GENERAL THOMAS C. KELSEY
Thomas C. Kelsey, better known as
"General" Kelsey, one of the best known
men in the labor movement of the west,
died at his home in this city Tuesday
morning after a lingering illness, in the
sixty-sixth year of his age. Measured by
the usual standard by which men of this
day are judged, General Kelsey was not
a successful man, for he died poor. Meas
ured by service to humanity, by devoted
labors for others, by self-sacrifice that
others might be benefitted, General Kei
sey's life was a success, and it is by that
standard that final accounts are settled.
It was my privilege to be intimately asso
ciated with General Kelsey during t'm
last twenty years. I say "privilege," for
it was indeed a privilege to know this
broad-minded, generous whole-souled
gentleman. Whenever opportunity of
fered to advance the cause of unionism,
this man forgot self and threw himself
into the movement for the benefit of his
fellows with all of his warm heart and
generous soul. No service was too grea ;
for him to undertake, no appeal for as
sistance ever found him unresponsive. lie
made a life study of the labor movement
and that great struggle for the uplift of
the toiler had in him an earnest and effi
cient champion. I have heard him ac
cused of being a radical. Nothing couJd
have been further from the truth. Time
and again his judicious counsel has al
layed bitterness, and time and again his
diplomacy has won a seemingly hopeless
struggle. For the past year he has been
a constant sufferer, yet he took an active
interest in labor affairs and his experi
ence was a wise guide for his younger co
workers. In the campaign which resulted
in securing the Labor Temple to Lincoln
workers, General Kelsey played an im
portant part. At the beginning of the
war young Kelsey was working at his
trade, that of saddlemaker, at Leaven
worth, Kans. While never regularly en-
A RIGHTFUL PRESUMPTION.
The Omaha World-Herald, which nas
always evidenced a warm friendship for
'organized labor, deprecates the spirit in
which the war between the labor unions
and the organizations opposed to thorn
is being carried on. It rightfully , de
nounces the violation of law whereby Mc
Namara was practically kidnaped from
Indiana, but it follows this up by some
friendly criticism of the labor unions
methods of meeting this attack. It de
clares that "the labor unions loudly de
clared the innocence of the prisoner be
fore a particle of evidence was sab
mitted." It may be that the World
Herald is better acquainted with labor
union matters than, this newrspaper, but
so far as we are informed no labor union
has so declared. -True many of them h.'.ve
declared a belief in the innocence of the
listed he performed gallant service for
the union as a scout and guide through
out Missouri and Arkansas. At the close
of the war he resumed his trade and
worked in various cites throughout the
west. He was honored with election to
various offices of trust by his own organ
ization, and was recognized in western
trades union circles as a wise and safe
leader. He acquired his title of "Gen
eral" by leading a division of the famous
Coxey army in 1894. For several years
last past he has been unable to work at
his trade beeausc of failing health.
General Kelsey was a man of ex
emplary habits, a most genial companion,
a friend to tie to under any circum
stances, and a generous and always fair
cancy in the ranks of unionism that will
opponent. His death has caused a va
cancy in the ranks of unionism that will
be hard to fill, and his co-workers for
many years will alwrays hold in memory
the splendid comrade and the staunch
friend who, after years of struggle and
sacrifice, has at last reaped his rich re
ward. He has answered the final sum
mons that must, in time, come to us all.
Would that all of us could answer tl.at
summons with a record of loving service
to our fellows equal to the record of this
comrade of ours who has gone on ahead.
I know I speak the sentiments of every
union man in this section of the country
when I tender, on their behalf, their sin
cerest sympathy to the widow and or
phans who are today mourning the loss
of a devoted husband and father. In
time loving hands may erect to his mem
ory a marble tablet.. If so, it will have
crumbled into dust ere the kindly influ
ence of his life is erased from human
memory. If life is measured by services,
then General Thomas C. Kelsey was a
successful man, for he served his fellow
men, loyally, faithfully and joyfully. God
rest his generous soul. W. M. M.
accused, but that is quite different from
"declaring his innocence." The Woi id
Herald than asserts that "labor men al
most unanimously assumed the inno
cence of the accused." And why not ? In
so doing they merely assumed what the
law assumes that every man is innoejit
until proved guilty.
Will Maupin's Weekly does not know
whether McNamara is innocent or guilty.
It assumes that he is innocent. It does
know that the laws of Indiana were vio
lated when he was practically kidnaped
from that state. It therefore presumes
that the case against McNamara himself
is weak, and that the real attack is being
made upon the labor organization, rather
than upon the man. It does not declare
McNamara innocent. It merely assumes
that he is innocent. But it does declare
that he is entitled to a. fair and impartial
trial," and that is just what organized
sa o
labor demands, and will secure, for him.
If he is declared innocent, the men who
kidnaped him, and the men behind the
kidnapers, will be brought to book. If
he is declared guilty, every trades union
ist who is a good citizen will demand that
he be punished to the utmost limit of the
law.
But the fact remains that McNamara
is entitled to the assumption of inno
cence until unanswerable evidence is
produced to prove his guilt.
NOTE RHE DIFFERENCE.
This paper is not a Socialist organ
but we appreciate the assertion of the
Socialists that it is an easy matter to
find a way to take a laboring man from
one state to another for trial, but a hard
matter to get the clutches of the law on
a politician. When Moyer, Pettibone and
Haywood living in Denver, were wanted
in Idaho, out they went, law or no law.
When a labor leader in Indiana is want
ed in San Francisco, lie goes. But we
have some kind of recollection that when
Gov. Taylor of Kentucky was safely
across the line in Indiana, no way could
be found to bring him back for trial. The
laboring classes are right when they as
sert that the law seems to operate in
strange and devilish ways, at times.
Fairbury Journal.
OUR SINCERE APOLOGIES.
Will Maupin's Weekly owes on apology
to Mentor A. Browrn of the Kearney Hub
A recent criticism of a Hub editorial was
so couched as to make it appear that this
newspaper doubted the honesty of the
Hub editor's convictions. Nothing of
the kind was intended. We've known
Editor Brown for nearly a quarter of a
century. We have often doubted his po
litical judgment, but never his political
honesty. With him his party is always
right because he believes it to be always
right. Often have we tired to convince
him of the eror of his political ways, and
always without sucess. But we cheer
fully admit that the failure is due to our
lack of ability to convince, not to his abil
ity to absorb the true political gospel.
So highly do we prize the friendship of
Mentor A. Brown a friendship that has
been of value to us that we would
rather see him forever groping in politi
cal darkness than to win him to political
righteousness at the expense of that
friendship.
TO BUSY.
"I never took a vacation in my life,"
boasted the man of millions.
"Well, that's about all you haven't
taken," replied the man who had j ast
had a business experience with the millionaire.
TRUSTWORTHY.
"Is Schemerly as honest politician ?".
"Well, he has a reputation for staying
bought."