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About The Wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-???? | View Entire Issue (Nov. 24, 1905)
n r g ad 7Si cou n a u '-y a "-y UUIL WAl5nw lyJ 1 f 1 a I i f A Newspaper with a Mission and without a Muzzle that is published in the Interest of Wageworkers Everywhere. VOL.2 LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, NOVEMBER 24, 1905 ' NO 33 . i I " " THE HOLDOM INJUNCTION CASE A Capitalistic Judge Takes Another Step To , wards Czardom One More Step and Work ingmen Will Be Jailed if They Refuse to Workor Whatever Wage the Employers May Offer Time Has Come to Make a Stand for American Rights. The injunction issued by Judge Holdom of Chicago against the Chicago Typographical Union, and at the behest of the United Typo thaete, is an infringement upon czardom, a de nial of American rights to American freemen, and but one step removed from the shackling of American workingmen and making of them slaves with no more rights, than were enjoyed by the negro in the palmiest days of chattel slavcrv. From the injunction issued by Judge Hol dom to an injunction restraining workingmen from emitting work individually or collective ly is such a short step that the next capital controlled judge may be expected to take it. The man who violates the Holdom injunc tion has no way of defending himself. He is immediately thrown into jail on the charge of contempt of court, and may be held in dur ance vile at the pleasure of the offended judge. An injunction judge is at once legislature, judge and executor. He can make a law, de clare it constitutional, enforce it to suit him self and it becomes the law of the land through that convenient but damnable theory of "pre cedent." ' . The Chicago printers have conducted their battle within the law. If they are opposed to the employers today it is the fault of the em ployers. The printers were locked out by the Tvpothaete. There has not been a single case of disorder. There has not been a single case of assault. Poole Bros., members of the Typothaete, advertise for country printers and in their advertisements admit that there is no trouble. Typothaete leaders secure an injunc ' tion by claiming that the printers arc riotous, etc. Judge Holdom restrains the locked-out print ers from talking with the "rat" printers, from addressing them on the street, from collecting at or near unfair offices, from seeking to in duce the "rats" to quit work by promises of emoluments or other situations elsewhere. He restrains them from addressing the general public in an effort to induce the public to pat ronize only fair printing hoifses. Declaring (that there can be no such thing as "peaceful picketing" he restrains the locked-out print ers from maintaining a picket line. In short. Judge Holdom's injunction only allows the locked-out men to eat, sleep and breathe. Lawyers, ministers, doctors, merchants and even capitalists have denounced that injunction as an outrage. It is but one short step to czardom. If that injunction stands the next step will be to restrain employes from quitting work if they are not satisfied with their wages and treatment. And that will be the next step. When that step is taken the American work ingman will be worse off than the slave was before the war; worse off than the peasant of Russia, and will have no hope and no need of aspirations. The courts are today controlled by selfish capital. Men who pretend to be ignorant of the reason for the growing contempt of courts are either knaves or fools. There is a grow ing contempt for the courts because there is a growing knowledge that the courts are ruled by selfish capital and not by exact justice. The Holdom injunction goes further than any other injunction ever issued. The next one will shackle labor's limbs. Then capital will be satisfied. There is a remedy. It lies in the ballotbox. When workingmen get enough sense into their heads to line up in solid phalanx at the ballotbox, disregarding partisan prejudice and seeking only the good of themselves and their common country, there will be an end to the injunction business. The Holdom injunction must be fought through the supreme court of the United States. If it is upheld there, then God help the American workingman if he refuses to help himself. LAW AIDS ONLY THE RICH. Congregational Ministers of Chicago Discuss the Industrial Situation. Last Monday the Congregational Ministers' Union met, and the chief topic of discussion was the printers' strike and the industrial sit uation. The following report of the meeting is taken from the Chicago Record-Herald: Charges that there is not equality before the law in modern industrial life and that Judge Holdom's injunction against Typographical Union No. 1(5 contains a menace to personal liberty were made by speakers at a meetng yesterday of the Congregational Ministers' Un ion, which voted to have its opinion concern ing the merits of the printers' strike and the scope and basis of Judge Holdom's injunction placed on record. A committee composed of Dr. J. F. Loba of Evanston. Dr. F. G. Smith of the Warren Ave nue church and Rev. G. H. Bird of South Chi cago was appointed to draw up the opinion of the union after a motion to this effect had been made by Dr. Loba. who declared "the injunc tion restrains the printers from carrying on a work that is perfectly humane and just." "Miss Jane Addams presented a strong de fense of the printers and their conduct of the strike. She declared that a better educated public opinion is necessary before we can suc cessfully cope with industrial unrest. "The injunction issued by Judge Holdom is sweeping,"' said Miss Addams. "It even prohibits the defendants from inducing any em ploye of the complainants. to leave the latter's employment. If members of unions can be pro hibited from using peaceful persuasion we cer tainly are confronted with a serious situation. When unionists are prevented from employing such means they simply are driven to other methods. I know of no injunction that prohib its persons from 'inducing' others to join their ranks. The printers' strike is being conducted legally, carefully and righteously. "The tendency to shorten hours really is the spiritual side of trade unionism, of the eight-hour movement shows that it is humanitarian and results in better industrial development." "Equality before. the law is not true in in dustrial life today," said Mrs. Raymond Rob ins. "The prejudice against trade unionism by the educated class of America is a factor in our failure to have equality before the law in industrial life." Rev. W. A. Ellis, pastor of a branch of the Warren Avenue Congregational Church and a working member of the typographical union, declared the shorter hours and increases in wages obtained for him by the union resulted in his being able to serve as pastor of a branch of the Warren avenue church when its mem bers were unable to pay for one. President Wright of No. 1G enlightened the ministers concerning the benefits obtained by the union for its members, while Oragnizer J. C. Harding, discussed Judge Holdom's injunc tion. "If a judge can issue an injunction restrain ing the typographical union from seeking new members, then there is no reason why he can not issue an injunction prohibiting the Con gregational church from seeking new con verts." said Harding. "The effect of the in junction issued by Judge Holdom has been to create a feeling among some of the strikers that violence be resorted to. Some one has said to unionists: 'If you want to succeed you must own a judge!' Judge Holdom's injunc tion means the destruction of personal lib erty." The report of the committee that was ap pointed will be presented for adoption at the next meeting of the ministers' union. A repre sentative of the Chicago Typothaete will be invited to present the side of the master print ers at that time inorder that no conclusion may be reached before both sides of the con troversy are given a hearing. COULD NOT BE OTHERWISE. The Minneapolis Excursion Was a Huge Success From All Points. The "cornhusker" special over the North western to Minneapolis last week was a mag nificent success. The fact that the Nebraska team was ignominously defeated cuts no figure so far as the special trains are concerned. There never was a better arranged service than that provided by the Northwestern on this occasion, and eveything that would contribute to the comfort and convenience of the excursionists was there. R. W. McGinnis, the general agent located at Lincoln, accompanied the excursion, and he was the busiest man in seventeen states. The equipment was the very best, the running time broke all previous excursion record-?, the most minor detail was looked after. The editor has gone upon many excursions, but never on one that he enjoyed more. It was a cheery crowd both going and coming, the disastrous defeat having no effect upon the spirits of the crowd after it had fairly started on the return journey. But any crowd would have been happy under such circumstances. Strangers along the Northwestern line who knew nothing of the circumstances might well be pardoned if they thought the two special trains were carrying a couple of parties of railway magnates, judging by the elegant trains and the high speed maintained. "We'll get to Minneapolis before S o'clock in the morning." said Mr. McGinnis. It was just 4 :4() when the first section stop ped at the Minneapolis union depot. "We'll get to Lincoln by 8:30 in the morn ing." said Mr. McGinnis. It 'was just 8::?0 when the first section stopped at the Lincoln depot. THE POOR OIL TRUST. Business So Bad It Cannot Increase Its Teamsters' Wages. The Standard Oil company pays its drivers $2 a daj'. Last week the drivers petitioned the Standard Oil company for an increase in wages, submitting statistics proving that after paying for food, rent and fuel they had left a margin of .1 cents a day with which to pur chase clothing. The Standard Oil company refused the in crease, stating that business did not warrant it. A few days before the Standard Oil com pany declared its regular semi-annual dividend. It made the total dividend for the year 40 per cent. Mr. Rockefeller's share of the annual dividend was upwards of $40,000,000. Just think of it : A company paying a dividend of 40 cents on actual and watered capital, and refusing to pay its team drivers more than $12 a week. The Wageworker moves a collection for the relief of the poor old Standard Oil company. INDUSTRIAL SLAVERY IN SIGHT The Law and the Rights of the Individual Recent Injunction Rulings, if They Hold, Will Reduce, the Worker-1 to a Condition . Little Better Than African Slavery Workingmen Asked to Stand Like the Dumb Ox Will They Do It? Several months ago the union printers de clared for an eight-hour day. Many years ago the union printers declared for the closed shop. ; All printers employing union men agreed to this condition. All the members of the Typothetae accepted the condition. Answering the notice of the printers that they would stand for eight hours on January 1, the members of the Typothetae declared for an Immediate Open Shop. Then there were lockouts and strikes. A judge has enjoined the printers from picketing. The injunction goes further than any similar instrument ever uttered by a judge. Every plea of the seekers for the injunction is granted. The printers alleged they were conducting their fight within the law. They asked men to quit work, they sought to do peaceful picketing, but Judge Holdom avers that any sort of picketing is against the law. The judge also severely denounces any at tempt at boycotting. All of his ruling may be according to law as made in Illinois and in terpreted by courts. The next question that employers will prob able make effort to have settled against work ing men is that If They Strike or Quit Work Simultaneously They Break the Law. Labor under the Law Will Then Be Reduced to the Condition That Marked African Slavery Before The War. The printers should not violate the letter of the ruling. They should ask for a rehearing at once, and in the event of losing appeal the case. But if these men are enjoined. what about those firms in Chicago, not parties to this fight, that combined and warned employers that if they made terms withrthc printers they would get no work ? You denounce the sympathetic strike. You may be right, but how about the sympathetic boycott against firms that agreed to the print ers' requests ? But this will run the law until the law-maker feels a responsibility to the individual as well as to the corporate influences that hire and maintain lobbies in the legislation halls. You talk of the dignity or labor, and yet you will make the man who toils with his hands like unto the dumb ox. Union printers are not law-breakers. They represent a craft that was the forefront of the revival of learning. They are men of informa tion and men of honorable dealing. They do not encourage strikes. They-never strike unless driven to it. But still they must stand as the dumb ox. Workers will get the liberty that is taken from them in the name of the law when they go into politics, not as fee grabbers and graft ers, but in sending men to the legislature who will make laws on the basis of equal rights to all and privileges to none. Then they can bring about the election of judges who will base their opinions on the Declaration of Independence rather than the common law of England that had its founda tions in the centuries whon the man who toiled in the heat of the sun was an inferior animal. Chicago Examiner. HOW NOT TO DO IT. Some Pointers on How to Bust the Home Industry Propaganda. AVant to help the home industry boom? Well, here is a good way to avoid doing it. Buy a Lee broom, made at the penitentiary by convicts. Every convict made broom used in Lincoln reduces the income and the purchas ing ability of the free broommakers. Buy a non-union cigar made in a New York tenement or a Philadelphia sweat shop. . Every such cigar purchased in Lincoln reduces the income and the purchasing ability of Lincoln cigarmakers. But attending carefully to such little details you will be able to put "Lincoln on the bum," and then you can strut around and tell what a dull old town this is. HOW IT MIGHT WORK. The Holdom Injunction Carried to Its Logical Conclusion is Ridiculous. Judge Holdom's injunction restraining Chi cago union printers from seeking new mem bers, would if carried to its logical conclusion, prevent a Church from seeking new converts. A church that inaugurated a revival might secure a convert from another church. This would arouse the antagonism of the church losing its members and it would immediately or could go before Holdom judge and secure an order restraining the first church from continuing its revival. Silly? Not at all. It's just as sensible as the Holdom injunction against the Chicago printers. Dismiss prejudice from your mind and think it out for yourself. TO PRESIDENT GOMPERS. A Little Advice That Should Receive Some Little Consideration. If President Gompers of the American Fed eration of Labor is not above listening to ad vice from an humble toiler in the vineyard, The Wageworker would like to offer it. President Gompers, cut out the Civic Feder ation business! . ....... After spending his best years in fighting and crushing labor unions Mark Hanna suddenly got into politics and found it necessary to play for the labor vote. Just as suddenly he discovered that he loved the laboring man. And just as suddenly he became a convert to unionism after a fashion. Then he organized the Civic Federation. It was a beautiful gold brick, and Samuel Gompers, John Mitchell, and numerous other labor leaders invested. "We -want to reconcile labor and capital," is the cry of the Civic Federationists. As well try to harbor love and hate in the same heart. As well try to reconcile oil and water. No man can serve two masters. The man who works for dollars only never works for mankind. W'ho is at the head of the Civic Federation now ? . Perry Belmont. And who is Perry Belmont, pray? He is the gentleman so earnestly striving to reconcile capital and labor that he imported ten thousand thugs, sluggers, "scabs" and law breakers into New York City to defeat the demand of the Subway employes for decent wages and reasonable hours. And Samuel Gompers sits at the banquet board with the Perry Belmonts and talks with them about "reconciling capital and labor." Cut it out, 1 President Gompers. The Civic Federationists are using you, and a man of your mental calibre should have "caught on" long ago. A PLEASANT VISIT. Minneapolis Typographical Union Alive to the Work It Has to Do. ' Last Sunday the editor of The Wageworker had the pleasure of visiting with and address ing Minneapolis Typographical Union No. 42 . The Minneapolis and St. Paul Unions are bear ing, the brunt of the eight-hour fight for the entire northwest, and they are making a gal lant fight, too. At last Sunday's meeting the union unanimously decided to increase the as sessment from 10 to 15 per cent. Every speech was in favor of the increase, and every declara tion that the assessment would be made 50 per cent if necessary was cheered to the echo. The St. Paul union met on the same day and passed a similar resolution. ' " ' President Gould and Secretary O'Donnell are leading the fight like the veterans they are. They have lined up every union in the city in support of the printers, and were it not for the fact that the National Manufacturers' associa tion is behind the employers the Typothaete would have been licked to a finish before the end of the second week. The editor spoke for a couple of minutes, and it was an inspiration to look into the faces of 500 earnest printers who are determined to have what is coming to them, and who are equally determined to stand by their brethren who are on strike. UNION LABOR'S SWEEP. Fusion of Old Parties Routed in San Fran cisco Election. The union labor party achieved an astonish ing triumph at San Fransisco in Tuesday's battle at the polls. From the head of the ticket down to the.18.th nominee for supervisor every union labor candidate was elected. Mayor Eu gene E. Schmitz being returned to office for a third term by a majority of 11,500 over John S. Partridge, the joint nominee of the republi can and democratic parties. The remainder of the Schmitz ticket was elected by majorities ranging from 4,000 to 7,000. The clean sweep astounded the fusion leaders. There is a dis position'at the democratic and republican head quarters to attribute the result to the voting machines, which-were used at every voting place. It is declared that followers of Schmitz, in their fear of becoming involved in intricacies of the apparatus by voting split tickets, solved the problem by the simple method of voting straight tickets. Following is the complete vote for mayor: Schmitz, (union labor), 40, 191; Partridge (fusion). 28,687; Schniitz's ma jority 11,504. THE DIFFERENCE. A Little Matter That the "Hundred Thousand Club" Boomers Should Study. Last Monday was payday at the Havelock shops. The shop workers are men, .and are pretty well organized. It took over $30,000 to pay them for their month's work, and the average monthly wage was upwards of $60. Why?. Because they are men, and .because they are organized. An equal number of wage earners in the Lin coln Overall and Shirt factory would have been paid only one-third as much, yet they would have worked longer hours. Why? Be cause they are women and unorganized. . ' Organized labor demands equal pay for equal work, and fair pay for the work. Which is the better a factory that employs union labor or a factory that takes advantage of the necessities of the workers and pays 'ihe least pittance possible? . THE EVERYDAY CHRISTIANITY Rev. Charles Stelzle Says if the Church is Not Interested in the Abolition of Sweat Shops and Unsanitary Conditions, He Will Leave It and Stick to His Labor Union An Earnest Preacher Talks Straight From the Shoulder. . v The church has a great social mission. If I felt that it was not interested in the every day affairs of men in the abolition of the sweatshop and of child labor; in the securing, of better sanitary conditions for working peo ple I would cut out the church and line up with' the trades union even more strongly than I do. It is because I believe that the church is concerned about these things that I shall continue to work through the -church for the secUring of better things for working men and their families.. . .. - ., It is an institution which not only prepares mentor death, but, triore important still it teaches them Jiow to :. live. Unfortunately some workingmen have thought of it as some thing which has to do only with the sickness, death and cemeteries, and that the preacher was a handy man to have around in case of a funeral. It !s interesting td note, by the way, that the average preacher usually responds to such a call. . ' , Christianity believes in brighter homes, bet ter schools, more beautiful cities and cleaner governments. If Christian men were in the majority in our great cities, more of the evils found in them would be wiped out. They are not in the majority, however, and never have been. This is sometimes forgotten when the church is sneered at by its enemies, who ask why it is that after so long a trial it has not succeeded in . Christianizing the cities. While much has been done through its ' influ ence, Christianity has really never been tried. The churches have bec6me centers for 'he intellectual life of the people as well as for the development of their spiritual life. Open every night and nearly all day, as many of the mare, for concert courses and lecture ser ies, free dispensary and, sayings bank, sewnig school and cooking class,. boys clubs and read ing rooms, men's clubs ' and -iibrarv, -music classes and . women's club's, and e('ervthnig else that is" helpful and inspiring so 'far as ' their means will permit and the community demand) these all indicate that the church has a vital interest in the "here and now" as well as in the "hereafter." r Sometimes workmen have " said that the church is not doing enough for the needs of a certain community. They forget , that as "a rule the particular church which they are crit icising is composed of their neighbors, who are better off than themselves, but who are striving to supply church privileges for the people living in the district. If the average workingman believes in this work of the ' church, he can render his fellowmen a great service by helping it through his personal ef forts. For the question of helping the people in the neighborhood is not so much a question of money as it is a problem of flesh and blood, viz: the willingness o fmen to give themselves to the work of helping others. The high thinking workman best understands the needs of those with whom he associates and he can suggest many things to the minister who, with his co-operation, can carry out his practical plans for the betterment of the whole com munity. Almost any minister will gladly talk over with a workingman any plan that he may have for helping his fellowmen. Anyway, try it and see how he will respond. HERE IS A REASON. -1 . Why the Workingmen Have a Growing Con tempt For the Courts. ' Want to know why the workingmen .of the country have a growing contempt for ,the courts? Well, here are a couple of cases, and when you have read them you will know. A few years ago a poor and friendless young man was arraigned in the United States court at Omaha on the charge of robbing the mails. He had held up a star route mail carrier and secured the magnificent sum of just two cents. The federal judge sentenced him to the federal penitentiary for life. . This is a solemn fact, for -the editor of The Wageworker was right there, reported the trial and heard the sentence inflicted. y Last week Bartlett Richards, a wealthy cat tleman of northwest Nebraska, was arraigned in that same federal court at Omaha. He was( charged with stealing and using 212,000 acres" of government land. He entered a plea of guilty. Bartlett Richards was fined $500 and sen- tenced to the custody of the United States marshall for six hours. The poor devil who got two cents was sent up for life. ' The rich man who stole 212,000 acres of land had to visit with the United States marshall six hours. . ' The prosecution of the poor man cost the government upwards of $7,000. , A life sentence for the poor man. A six-hour sentence for the rich man. ' ' Do you understand now why the working men of the country believe that there is one law for the rich and another for the poor? - Does this explain the growing contempt for the courts? ' ,1