7
THE WAGE WORK
A Newspaper with a Mission and without a Muzzle that is published in the Interest of Wageworkers Everywhere.
VOL. 1
UXCOLN, NEBRASKA, DECEMBER 0, 1904
33
ER
The Pastor Speaks
Unto His Flock
The pastor of The Wagjworker flock
desires to take for his tet this morn
ing the words of the famous mission
ary: "Whoso lookelh into tlv perfect lav
of liberty and contlnueth therein, the
tunic being not a forgetful hearer, but.
i; doer, of the word, that man shall ie
blessed In his deeds."
Dearly beloved, the misslonar.'
meant what he sai l, and I; new what hi
was talking about. The first thins;',
therefore, for us to do is to ascertain
what "doing the wcrd" means. I went,
to another church last Sunday anJ
listened to the pastor of that flock.
Ho was preaching what he called a mis
sionary sermon, and he in;ide a tear
ful and effective plea for the benighted
heathens of far India an.l China who
knew net Gocl. His plea was very ef
ietive, too. It drew from my pocket
the dollar I had set aside for union
dues, and as a result I had to hustle
for another .plunk before I went to
union meeting. I don't begrudge the
dollar, bui l'e been thinking a whole
lot about that missionary sermon
since.
Right here and now permit me to
spy that thote who think ihey ought
to give their spare change to the
brathm. ct India und China havo my ,
gracious' permission to do so, but as
lor ycur pastor, clearly beloved, he '
going to pafs up the heathen of foreign
hinds for a, while and devote his feeble
iflcrts in behali of charity an'l brotli
uly kindness, to the unfortunate ones
i. blamed sight nearer home. After
laying him down to sleeo last Sua'ay
tiight your pastor beg.m thinking;
something that he does every once in
u while. He tried to think about the
unfortunate heathens or India and
Japan, but just as he pictured in hid
imagination., a &'epoy or a . Chinaman
wandering around in Ignoiance am!
superstition, the pinched and starving
laces of little children working in the
cotton mil's of Gecrgia an ! New Eng
land obtruded, and presto: ,Tho Sepc.j
rnd the Chinaman were jpne.
The pastors of the orthodox tlocu.i
love to talk of foreign heathen who
have never heard of God. That's all
right for them, I reckon, but your pas
tor hasn't got time for that sort of
thing. He has perlgricaied through
the East Side sections of New York
city and met thousand of children
yea, even men and women who never
heard the name of God uave in blas
phemy. He has met children with
iitarvcd and pinched feces whose
uunken eyes had never seen green
grass growing, who ha.l never seen
the salt water although the ocean lay
within a mile. wh never saw a flow
e bloom on Its native stem, and whora
the sight of a cow or a pig running
About alive would be better than any
circus to you or me. He has seen hnS-low-checU''d
widows worn to skeletons
working in foul tenement rooms or
sweatshop work, striving to Veep the
wolf c." starvation from the throats of
herself and little ones, and earning
the, munificent stipend of 20 cents in
sixteen hours in this beloved land f
liberty and great opport in'.ties.
"Not very one that tuyeth. Lord,
Lord!" That's what the Muster said.
And it gives your pasto a deep pain
to hear the preachers of the orthodox
churches growing eloquent over the
v.oes of the Sepoy and the Chink, but
with never a word for tho starving am.
(lying ones just around the corner of
the next block. Your pa:itor accumu
lates a feeling of weariness in his lum
bar regions when he hears an ortho
dox minister pleading for the be
nighted In foreign lands and forgetting
to thunder against the hypocrisy of
the smug-faced bloodsucker in the
cushioned pew whose ewy dollar is
red with the .blood of slain innocents.
Not that I love the S-jpoy and the
Chink lesH, dearlv beloved flock, but
that I love 'my neighbor more. . My
fellow worker In the vineyard. Broth
er John Marshall, says he can not
Join a labor union because it would
yoke him up with unbelievers. All
right for Brother Marsha1!. The only
(difference between us is that we don't
' interpret our bibles alike Bui I'm
jeady to join anything hang Tor its
object the betterment of my fellows.
I d Join anything that fed a starving
man, lifted a child from degradation
to hope, lighted with joy the eyes of a
widowed mother or, put a fellow man
on the road to happiness. I think a
whole lot cf Brothel Marshall's sincer
ity and admire his courage, but I stil!
Relieve that he is built on such a uar-
lrcw gauge that one of his wheels
could run on both rails. What do I
care whether the man who feeds th?
hungry is a Christian or not? After he
has fed the hungry is time enough
to worry about his immortal soul. An.i
l1.' he keeps on feeding the , hungry :
opine there is no need to worry about
his soul.
Now, dearly beloved, whai Is "doing
the word?" It we can answer that
question we are a long ways toward
the goal. I turn over a little further
and read what this same Missionary,
said. Hearken unto his voice:
"Pure religion and undented before
God the Father is this, to visit the fa
therless and widows in their affliction,
and to keep himself unspotted from
thte world." That's about it. The
paster has mislaid his bible for the
moment. What does the Missionary
mean by "visiting the fatherless and
the widows?" Nothing In God's world
but just what the Itbor unions are do
ing every day helping Ine unfortu-
nfcte, uplifting the fallen, caring for
the sick, burying the dead and making
l'fe Bright for all they can. What
does, the Missionary mean by 'keep
ing himself unspotted from the world,'
That's ea3y he means keeping away
from sinful pleasures, an I that sort of
thing. He never meant to warn .
Christian to keep cut of labor unions.
for certainly the noble work beir.it
dene by these unions along the lins
of moral and physical uplift is not
sinful.
Your pastor is opposed to the use cf
profanity. It's a foolish habn. B.u
oftentimes even your ;astor !3 in
clined to use a lino of cu;53 words cal
culated to laden the air with brimstone.
One cf these times is . when he see3
sora blood-sucking employer drop i
geld piece in the collection for foreign
missions, roll -hls-eyes heavenward with
a sanctimonious look, and then hike
homeward and figure on how he can
further reduce the wages of the poor
little children who are forced to toil in
his mills. Another time Is when we
lead of some philanthropic gent giving
a bunch of money to found a hospital
for Seooys .or Chinks accss the big
pond, and then think o? the tens of
thousands or poor devils in this land
of liberty and opportunity starvir.s;
ai.d 'dying without be. ng given a
thought by those same phll&nthronists.
I would rather buy a clean sheet to
go on the cot of the dying victim of a
sweat shop manager's greed .than to
found a hospital of . a hundred beds for
the use of Sepoys and Chinks in a
foreign land. I wouldn't give three
whoops In hades for the Christianity
of a man who will overlook the sick
ones at his own door In order to seo
the sick ones fifteen thousand miles
away in a foreign land and clime. And
I would rather be yoked up with un believers
in a labor union and feel
that I am helping my fellows right
here at heme, than to be yoked up with
believers whose hearts ."earn for tin?
poor Sepoys and Chinks, but never
a yearn for the victims o! greed right
here at home.
Dearly beloved, we will now sing the
closing ode and be dismissed.
A GREAT SERVICE.
How the Wabash Handled Its World's
Fair Traffic.
A GREAT SERVICE
A note from Harry E. M:or?.
Omaha, division passenger agent of
the Wabash, requesting a discontinu
ance of all Wabash exposition adver
tising, has been received by The Wag1;
worker. This reminds this great
I nion Family Necessity liiat the serv
ice established by the Wabash during
the St. Louis exposition was one of the
marvels of railroad enterprise. The
Wabash spent millions in preparing
for this service, and when the time
came it made good its every promise.
The Wabash carried more people int:
end out of St. Louis during the great
fair th-n any other road entering that
city, and its service was unexcelled.
PRINTERS ELECT.
Typographical Union Chooses Officers for
the New Year.
Lincoln Typographical I'nion No. 209
held Its semi-annual election of officers
last Sunday and the following were
elected:
President Frank M. Coffey.
Vice President H. C. Peat.
Financial Secretary F. H. Hebbarcl.
Record Secretary Albert Strain.
Sargeant-at-Arms J. G. Sayer.
Executive Committee Jesse Mickel,
C. C. Fodrea. H. W. Bingaraan.
Delegates to C. L. U. Jesse Mickel.
F. C. Greenley, Jj M. Leaden.
It was decided to skip celebrating
the union's anniversary with the an
nual ball, and to jcin with the Allied
Trinting Trades Council in giving a
ball in which all of the allied trades
would have a personal interest. The
subject of sweatship printeries was dis
cussed at some length and a plan for
mulated whereby it is hoped to in
duce the state printing board to give
work to printing offices that employ
good workmen and pay riving wages.
Cther matters of particular interest to
the union but of no particular interest
t.T the public were discussed. Two new
members were admitted, and several
new applications read.
CAPITAL. AUXILIARY.
Jolly Crowd Enjoys the Regular Monthly
Social.
The Omaha Auxiliary to the Typo
gtaphical Union will give a grand ball
President Roosevelt on Labor
Referring to "organized capital and
organized labor," the president says
that everyone appreciates the subject's
importance. He says that the peculiar
form of our government with Its divi
sion of authority between the nation
and several states, is undoubtedly re
sponsible for much of the difficulty of
meeting with adequate legislation the
new problems presented by the total
change in industrial conditions on this
continent during the last half century.
He says that in many cases it has
proved to be practically impossible to
get unanimity of wise action among
the various states on these subjects
and "from the very nature of the case,
this is especially true of the laws af
fecting the employment of capital in
huge masses.'' Continuing on this sub
ject he says:
"With regard to labor the problem
is no less important, but it is simpler.
As long as the states retain the pri
mary control of the police power the
circumstances must be altogether ex
treme which require 1 interference by
the federal authorities, whether in the
way of safeguarding the rights of la
bor or in the way of seeing that wrong
is not done by unruly persons who
shield themselves behind the name of
labor. If there is resistance to the
federal courts. Interference with the
mails, or interstate commerce, or mo
lestation of federal property, or if the
state authorities in some crisis which
they are unable to face call for help,
then the federal government may in
terfere; but though such interference
may be caused by a condition of things
arising out of trouble connected with
some question of labor the Interference
itself simply takes the form of restor
ing order without regard to the ques
tions which have caused the breach of
order for to keep order is a primary
duty and in a time of disorder and vio
lence all other questions sink into
abeyance until order has been restored.
In the District of Columbia and in the
territories the federal law covers the
entire field Of government; but the la
bor question Is only acute In populous
centers of commerce, manufactures, or
mining.
Nevertheless, both in the enactment
and in the enforcement of the law the
federal government when ' within its
restricted sphere should set an ex
amnle to the state governments, espe
cially in a matter so vital as this af
fecting labor. I believe it is often
necessarv, and even where not neces
sary it is yet often wise, that thre
should be organization of labor in pr
der better to secure the rights of the
individual waae-worker. All encour
agement should be given to any such
organization, so lorg as it is conduct
ed with a time and decent repard for
the rights cf others. There are in
this country some labor unions which
have habitually, and other labor nn ons
which have often, been among the most
effective agents In working for good
citizenship and for uplifting the condi
tion of these whose welfare should be
closest to our hearts. But when anv
labor union seeks improper ends, or
seeks to achieve proper ends by ".in
proper means, all good citizens and
more especially all honorable public
servants mutt oppose the wrongdoing
as resolutely as they would oppose the
wrongdoing of any great corporation.
Of course any violence, brutality or cor
ruption, should not lor one moment as
tolerated. Wageworkers have an entire
right to organize and by all peaceful
and honorable means to endeavor to
persuade their fellows to join them in
organization. They have a legal right,
which, according to the circumstances,
may or may not be a moral right, to re
fuse to work in company with men who
decline to join their organizations.
They have under no circumstances th?
right to commit violence upon those,
whether capitalists or wage-workers,
who refuse to support their organiza
tions, or who side with those with
whom they are at odds; for mob rule Is
Ir tolerable in any form."
The president adds: "The wage
workers are peculiarly entitled to the
protection and the encouragement of
the law. From the v;ry nature of
their occupation railroad men for in
stance, are liable to be maimed in do
ing the legitimate work of their occu
pation, unless the railroad companies
are required by law to make ample
next Monday night for the purpose of
raising money to fill a Christmas box
for the guests at the Printers' Home
at Colorado Springs. This Is an an
nual affair for the Omaha Auxiliary
and Its success Is already guaranteed.
The Wageworker would be delighted
to see a goodly delegation from Lin
coln ' in attendance uxkii the Omaha
affair next Monday night.
FROM SAM HOON.
A private letter from Sam Hoon con
veys the gratifying news that he i3
feeling a whole lot better. He is rus
ticating in the village of Denver, and
while he is enjoying himself as much
as possible under the . circumstances,
still his heart panteth for Lincoln as
the hart panteth for the water brook,
so to speak. He is gaining strength
dally and expects to he able to go io
worji when the springtime comes, gen
tle Annie.
provision for their safety. The admin
istration has been zealous in enforc
ing the existing lavs for this purpose.
That law should be amended ,nd
strengthened. Wherever the national
government has power there should
be a stringent employers' liability law.
which should apply to the government
itself where the government is an em
ployer of labor.
"In my message to the fifty-seventh
congress, at its second session. I urged
the passage of an employer's liability
law for the District of -Columbia. I
now renew that recommendation and
further recommend that the congress
appoint a commission to make a com
prehensive study of employers liability
with the view of extending the provi
sions of a great and constitutional law
to all employments within the scope of
federal power."
.The president says that medals of
honor should be provided to cover
cases of conspucuous bravery and self
sacrifice in the saving of life in. pri
vate employments on something the
same order as the government recog
nizes heroismN on the part of those
persons who endanger their lives "in
endeavoring to save life on the sea.
Referring to union labor in the fed
eral service, the president says: "There
is no objection to employes of the
government forming or belonging to
unions; but the government can neith
er discriminate for nor discriminate
against non-union men who are in its
employment, or who seek to be em
ployed unde- it. Moreover," it is a very
grave imprerrlety for government em
ployes to bend themselves together for
the purpose of extorting improperly
high salaries from the government.
Especially is this true of those within
the classified service. The letter car
riers, both municipal and rural, are as
a whole an excellent body of public
servants. They should be amply paid.
But their payment must be obtained by
arguing their claims fairly and honor
ably before th; congress, and not by
banding together for the defeat of
those congressmen who refuse to give
promises which they can not in con
science give. The administration haj
already taken steps to prevent and
punish abuses of this nature; , but it.
will be wise for the congress to supple
ment this action by legislation.
"Much can be done by the govern
ment in labor matters merely by giv
ing publicity to certain conditions. The
bureau c? labor has done excellent
work of this kind in many different di
rections. I shall shortly lay before yo:;
in a special message the full report of
the investigation of the bureau of labor
into the Colorado mining strike in
which certain evil forces, which are
more or less at work everywhere under
the conditions of modern industrialism!
became startlingly prominent. It is
greatly to be wished that the depart
ment of commerce and labor, through
the labor bureau, should compile and
arrange for the congress a list of the
labor laws of the various states, ami
should he given the means to investi
gate and report to the congress upon
the labor conditions in the manufa
turing and mining regions throughout
the country, both as to wages, as to
hours of labor, as to the labor of wom
en and children, and as to the effect in
the various labor centers of immigra
tion from abroad."
Referring to child labor, the presi
dent says: "In this investigation es
pecial attention should be paid to the
conditions o- child labor and child
labor legislation in the several states.
Such an investigation must necessarily
take into account many of the prob
lems with which this question of child
labor is connected. These problems
can be actually met, in most cases, only
by the state themselves; but the lack
of proper legislatior in one state in
such a matter as child labor often ren
ders it excessively difficult to establish
protective restriction upon the work in
another state having the same indus
tries, so that the worst tends to drag
down the better. For this reason, it
would be well for the nation at least
to endeavor to secure comprehensive
information as to the conditions of la
bor of children in the different states.
p'.h investigation and publication by
the national government would tend
toward the securing of approximately
uniform legislation of the proper char
acter among the several states."
The Parry Game
Be On Guard
The labor unions are finally waking
up to the game being worked by the
Parryites, and are getting together for
self protection. The old era of sel
fishness is doomed, for wisdom is dom
inating the unions these days, and
the men realize that they must stand
together, regardless of craft, for mu
tual self-protection.
The good results of having mutual
co-operation was never better shown
than in Chicago. The Parryites met
the unions in Rochester, Baltimore,
Philadelphia, Chicago and in other big
cities, and in every instance the Par
ryites won out in the demand for the
open shop. The exception was in Chi
cago. There the Parryites had the ad
vocates of the closed shop down and
all but out when the Teamsters came
to the rescue. The Team Drivers'
union jumped in and rescued the me
chanical tradesmen from the evils of
the open shop. A few vears ago me
chanics in the skilled trades had lit
tle but sneers for the muscular men
who held the reins over the backs of
the dray horses, but it is far different
now. The Teamsters' Union has
helped the skilled tradesmen out so
often that they have won a place in
all union hearts. 1
The Parryites held their annual con
vention in New York a couple of weeks
ago, and delegates from twenty-two
slates were present. The convention
adopted a resolution calling for the
adoption of the open shop plan in
every state of the union and pledging
every means to that end. Now bear
in mind that the men who are demand
ing the open shop are the men who
ccntrol legislators and judges. Judges
.ho owe their positions to undue polit
ical or business influence have already
paid for their jobs ty deciding that the
"closed shop contract" is illegal, and
that the parties to such a contract are
guilty of violeting the law. These. Par
ryites are making up a big defense
lund, and whenever .they see . a man
trying to break the union they fly to
his help and give him all the money ne
can use. They know full well that the
open shop means death to the labcr
unions, and all their palaver abotu
"tree and independent labor" is merely
guff to feed the credulous. They are
simply trying to break up the labor
unions so they may have the' working
man at their mercy.
Parry, the high priest of the "open
shoppers," talks glibly about "free and
independent labor," but ho pays his
employes starvacion wagC3. There are
"free and independent workingmen"
in Parry's carriage factory doing work
for $9 a week that workmen in other
factories are getting from $12 to $18
a week for doing. It is merely a
scheme to deal unionism a death blow
so that conscienceless g.-eed can feed
fnt cn the necessities of the working
man. The success of the open 3hop
crusade means greatly reduced wages.
That is the whole thing in a nutshell.
And as long as the Parry crowd can
single cut the unions and fight them
one at a time, the unioni are bound
to lose. The open shop is sapping the
vitality of trades unions all over the
country. It is a danger that confronts
every union a common danger that
the unions should fight in common.
BE ON GUARD.
The Open Shop Advocates Are Preparing
to Push Things.
' The attention of union men is
called to the following from the Sau
Francisco Argonaut, a paper which can
in no ense bs accused of oeing unduly
friendly to unionism. It exposes a
danger that confronts th.': labor un
ions cf the country, and is worthy of
careful consideration:
'.'Too much praise can not be accord
ed the American Federation of Labor
for having resolutely voted down the
resolution submitted to it denouncing
the militia of the several states. The
Federation has also refused to mako
any declarations in favor of socialism,
and its leading delegates have not hes
itated to condemn the employment of
force by the unions to achieve their
ends. All this 13 encouraging to the
country at large. But it still looks
as if we in S'an Francisco had a nasty
time ahead of us. It is the talk every
where that employers are getting ready
tu establish the open shop in January.
Herbert V. Ready, who describes him
self in Vol. 1. No. 1 of his newspaper,
the Message, as 'the famous strike
breaker,' says therein, frankly enough,
that his recent trip . to the East was
J. ( nAwmnnl flimionnh mAn nf all
in quest Ui. SCTCiai ULUuaak-.u luc. 7X. a..
trades to come to San Francisco. The
application blank that they were re
quired to sign contained this clause:
"Are you willing to go to San' Fran
cisco, or other California cities and
towns to work beside man and man.
('No distinction.) OPEN SHOP PLAN.'
He further states that a rate of onfi.
cent a mile has been arranged with
the railways to transport these men.
Mr. Ready, however, denies that he is
the agent either of the Citizens' Alli
ence (of which he is a member), or of
the Merchants' Association. He ar
firms that the whole ' scheme is his
own individually, though he has "an
army of friends whose numbers are
untold.' At least Mr. Ready appears
to have convinced the entire east of
the fact that San Francisco is going
to be the seat of a labor war very
scon. E.ven the Sun says: 'The em
ployers are going to make their fight
for the open shop. For over a year
they have been maturing their plans.
Now they believe they can invite a
struggle with the unions with a good
chance of a successful outcome.' "
DEATH OF MISS KOBALTER.
Popular Member of Commoner Force An
swers the Summons.
Miss Elizabeth Kobalter, aged 22, '
died at her home on South Tenth
street last Sunday morning, and was
buried at Wyuka cemetery Tuesday,
afternoon, the funeral services being
held at the family home. Miss Ko
balter was a member of the Common
er force and was a general favorite
with her associates. She became a
member of the force when the Com
moner was established, and was ' an
expert and faithful employe. The Com
moner office was closed Tuesday after noon
and the office force attended th?
funeral in a body. A special car car
ried the force to the cemetery, and
there, after the last rites, the dead
girl's associates filed slowly by the
open grave and each dropped upon the
casket a rose. It was a beautiful and
touching ceremony.
THE DIFFERENCE.
How Labor and Capital Are Mentioned in
. the Dailies.
A union man meets a fellow union
ist in distress. He digs down in his .
pocket and fishes up exactly half of al!
the money he has and gives it to his
unfortunate . brother. The newspaper
never prints a line about it. That's
labor.
A capitalist bribes a legislature or
a congress to give him the privilege
of : legally robbing the public. The
capitalist makes a rake-off of seven
million dollars, and with a great flour
ish of trumpets gives $50,000 to estab
lish an annex to a state university.
The newspapers print columns about .
the generous gift. That's capital.
And yet the union man who gave
half of what he had honestly earned
Is entitled to more praise than thr;
capitalist who gave a fraction of one
per cent of his swag back to the peo
ple from whom he had filched it. -
THE SUNDAY STAR.
A New Paper That Will, Be Always Up
to Date.
Beginning with Sunday, December
11, the Lincoln Daily Star will begin
the publication of a Sunday morning
edition, making it a seven day paper.
A new linotype machine will he added
to the battery already in position,
and the facilities will be made ample
tc handle the increased work, due to
the new edition. The Star has ar
ranged for a splendid telegraph 'serv
ice for the Sunday edition, and in ad
dition it will have many leatures that
will commend it to the general pub
lic, v. ?
The Lincoln Daily Star has had n
phenomenal growth' since its founda
tion three years ago, and ha3 already
taken high rank among the great and
progressive dailies of the country.
WE WANT TO KNOW.
The Wageworker wants to publish
everything of interest concerning the
labor unions of Lincoln. 'But the edi
tor is neither omnipotent nor omni
present, therefore he can : not give
news that he does not get. If your
union is going to give' an entertain
ment, hold an open meeting, indulge in
a social or elect officers, call up auto
phone 2277 and tell us about it. If
the editor does not answer the phone
his better half will, and she can write
it up just the same. Remember that
copy must be in by Thursday at 4 p.
m.