies
and prejudices to Interfere with the cast
ing of their ballots in favor of their own
class of people, so long must they remain
oppressed. '
For Ilellef of Homelem nml llnniirr.
Omaha Bee. December JC. ISM.)
Tho sufferings of the breadlees and bed
less men at Rescue hall and tho threatened
abandonment of that institution on account
ot limited funds, as published in The Bee
yesterday, aroused public sympathy. It is
probable that prompt action for the relief
of the homeless and hungry will now be
taken. At a meeting of the executive com
mittee of the Commercial club held yester
day the subject as published in The Bee
was thoroughly discussed. The club is not a
charitable organization, but from a business
standpoint concluded not to let Idle working
men starve to death in a city of this size.
Superintendent Clark and Prof. Gillespie ad
dressed the meeting in behalf of relief for
the distressed, as a safeguard against an
Incrrasu in crime as the desperation of
hunger might drive tho unemployed to com
mit unlawful acts. Investigation proved
that most of tha applicants for food and
shelter wero deserving wage earners out of
employment. After dlrcusston it was de
cided to call a citizens' meeting at the club
rooms this evening at S o clock for the pur
pose of .considering plank for relief.
Cnuntr lid to Idle Men.
Omaha Bee. January IS. :i4
fter "-evolving (he mat er n 'heir minds
for some time the i.ounty commissioners
have about conclude"! to make a new de
parture and furnish employment to some
of the needy men who nave been drawing
supplies from the county warehouse. A
canvasa of the situation baa been made by
the members of the committee on charity
and those gentlemen have ascertained that
at the present time there are 100 able
bodied meu who are being assisted to fuel
and food by the county. In talking with
these men the members of the eharlty com
mittee are of tha opinion that they would
rather earn their living than to be objects
of charity. In view of this fact the com
missioners have about concluded to set
aside a um of money from the county road
and bridge fund and expend tt in paying
wagos to the men who are willing to work.
The Wea is to go outside of the city limits
and put a force of men at work grading
roads and cutting down embankments along
he public highways, paring the men bir
the hour and at the rate of 15 cents per
hour for the time they are actually employed.
even iiioimiind I'eople Destitute.
lOmaha Bee. January 27. 154. i
When Dr. Duryea. after a personal ln
vestigatlot of many cases recently, issued
an appeal to the citizens of Omaha to
rescue men. women and children who were
without ftod and fuel and in danger of
starvation and freezing, his utterances
were somewhat In the nature of a surprise
and were regarded by many with a cynical
smile. In order to set all doubt at rest
a Bee reporter for several days past has
been making a house-to-house canvaes. ac
companied by Rev. C. W. Savidge. Rev. A.
J Turkle and Alfred Trenerry of the As
sociated Charities. The result disclosed a
pitiful condition of affairs. Disease had
in some instances linked arms with desti
tution and the hideous skeleton of despair
was perched upon empty coal scuttles and
pointing his bony index Anger at crumbless
cupboards in many cheerless cottages. An
Investigation proved that out of a popula
tion of 150.00 people fully 7.00ft were in
actual want, according to statistics ob
tained at the various charitable institutions
and the county supply room.
i Following this introduction la a two
column story describing the poverty
stricken condition of a number of working
men's homes visited by the reporter. As
the story relates the names of the unfor
tunate sufferers. It is not deemed proper
to reproduce it at this time.)
To AM SiitTerinic Poor.
'Omaha Bee. December 19, ISM-i
Mayor Lawrence of Council Bluffs has
issued the following call- "Upon the re
quest of the worthy pastors of our churches
and many of our prominent citizens I would
earnestly recommend that our people
assemble In mass convention at Dohany's
Opera house Thursday evening, the 21st
lnst.. at 7.30 p. m., for tho purpose of per
fecting, an organization and to devise ways
and means to aid the suffering poor of our
community. Winter approaches with un
usual vigor, business is dull and labor is
obtained with difficulty Organized, united
and vigorous effort is required to avert or
even largely alleviate the suffering of the
poor in our midst."
Hnlf u t'nlon Out of Work.
lOmaha Bee. December 22. 16M.I
Knights of Labor assembly No. 374, com
posed of upholsterers and mattress makers,
held a regular meettng last night. It de
veloped at tho meeting that about one-half
of the membership is at present wtthout
anything to do and unable to And work in
their line in Omaha. One of rhe members, in
speaking of the situation, said that their
employers would only be too glad to give
them work if they could get orders to till,
but on account of being unable to make
sales they had been forced to reduce the
number of employes. It has been tho prac
tice of tradesmen in this line of work to go
to Chicago when work was slack in Omaha,
but their fellow workers in Chicago Inform
them that tt is even worse there, so there
is nothing for them to do but do the best
they can at home.
I'orly-I'l ve lute IllillLa Snuprmleil.
(Lincoln Correspondence in Omaha Bee.
January 17. ISH.j
The last year haa been a particularly try
ing one upon the state and private banks ot
Nebraska. Tho causs which affected so
many of them wero not. however. local. The
samo causes operated in every state in the
union, and Nebraska was no worse off, and
perhaps a great deal better, than many of
her sister states. During the year the bank
suspensions numbered forty-live. Of this
number but fifteen were placed tn the hands
of receivers, the rest either being sold or
consolidated with other banks or they went
into voluntary liquidation.
Hellef Foreen Inilileiiiiile.
1 Omaha Bee, December 22. USA.)
Just now some ot the host people of
Omaha, as well as our public officials, are
puzzling their brains as to bow the 2.000
idlo and destitute peoplo in our midst can
be taken care ot during tho next three
months. Private charity and the various
charitable societies will do a graat deal to
ward meeting the immediate wants of a
large number of deserving poor. But this
source of relief is entirely inadequate when
we come to provide food and raiment dur
ing a long and severe winter for several
tbousaud persons.
Would Even Pound ItoiiL.
(Omaha. Bee. December 26, V6L)
A young man who has been keeping a set
of books for the last two years, but was let
out In October, said. "I have tried to get
work of any kind, but have not earned over
!& since the mlddlo ot October. I bad about
WO saved up when I lost my position, but It
is now nearly all gone and my board Is only
paid to January. Just let them offer me a
ob at pounding rock or anything else and
see how quick I will tako it. I have got to
live some way and I won't beg either, if I
know myself."
Veeil .eeesKuries of Life,
1 Omaha Bee. December IS. 1HO.I
A movement is on toot to organize an as
sociation of charitable people ot Council
Bluffs for thepurposcof supplying the worthy,
poor of the city with such help as they may
need. There are scores of families In the
city that are in need of the common neces
saries ot life.
KlKllt tn Twrlv? Dollars 11 Mouth.
tOmaha, Bee, December 22. 1K
One of the conduc'ors of he Omaha Street
Railway company said 'oday 'The public
does not know what many of 'he employes
of our -oiapauy have to contend with. Thra
are enough extra" men on the list to man the
entlro running force, and the hardships
these extra men have are enough to drive
a man arazy. I know of several of the
extra men who hang around headquarters
every day. week in and week out. to catch a
run whenever they can. TSey will average
from about $3 to S12 per month on the extra
Hit. '
Labor Men Tnlk Ahoat Charity
1 Omaha Bee. December 1. ISM.'
At the meeting ot tho Knights of Labor
last night the unemployed were talked of
more than anything else. One of the mem
bers thought that the council should be
asked to appropriate a few thousand dol
lars to provide work for the unemployed, bux
said he could not suggest what kins of work
could be done. Mr A. A. Perry, the past
master workman, advocated the tdea of try
ing to attract the attention of the public
more generally to charitable organizations
and opined that the chanty organisations
wre not being supported this year like ;hcy
had been tn the past. One of the reasons,
he thought, was the inability of the former
generous givers to give at this time.
pply tn County for Alii.
'CimHha Bee. JunuHrv JS. l4. 1
The severe weather of the last few days
has driven any number of new applicants to
the county store for clothes and provisions
and so far all of those who could pom the
application have been assisted. Tuefday
thlrty-threo new names were added to the
rolls. All of the new parties who applied
Tuesday were men who were residents of
the city, heads of families and willing to
work. Applications for work on the roads
continue to be died with the county agent
and at this date there are 100 men who
hav signed to go out and labor.
ThounnmlM nf tillp "Workmen.
'Omaha Bee. Jnnuarv 27. 1904.
Henry Cohen of the Knights of Labor Is
chairman of a committee which has com
pleted .1 canvass of the unemployed work
men of the city He reports 3.SO0 unem
ployed wage earners in Omaha at prent.
representing all trades. Many of them are
married men and the saloon element Is a
scarcity among them. Of this number. Mr.
Cohen reports the following tn need of Im
mediate relief. Then follow 'he names and
addresses of several hundred worklngmen.
many of whom are today among the best
citizens of Omaha. 1
HARD BEDS FOR UNEMPLOYED
lluuilreiln of lliimeleoa nod lliinury
Men. Who re t'mihte tl, Klml
Work, Seek tlirlter nml F00H.
The Omnha Central Labor union held a
meeting last night. One of the South
Omaha delegates announced that men in
that town who had heretofore been receiv
ing M.Ti per ilny were now nn'v receiving
$1.5 per day. He also reported that a larg
number of persons who hud come to South
Omaha expecting to get wnrk were Idle
and many of them without money or credit.
At a meeting Monday night of the Brick
layers' and Plasterers' Tenders It was fmin 1
that x large proportion of their member
ship is at present idle, with very poor
pn spects of work.
Members of the Tin. Sheet Iron and
Comlce Workers' complain thnt there is
very little work going on In their trade.
Work at the building trades In Omaha Is
Indeed very scarce, considering the num
ber of men looking for work. A member
of tho Building Trades Council sized up the
situation thus. "Little or no rew work
Is being done and all we can get to do is
repair work, and the scarcity of money
prevents many from making repairs that
need to be made. A year ago at this time
h man could e,my rind something to do
in our line, bat now it seems that nothing
of importance will be cumnienced this
winter I do not know what many of us
will do antil spring. '
Carpenters' union No. KS meetf tonight
in Wolfs hall, corner of Twenty-second and
"umlng streets. .Many ot the members of
this union are unable to find emplovment
and the principal business of the meettng
tonight will be the discussion of methods
to provide work ot some kind to enable tlia
ratmbern to keep from asking charity.
Painters' and Decorators' union No 1(V9
will hold a regular meeting tonight In
Arlington hall. 1111 Dodge street. One of
the members said today that unless some,
thing happened to put new life Into bust
ness he did not know whut some of their
members would do to get through the
winter, as so many of them are now Idle.
Heretofore when work in their trade whs
dull lu Omaha those without work could
always go to other cities and secure em
ployment, but this winter tho untonn in
other cities report work fully as dull as In
omaha.
The members of the Carriage and Wagon
Workers union complain that work jb
Retting very scarce In their trade. One of
tho members said today that .fter the first
of January he thought several more would
bo let out of work, as the principal orders
for new- work would all b completed by
that time.
There wtll be a meeting of rhe 'inem
ployqd tcHtav at Knights of Labor hull. The
object of the meeting is to try to arrange
snme method wherebv worthv persons '-an
be given employment and not be forced
to bee steal or starve.
STAGNATION OF INDUSTRIES
Items from Omnha Her TMIe fnr Win
ter nf lHll.'l-t Mioit Thou
sundit Out of Work.
There are J.00O idle workmen In Akron. O.
The poor of Cleveland. O., are being ted
on beans and bean soup.
The weavers at Lawrence, Kan., have
accepted a cut in wages.
A larue knitting mill at Troy. N. Y .
closed down indefinitely last week.
The aneraployed at Minneapolis are being
ted soup at the police station.
The boys working In the Homestead
Glass Works struck before they would
accept 4t cents a day.
Tho woolen worker at North Oxford,
Mass., have accepted a temporary cut of
10 per cent In waj;es.
Positions that formerly paid tl6 per week
In the Pittsburg bolt and nut factory are
now paying from tt to t. per week.
Wages have been reduced from 7 to 36
per cent at the Ford City. Pa., plate glass
works.
Tho directors of the Central Street Rail
way company of Peoria, 111., have Just an
nounced that after Fralday the employes
will be expected to work fifteen hours a day
instead uf twelve hours, as at present,
without an increase 'jf pay. The company
claims to be besieged with application for
employment
The Central Labor mlon of Boston has
ailed a mess meeting 'or the .mrpose of
disc ussing 'he situation of the unemployed
The proprietors if the arge plate glass
factory at Challtrvt, Pa , have ciMsd down
Indefinitely and assign as a raan their
fynr of tariff legislation and lack of orders.
Their action throws several hundred men
out of emaloyment.
It it satu that thousands of the .r.em-
Bloyed if New York gather at 'lie
rooklvn bridge early every morning o
read the first editions of the papers ill
order to be amonit ;he first to answer
advertisements filtering work. The press
estimates that ther urn about 1SSA) id'.e
people In New Y.irk Ctiv who would work
if they had tin opportunity.
The clearmakers nf fit Paul gave a
benefit for the unemplood cimirmakers.
Ten thousand clgnnnakers are out if
emplovment In New Tork.
V out of wages htm been announced In the
Carnegie mills at Beaver Fail. Pa.
The Monongahela Amalgamated associa
tion is furnishing coat and food to the poor
T.-icoma's Labor day celebration urpiut
wl be given to the unemployed jf 'ijt
city
The ct emploves of Indlannpnila w l
give 2 per cent of their wages to tie m
employed
The police if Chicago sav that .ei
freight tr.iln brings into th,.t city from
to twenty hungry men.
On account of a. ported notice of .1 c j- f
V per cent In wages the glass worker .
Kokumo, tnd.. have struck.
here are 12l.to idle people, repotted 1
Chicago Forty-live thousand of these . i
til the building mules a.ooe.
The building trsdes' workers at CIe"'a:i'1
0 . have decided to cut town the lengiu
f their day to give the idle a show
In Boston toemiters ire now workt- g
about fourteen hours per inv for 'l
per week.
The Lincoln Street Railway comuati) iiua
mode ,1 cut on wages of 10 per cent.
Fifteen .innrmnkers hu-e been thrum
out ot employment at Grand Islai.d ti
count 'if 'he cloning down of one it 'i
cigar factories. The proprietor report ! ,
on account of .Ight trade he now has "" g 1
manufactured goods on hand to auppl. t
trade for six mouths or more.
Bradstreet estimates there an SOI 0
people out of employment.
Oliver .fc Roberta wire mill In Ptillad
phla closed down l.r' men thrown out
Th Oliver il: and Furnace eompam
1 nlontown. Pa., has reduced wages 17 s
cent.
Dun s review of m says in eomtner. u
dlHasters and Industrial deprerelon It i
the worst for fifty eirx.
tjompera if the Federation of La'
urges the leue of bonds by the go-r-ment
for the relief jf the deprejwed.
The wages of ;So employes of the Lit' "
Falls. N. Y . knitting millH were redure 1
10 per cent on January 1.
The miners are grea'lv !lseatlsfied 1
Dayton. Tnn. Trouble ih expected at ai
time unless more satlKfHctorv arrangements
can be made.
The miners at Slope coal mines in Sailn'
vtlle. O . went on a strike ngalnet a
per cent reduction, and day labore
against 3t per cent.
Pittsburg ha over 2.51 men emploveii
the two parks, yet that number does t
seem to make any great difference In he
ranks of the arm of unemploved.
The Empire Woolen mill u flayvllle. N
Y . has closed down indertnllely
Two thousand are Idle and ") are worK
ln on short time Mt Hurrieburg. Pa.
The Clinton R.illlng mill at Pittsburg ii
given notice of a reduction In wages of J
per cent.
A M per cent reduction is what now faces
the employes of the L'nlcorn rfllk works at
Colaesauiiua, Pa.
A reduction of 10 per cent has been niacin
at the Hunter Machine company a works of
North Adams. Mass.
An article In the Journal of the Knights f
Labor announces that nearly all of the
factories that have resumed business
done so after reducing the former wages
of employes.
There are 3Ui Idle coal miners In Ohio
At Sedalla. Mo., marblecutters strut
against n cut of 10 per cent.
Cincinnati unions have established a plac
tn which the unemployed may sleep.
The Southlngton. Conn., cutlerv shop iihs
announced a cut in wages of from to 2'
per rem.
A general reduction In wages. rin"-g
from 10 to 2ft per cent, went Into eife-f it
the Nonantown Worsted cmpanv ml'ls
at Newton. Mass.. where 7C0 hands are
employed.
State Labor Commissioner Brentltwor
says there are 3$.'o people out of emnloy
ment In the larger towns in '"olorado and
2.2S5.C0 unemployed in the I'nited Htates
The Elgin watch factory, which five
months ago reduced Its force from 3.(.v o
l.P". and put thnm on live Javs a week,
has further reduced the days of labor to
three days a week.
Bills to Improve -.he Riverside park and
Riverside drive in New Y irk may be ii
traduced in the New y ,rk legtslaturo o
give work tn the unemployed.
Troy, one of the liveliest and most pros
perous cities of the Empire state, has sent
to congress .1 monster prntest ngnlust hn
passage of th.- Wilson bill. It is a netltion
signed by 7S"'i persons, eontalns 9.s7S pages
und weighs over Sirt poundM
The miners at Mendotn, Mo . have ben
notified of an Immediate reduction from St
to 4 cents. The men are not organized.
The Thayer Woolen comoany North Ox
ford. Mass.. will make a out down In wages
Three hundred men will be effected
Wages of all outside men have been r
duced from J2.50 to C.2S at the King -oui
mines at Coma. Colo., to $2 a day
Tho funds obtained for relief pino-i
at San Francisco aro to be expended for
Improvements at Golden Gate park. The
committee decided that I a day should be
the rate of wages for all employed out f
the relief fund.
Cleveland iron workers have been cut '0
per cent.
Meriden. ''.inn.. Cutlery company cut
wages 15 per cent.
Street railway men at Grand Rapids.
Mich., have been cut fo per cent.
The Pittsburg. Slienango . Lake Krle rai--roail
haa cut wage i per cent.
The employen of the Miller Piano factory
at Wakefield. Mhhh , refused to accept a.
cut of 20 per cent and iho works ha-e
closed down.
The mechanics at Mum Islund navy vnrd
have had their wagea reduced from 3 to
SA cents per day
..T v'''",rv Cotton mills at Schuyler tll
N. T . have made a second reduction if tl)
per cent In wages.
The Greenwood Cotton company of W'o
stead. Conn employing 1.705 hands. ias
rhut down Indefinitely.
on account of the employes refusing o
accept a SS per cent reduction In wnee nn
Riverside Iron and Steel company .if Is',
wood. W Va., haa closed ,!nwrt lndetlnite'v
factories at Passaic. N J. have redu d
their working force 35 per ,-nt
.wM.a1lL,Brown of Paterson. N J . says
that li.m are idle In that -Itv
It Ih estimated that four-fifths of 'm
clothing operatives n Boston are unem
ployed. A large portion of the spinning mahlr
fry In the Grtnnel! mill. New Bedford is
Idle.
The Pomeroy mills. Plttsrleld. Mass , wi
suspend for two months unless buslne?s
Improves
The spinner employed by the Meriie
Conn., woolen mill have had a reduction f
25 per cent In their wanes.
Tho Llppltt. R. I., Woolon company
running five days a week, eight hours a
dav. with about half i forre.
Five hundred miners have gone out -n
a strike at Mer-er Pa., rather than tccpt
a em In wages of ."3 per rent
Two htmdrd glass workers have i0t,t o.
sltlona on account of the teductlon of fores
at a factory In Bridgeton. Pa.
A bicycle factorv at Toledo Q.. has re
duced Its working force fr.im TOO to SO). Tn
thousand are Idle in the -I'v
There are said to be j.'v) , Killer) me
chanics out if work In Rochester. N T
At Cohoes. Jf. Y. 4.'"0 ;ieoi),e are ,ut if
work owing to the idleness of a large num.
ber of knitting mills
St. Louis unions have aiKrssed wirk g
members 10 ce.ns per we-k , XSslsi In
providing for the unrmplovej.
Of the "!." men usually emp oved y
the Murj-tand Hteel company ai Sparrows
Point, nsltlmore. but vn ure now it wnr.
The Midland (hops at Colorado Cltv 'ilo
run only half time from now on working
Mondays U e;nedays ant Thursdays
The railroad firemen's union at t-ts
Haute say their wages haw hren rean
until they tow only make UN par mom
Several mills at Mooup. Conn
closed down, throwing about I.Xst , ,
out if work. No rent will tie .liurgl
operatives m the ompantes hoiihe ,.
as the mills are idle H
Mayor Rankin of K.IzkbeUi NTs
nounced !at ween -'at .ii'-'-wr") t
laborers In hat t wero jr.abm o itst
work. "