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About Will Maupin's weekly. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1911-1912 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 15, 1911)
Court in New York, two men were brought up for sentence for smuggling. One was a comparatively small offender. He plead ed guilty to frauds on the government in the importation of figs and cheese. The other was one of a sydidate of smugglers whose known and proved smuggling amounted to $1,400,000 worth of gowns and millinery goods. The little smuggler was sentenced to three moths in jail. The big smuggler was discharged with a fine of $25,000, a fraction of what he had swindled from the government. . The United States District Attorney protested, 'I would rather see the defendant get one day in jail than be let of with a million-dollar fine. He visited my office and crawled on his knees and tried to kiss my hand in his efforts to get me to consent to a fine. ' In addition , to being the leader of a gang of rich smug glers, this defendant was a bail jumper." BRYAN AS A DELEGATE Please pardon us if we laugh at all this talk about not sending Bryan as one of the delegates to the national democratic con vention. The opposition comes from a lit tle coterie of men whose democracy con sists solely in always voting the ticket, pro viding it suits them. If the democracy of Nebraska wants to make a laughingstock of itself, just let it refuse to send Bryan to . . the national convention as one of the dele-gates-at-large. Until Bryan assumed lead ship Nebraska democracy was a joke not a huge joke, for itwasn't big enough to be that, but a joke just the same. It is drift ing back to that position just as rapidly as a lot of self-sufficient leaders can make it possible. A Nebraska delegation without Bryan. As well "Hamlet" with a title role missing; as well a ship without water in which to sail; as well a wing without an atmosphere. The very rumor that Bryan may. not go as a delegate is a bad commen tary on the intelligence on Nebraska dem ocracy. PRESIDENT MAUPIN'S ADDRESS Following is the annual address of Pres ident Will M. Maupin to the fourth an nual convention of the Nebraska Federa tion of Labor at Omaha, September 12: To the fourth annual convention of the Nebraska State Federation of Labor: Prefacing my annual message to this splendid organization, I want to thank it, and all the members thereof, individually and collectively for the high, though undeserved honor they have conferred upon me by mak ing me its president the second time. What ever my part has been in the organization and direction of this young but rapidly growing body, I am proud of it. Oppor tunity was given me something over three years ago to initiate the movement that has resulted in the formation of this effic ient fighting force in the labor movement. By myself, however, I could have accom plished nothing. It is due to the earnest, self-sacrificing men of labor who so loyally gave of their time and energy that this State Federation, young in years, is already known from coast to coast for its effective work. The past year has been marked by splendid gains for our organization and for the "work in which we are engaged. For the first time in the history of organized labor in Nebraska the organizations had an effective force at work in legislative halls. Instead of haphazard petitions, we main tained at the state house an active commit tee that saw to it that labor measures were not only introduced, but were follow ed up. With practically no experience along these lines, and with finances entire ly too limited to permit of the best work, the Nebraska State Federation of Labor secured from the last legislature more just labor laws than were ever before enacted in Nebraska. I mention this as an evid ence of what we may hope to accomplish in the future if we but strengthen our or ganization, secure the united affiliation of every component part of the great group of toil, and work loyally together for the betterment of social, economic and indus trial conditions. Because of our organized effort we were able to secure from the last legislature a splendid factory inspection law, which not only provides for better conditions under which to work, but also provides some pro tection to the life and limb of the workers. We secured a law whereby the life and limb of building tradesmen are safeguard ed, and the burden put upon the em ployer, not upon the wives and babies de pendent upon the worker, we secured a needed amendment to the fire escape law, and a law creating a state printing depart ment that makes it possible for the state to secure what it pays for instead of com pelling it to accept the inferior work of cheap mechanics afraid to organize. We further secured the veto of an infamous garnishee law, thanks to a chief executive who was big enough and broad enough to listen to the appeals of humanity instead of the appeals of selfishness. But better than this, we laid the foundation for a workmen's compensation act by securing a state commission for the investigation of the subject. One of the most import ant duties of this convention will be to select from among its membership, either of delegates or affiliated members, two conservative, thoughtful, self-sacrificing men who will serve upon this commission. No more important work will be entrusted to us than the work of selecting two men who will serve us well and faithfully and not only reflect credit upon our organization but upon the whole body of wage earners. There is an important work for this organization. Its field is broad. What we need to do is to arouse our , own comrades to the necessity of more thorough organi zation to the end that we may systemat ically set about securing better laws for the protection of the workers; a greater recognition of the truth that the worker is entitled to a larger share of the product of his labor; that the state owes more to its wealth producers than it has heretofore given them, and the state owes quite as much to the children as it owes to its hogs and its cattle. We should work unceasing ly until we secure from our lawmakers rec ognition of the fact that the wage earn ers of this state are as much entitled to appropriations for the study of questions affecting their welfare as the chicken rais ers, the hog raisers and the cattle raisers are to apprpriations for the study of live stock and poultry. The time is at hand when the state should give at least as much attention to breeding up the human race as it is giving to the breeding up of horses and hogs and cattle. Above -and beyond this, however, lies the work of educating the great general public in the objects and aims of trades unionism. Broadly speaking the general public mis trusts organized labor because it misunder stands it. We owe it to ourselves to in form ourselves thoroughly, and then go out and make the truth known of all men that trades unionism is a fighting force for justice and humanity; that it is today the most effective social force working for the uplift of humanity; that it seeks to abol ish the hut and hovel, not to destroy the palace or the castle; that it aims to lift up, not to tear down; that it teaches loyality, not treason, helpfulness, not selfishness. In short, we ought to disabuse the mind of the public and remove therefrom the pois on injected therein by the unfriendly press. The secretary-treasurer will give you a resume of the growth of the organization during the past year. It is not what it should have been, but it is most gratfying for all that. We have made a start; let us not halt or falter, but keep moving ahead. Again I thank you for the honors conferred upon me. THE CANADIAN FAKE The Kearney Hub calls attention to the exceeding smooth way in which the Cana dian land boomers are working the news papers to promote the Canadian land fake. The Canadian "press bureau" is always at work, and is catching an unusually large number of careless Nebraska editors. Clever stories, supplied in plate form free, are sent out telling about the wonderful wheat :crop in Canada. Then another fol lows about the shortage of help and the consequent good chances of employment up there. The editors grab at this because it saves them time in getting "copy" and as a result Canada is boomed to the limit while Nebraska is neglected. This sort of thing has induced 20,000 Nebraskans to leave the state for Canada within the last five or six years, taking with them some thing like $20,000,000 of money that should have been invested in Nebraska and used to develope the marvelous resources of this state. The Hub is right in insisting that Ne braska editors get wise to the game that is being played upon them. A HANDSOME DRUG STORE. Ode Rector has purchased the Owl Pharmacy at Fourteenth and O, and purposes further beautifying what is already one of the handsomest drug stores in the west. It will be con ducted on the same lines that have made Rector's Pharmacy so popular. The Owl Pharmay is. certain to be a success under the management.