1
U i
The Commoner.
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VOLUME 5, NUMBER
5
tm
Friendship
When the sun is bright and the sky
is blue,
And calm is the wind and weather,
Then plenty of friends will stick
by you
And walk down the ways together.
For easy the path where the flowers
- grow
And the grass in the wind nods to
and fro,
So many a friend with you will
go
On the way o'er the sunlit heather.
t
But if clouds grow dark and the way
' grows steep
And the harsh wind blood is chilling,
But few you'll find at your side will
keep
With hearts that are warm and will
t ing.
For hard is the path where the sharp
thorns hide,
"Where the rough rocks hinder on
- every side,
And you see the wraiths of the loves
-. that died
When your life with woe was filling.
Fair weather friends by your side
" will run
When yours is the path of pleasure;
But cloudy the sky and obscured the
sun
Their love lacks the needed measure.
For love like theirs Is mere selfish
ness That withers away in the storm and
stress.
For 'tis rooted in pleasure and takes
no less
' Thau a self-willed meed of pleasure.
So here's to the friend who stands
by you
Tho' foul be the wind and weather;
Whose eyes look love and whose
heart beats true
hAs" you tread dark ways together.
For he lends you strength from his
I strong right arm.
And you build new faith, on his heart-
beats warm,
While you laugh at fate and its threats
j? of harm
On your way . o'er the storm-swept
heather.
An Echo of Latoor Day
.' When Mr. Workem came home on
the evening of Labor day he was
tired and happy. Throwing his uni
form to one side, and pinning his
badges on the wall, Workem dropped
into a chair with a sigh of satisfac
tion and exclaimed:
"That was the biggest celebration
labor ever had in this man's town!"
, Mrs. Workem said nothing until
she had picked up the discarded
uniform and hung it in the closet.
Then she took a chair and replied;
; "Yes, it was about the longest
parade I ever saw on Labor day."
; "About the longest?" shouted
Workem. "It had all other parades
skinned by not less than twelve blocks.
We had two thousand more men in
line today than we ever had before."
"I guess so," replied Mrs. Workem,
who had a far-away expression in her
eyes.
. VAin't supper about ready, ma?"
asked Workem. "I'm as hungry as a
bear."
"Supper will be ready in a few min
utes, pa. I'm just waiting for the
potatoes to boil."
v Mrs. Workem went into the little
kitchen and after briskly moving
about for a few minutes announced
that the evening meal was ready.
Workem hastened in, not forgetting
to give the baby a kiss he as passed
his high chair. During the ensuing
fifteen minutes Workem said very
little, being very busy with knifo and
fork. Mrs. Workem ate her meal in
silence. Finally Workem shoved his
chair back, reached into his upper
vest pocket and pulled out a cigar.
When the cigar was going to his satis
faction he leaned back in his chair
and said:
"Ah, but we made a magnificent
showing this day. Labor showed its
strength today in a way that will
make the bosses sit up and take no
tice. We own the world, I tell you.
The sight of this grand army of toil
marching proudly shoulder to shoulder
is one that will"
"Rats!" exclaimed Mrs. Workem.
"What's that, ma?" shouted the as
tonished Workem.
"Look here, husband," said Mrs.
Workem, a steely glitter showing in
her eyes and the lines about her
mouth settling deeper. "Look here!
j I've been thinking all day today. I
had to stay at home and take care ot
the baby while you paraded, and I
had plenty of time to think. I've been
thinking on this problem of organiza
tion. I'm a good union woman, my
dear, and your working card is as
dear to me as it is to you. I'll suffer
anything with you, too, to stand by
the union's principles. But I'm rafaid
you unionism is merely a veneer."
"Why, ma! How can you say that?
Why, I'd die for my union if neces
sary. I've gone ragged and hungry
rather than go back on the boys, and
I'd do it again. Why, my unionism
is as deep as any man's can "
"All right, my husband. I'll admit
it for the argument, and then make
my indictment. Didn't you carry a
banner today saying something about
the peril of Chinese cheap labor?"
"Yes, ma; I did. The importation
of Chinese cheap labor to compete
with American work "
"O, stop, husband. I've heard that
till my ears ache. And all the time
you are howling against Chinese cheap
labor you have been voting the ticket
put up by men who have been import
ing cheap labor from the slums of
Europe by the hundreds of thousands.
You've been foolish enough to let the
Baers and Morgans keep you howling
about Chinamen so loud you couldn't
hear the tread of the hundreds of
thousands of criminals and paupers
being imported by contract to work in
the mills and the mines of the east.''
"Why, look here, ma; I wouldn't
get"
"And last campaign you spilled
grease all over your best coat carry
ing a torch in a parade and holding
it, so everybody could see the words
on a banner your marching comrade
carried. It said 'Protection .to Ameri
can Workingmen,' didn't it?""1. "
"Yes, ma; and I"
"Well, the men who paid. for thai
banner and who contributed the ex
penses or tnat and other parades,
have raised the price of their meat
and flour and sugar and clothing a
half-dozen times since then. Now tell
me where we come in? Has your
wages been increased. The, landlord
has raised the rent. The coal dealer
has added a dollar on the ton. We get
three pounds less sugar for i dollar.
We pay as much for a round steak
as we did for a tenderloin. The
trust managers furnished the parade
money and the workingmen furnished
the votes now tell me who is getting
uie worst or ltr snow me your share
"You wouldn't have me voting against
these sweat shop slaves?"
the grand old party that freed the
slaves and "
"Freed the black slaves, yes;" inter
rupted Mrs. Workem. "But how about
some white ones? The girls in Gouge
& Grind's overall factory could not
parade today because Gouge & Grind
wouldn't allow them a holiday and the
girls couldn't afford to lose the time.
What have you done to emancipate
"Now look here, ma; there ain't
no use o' your "
"Last campaign you hollered your
self hoarse for Senator Smooth. He(
went down to Washington and hasn't'
been heard of since. Last week he
took his family to a sea shore resort,!
riding in a special car furnished by.
the railroads. You and me and the'
baby havo been to the park one Sun
day afternoon so . far this summer.
Ain't I right?"
"Yes, ma. But I had to support
Senator Smooth because he was my
party's candidate, and "
"And who made him your party's
candidate? Why the men who are
putting up the price of everything we
have to buy and keeping down the
price of your labor by Importing
white men through New York city
while you are hollering about keep
ing the Chinaman from coming in
through San Francisco."
"But I ain't a goin' back on my
party, you be't. I'm goin' to stick to
it, 'cause it is the greatest "
"Of course you'll stick to your party,
husband. I don't expect you to quit
it. It's been so long since you done
anything for yourself that you couldn't
do it. I done a bit of figuring while
you were parading. Every time you
stepped while keepmg time to the
bass drum Mr. Rockefeller made as
much as you make by half a day's
work. And he makes it because you
and your fellow unionists have been
voting for the policies th&t Mr. Rocke
feller advocates policieaS that make
him the richest man Jn the world and
you a workingmanni'ng $2 "a day.
Every time your right: foot struck the
ground Mr. Carnegie was making
more than you make In ,a day, and
making it because your 'protection'
vote let him fix the price on his pro
duct as well as' the price of your toil.
While you were taking one step Mr.
Baer issued an order and raised the
price of coal 25 cents a ton. It made
his company $20,000,Q00 in less time
than it took you to march a half a
block. And your vote, together with
the vote of others like you, made it
possible for Baer and his crowd to
make that money by compelling you
to pay it."
"Why, ma; you're talkin' kind o
crazy, ain't you? What's got into
your head, anyhow?"
"Something that dont seem to
have got in yours, husband sense:
TTtl i II. m -a
wnars tne gooa oi parading on
Labor day and letting the oppressors
of labor run things every other day?
If the two million union men of the
country can march together on Labor
day, why can't they vote together on
election day? You've been doing the
marching and the voting all these
years, husband. Novr we are going
to divide up. You are going to do the
marching just as you please, but 111
attend to the voting. You'll have to
cast the ballot, but it must be as I
say. And I'm going to vote thoughts
instead of prejudices."
EITHER
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DR.W. 0. COFFEE, 055 Century Bid., Des Moines, la.
in getting together to assert the dig
nity of labor on the ilrst Monday in
September, and then getting apart
on the Tuesday after the first Monday
in November simply because political e
bosses have their orders from tho'
trust magnates. We can't see the
sense of hollering for 'protection' and
then submitting to being robbed on
everything from the cradle to the
coffin."
"I don't know what's got into you,
ma," said Workem sorrowfully. I'm
sure I'm doin' the best I kno-v how."
"Of course you are, pa; but you
'don't know how very much.' That's
what I'm complainin' ahoKd.
"Well, .what can I do, ma?"
"That's easy. Get your fellow union
ists to vote as solidly for their in
terests as they .march to display the
dignity of labor. Vote for us women
and the babies instead of the wives
and babies of the men who are get
ting richer and richer every day off
of the 'protection' you talked about."
RHEUMATIS
ABSORBED
FROM THE BLOOD
The Capillaries now reached through the
large foot pores and forced to ifleld down
their acid Impurities. New Treatment
dlscoveredwhlch Is sent to anyone
FREE TO TRY
It you have Rheumatism send us your jMjinfl
today. You will get by returarnftiUpah-or
MaffloFoot Drafts the celebrated distovery
which is accomplishing sihafVhP world Tr?
in all the rheumatic countries of the w orlfl. iry
theDraf is thoroughly;, then if you are full sat
istted with the benefit received, send usunj
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Rnlft ludire We can afford to make tnib otro
2S?i?,iS5. tnmfts DO cure, and people
"But worner dS know nothing Jf Z f4VffiW Draf,
about politics ma." L-JJi ISffiorSiy reaeK
"Nothing about your kind of noli- Ktf.Mt MOmmmL '4?he capillaries
tics, thank goodness!" ejaculated Mrs., fiSPiBIPIIM, JthrouBu the areo
sorbins acid Jinuuri-
V directly from the Wood L without wMeji
publication rneunmu&Mi ;;;-" alreadv ie
Thousands all over the world re cure
joicintr over their safe and taexpei v ul
without medicine, and we hove thou fcw
Drift ' Co! XOld 01 ve7 Bid... Jje go
Our valuable book (in colors) on n11-" d D0
Workem. We women can't see where
we get any protection under a sys
tem that increases the expense of
housekeeping without adding some
thing to tlie pay envelope. We can't
see the difference between having our
husbands thrown out of work by a
uninaman and having them thrown
"Why her- SiatoS wSk ?Ut t TO ba "P "'yaetDsSit
YYuj, moiaer. exclaimed Workem.' from Hungary. We can't see the sense money-only your name and addi ess.
4Y
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