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A Newspaper with a Mission and without a Muzzle that is published in the Interest of Wageworkers Everywhere.
'OL. 2
LTNCCXLN, NEBRASKA, F.E15RITAISX 2, I00(i
. NO. 43 ,
GUILD A LABOR TEMPLE NOW
Lincoln Craftsmen Can Do It Easily if They
Will Set Their Minds Upon the Task Why
Business Men and Employers Generally
Would Help the Work Along Only Hustle
and Confidence Necessary to Win.
With upwards of 2.000 union men drawing
irood waees rccularly, and with a liberal, and
progressive lot of business meji, Lincoln ought j
to have a splendid Labor Temple. It would j
advertise the city, it would be an insurance j
against labor troubles, it would tend towards
making wage earners settle down, and it
would be a vast benefit to every interest in
the city. That nothing but talk has been ac
complished thus far is discreditable alike to
the unions and to their members. Every un
ionist recognizes the necessity. All hope
that something will be done in the near future.
And all with whom this labor newspaper has
talked have expressed a willingness to help. '
Then why not quit talking about it so much,
and get down' to business?
A good start is half the task. "Well begun
is half done."
Not only' would a Labor Temple be a good
financial investment, but it would be a good
moral investment. The city needs such a pub
lic building.' The workingnicn need such a
central place of meeting.
Thirty-five thousand dollars is ample for all
needs. Half of it in cash will insure the com
pletion of the building. The rental will pay 6
per cent on the -balance, 6 per cent to the in
vestors and provide a sinking fund.
A stock company with a capital of $:15,000,
divided into 7,000 shares of ?5 each, should be
organized at once, officers elected and stock
subscriptions opened up. Five thousand of
these shares should be snapped up by loyal
union men in a very short time. The other
two thousand need not be issued at once, but
doubtless could be and disposed of outside of
the unions.
The Central Labor Union should have car
ried this matter out long ago, Tntt'has'not. "It"
should get busy right away. The Central La
bor Union meets next .Tuesday evening, and
"very union man interested , in the Labor
Temple project . should be there tostart the
ball. rolling. ,
Let's -quit talking and get busy 1 . . ;.
TALKING OF SHEJRLOCK, JUNIOR.
His Investigations in Lincoln Watched With
Interest by Unionists Elsewhere. '
Will M. Maupin is the editor of the Lin
coln (Neb.), Wageworker, and he is something
of a live man as well. Recently he started to
investigate through his paper the real attitude
borne by local unionists toward union labels
and union-made goods.. What did he find?
Now, gentle reader, what do you think he did
find? The representative of his paper found
almost everything and everybody wrong. He
started out among the union printers and found
them using "scab" coap, wearing "scab" hats.
chewing scab tobacco and smoking scab
cigars and tobacco. That's as, far as he got,
but it was far enough to make him wish to go
no farther. Is it any different in Lincoln, Neb.,
:. : :., th t: t at
null) wnai n la in viinagis, jii., A-.isuirt,
St. Paul. Minn., or any other large city in the
United States, with the possible exception of
San Francisco? Not a whit! Physician, cure
thyself. If men have the courage to go out
and "scab" openly and notoriously in the print
ers or any other trade arc they th- only un
clean ones? Pluck the mote from your neigh
bor's eye while looking for the beam in your
neighbor's eye. St. Paul Union Advocate,
LINCOLN LOSES A GOOD MAN.
J. R. Hunting Leaves to Accept a Better Posi
' '' tion in the Effete East.
For the past year and a half "Mr. J. R." Hunt
ing has been manager of the new business de
partment of the Lincoln Gas & Electric Light
Co., but he has teen called higher, and. leaves
soon to take the nianagemeni of the, gas com
'pany's business at Lebajion, Pa. Mr. Hunting
has demonstrated, his friendship for. organized
labor on 'every possible occasion, and his de
parture from Lincoln is to be regretted. He is
a. thorough business man, and. under his man
agement the new business of the local company
.increased wonderfully. Pleasant, affable and
always hustling, Mr. Hunting has proved him
self a business man and has won a wide circle
of friends among unionists in Lincoln.
The Wageworker wishes Mr. and Mrs.
Hunting every possible success in their new
home, and congratulates Lebanon and her peo
ple on their acquisition.
WHAT SHERLOCK FOUND.
Illinois Labor Paper Draws a Moral From the
Great Detective's Work.
The Lincoln Wageworker has secured the
services of Sherlock Holmes, jr., to make the
rounds of union shops and investigate the Un
ion Label question. He heard one union spout
er boasting of his unionism under a Stetson
hat another anathematizing a scab faicory
across the street while washing his hands with
scab soap; oihers who boasted of their willing
ness to pay Hf ei't to support me primers
strike carrying plugs of scab tobacco; another
union shouter who selected by choice .a '"Cre-
mo" cigar, and still others equally guilty of
patronizing scabs.' And yet it would offend
these gentlemen very much to be told they are
injuring the union movement almost as much
in buying scab goods as the scabs who make
the goods Streator Trades and Labor Gazette.
GOMPERS TALKS STRAIGHT.
'Declares He Would Assert His Rights De- j
spite All Despotic judges. j
President Samuel Gompers of the American j
Federation of Labor, was in Chicago last week, j
and while there made a characteristic speech i
before Typographical Union No. 10. The j
meeting was held in Bricklayers' hall and was j
attended by nearly 2,000 printers, and Presi- j
dent Gompers paid particular attention to the j
outrageous decision of Judge Holdout in the j
injunction case brought against the local
Typographical Union. j
"If I am enjoined things which I have a
constitutional right to do, I will maintain my
rights and ignore the injunction," he declared.
The remark was greeted With cheers.
"The decision of Judge Hoi dom is one of the
most contemptible utterances ever spoken
from the bench," said Mr. Gompers. "If Pres
ident Wright is guilty of the charge of trying
to induce men to wreck the. machinery in the
Donohue plant he should be indicted and given
a trial by a jury of his peers, instead of being
taken into court and punished at the caprice
and whim of a prejudiced judge.
"This fight for the shorter day," he said, "is
universal throughout the country, but the em
ployers still assert that the printers cannot
have eight hours. It has been two and one
half years since they were given warning that
an eight-hour day was to be established in the
printing industry, and still they assert that
they have not had time to meet the changed
conditions. It is the old story they damn us
if we do and they damn us if we don't. I am
more confident at this moment than I have
'ever been that the printers of our country will
never again return to a nine-hour day. Do
they think that we progress crab-fashion ?"
Prejudiced and subservient judges are to-.
day doing more to create anarchy, contempt
for the law and for the courts., than any other
agency. It is tune, for American wage, .earners
to get busy. They, will never be free until the
courts arc free.
HOW IT "CAME OUT."
Augusta, Ga., Chronicle Printer Walk Out
and Associated Press Reports It.
The morning papers of January 31 contained
. the following dispatch :
"Augusta. Ga., Jan. 30. The Augusta
Chronicle issued a paper as usual today, al
though every union printer walked out last
night." '
To be sure it did. This is a day of "reprint
copy" and "boiler . plate." But the Chronicle
did not get out "as usual," despite the Asso
ciated Press dispatch. Instead of being full
of local and telegraph news it was full of mat
ter set up as "time copy" and plate matter pur
chased at so much per running foot. A saw, a
mallet, a box of quoins and a ton or two of
pewter plates, and any man can get out a daily
paper. But not "as usual."
The- bluff of the Chronicle and the Asso
ciated Press will not work. The printers are
on to that game "as usual."
DO NOT .MAKE THIS MISTAKE.
Sympathy for Striking, Brethren No Excuse
for Violation of Solemn Contracts.
The strike of union housesmiths in New
York threatens to bring on a sympathetic
strike among other building trades. If such a
sympathetic strike means the violation of con
tracts entered into between employers and em
ployes, we protest against it. Let the employ
ers .commit all the violations of contracts
Unions can not afford that sort of thing. A
contract once entered into by a trades union
; should be as inviolate as the laws of the Medes
and Persians. For a trades union to violate
a contract is to .incur the enmity of the gen
eral public-r-something that ro man or no un
ion can afford.
We wish the housesmiths of New York suc
cess in their efforts to maintain the closed" shop
and. secure better wages and conditions. But.
they will not be helped, and other trades un
ions will be injured, by any strike that means
the violation of contracts already entered into.
FACTS ABOUT CARPENTERS.
Total Membership of 161,217, and Paid Out
Last Year in Benefits $185,682.20.
Frank Duffy, general secretary of the Unit
ed Brotherhood "of Carpenters and Joiners, in
his annual report shows that; there are 1,759
local unions of the brotherhood in the United
States, Canada, Porto Rico and the Hawaiian
islands, with a total membership of 161,217. A
iarge number of members were thrown out of
employment for several months through the
severity of last winter, and it is estimated that
fully .50,000 members became .delinquent. The
great revival in the building industry enabled
these men to get back to work, and all have
paid up and are again beneficiary members.
The benefits paid in the last fiscal year on
1,510 claims amounted to $1S5.(;82.20. The
amount expended in support of strikes and
lockouts during that period was $75,410.37. .
TYPOGRAPHICAL UNION NEWS
A Great Week in Printing Circles -Omaha
Printers Enjoined and Chicago Printers
Sent to Jail, and Still They Win Lincoln
Typographical Union No. 209 Will Cele
brate Twenty-fourth Anniversary on Feb
ruary 22. . -
The past week has been a strenuous one in
printing circles. In Omaha Judge Sears grant
. ed the Typothaete an injunction restraining
the union printers . from doing anything . but
breathe, and mighty little of that. They are
restrained from talking to "rats," restrained
from offering them inducements to quit their
meanness, restrained from soliciting business -if
the union printer happens to be running a
little job shop of his own. The injunction is
temporary and made returnable on February 7.
Otherwise conditons in Omaha remain about
the same. It seems to be a still hunt all
around.
In Chicago there has been a lot of things
doing. Injunction Judge Holdom has had a
chance to "play even" with the union men who
have been grilling him for his subserviency to
the Parryites, and he took full advantage of
it. Without trial he has found President,
Wright of No. l(i guilty of contempt of court,
fined him $100 and sentenced him to jail for
thirty days. President W right was denied a
jury, trial, had no opportunity of presenting
evidence and was railroaded through to satis
fy the offended dignity of a 2x1 judge. An-
TURN IT
The Lincoln City Directory for 1906 is being printed in Sioux City. A
promise teas made to the allied printinq trades that it would be printed in
Lincoln. Adoertising contracis toere made on that assurance. x The Lincoln
City Directory should be printed in Lincoln by men who spend their toages in
Lincoln. A city directory printed elsewhere is entitled to no consideration.
Lincoln business riien tcouid be doing themselpes justice and their patrons a
f aoor by refusing to spend another dollar for it. Already their confidence
has been ciolated. They should proceed at once "to organize a company to j
issue a city directory from a Lincoln printing office, and let the money paid
for it come back to them from men toho make their homes here,
other member of the Chicago union was fined
and sentenced to jail. Notice of appeal has
been given and Chicago Typographical Union
No. Ki may be depended upon to fight the usur
pation of Judge Holdom until hades shall have
boiled down to a poultice.
The Omaha injunction is about- the worst
that ever happened. It is such a flagrant dis
regard of public privileges that even people
not in sympathy with unionism should pause
and consider it. Judge Sears actually enjoins
the union printers from writing letters to the
employes of the unfair printing firms. Think
of it a jim crow judge of the district court
taking jurisdiction over the United States
mails. Judge Sears is a Jerusalem pony. Just
such Judges as Sears are responsible for the
growing contempt of the people for our courts.
Locally everything is moving along nicely.
Work has been unusually good for this season
of the year, and the boys are not worrying
about employment. The Typographical union
meets next Sunday, and amonsj other business
will complete ' arfahgenients for the twenty
fourth annual ball of the organization. Messrs.
Maupin, King and Turner Were named as a
committee to arrange for this anniversary. The
committee met one evening last week, together
with a committee from Capita! Auxiliary, and
named the following sub-committees:
Finance Maupin, Ihringer; Coffey.
Printing King, Sam North, B. A- George.
Reception Turner, Bustard. Greenley, Mar
shall; Howe, Mesdames Norton, Smith, Barn
grover, Sayer, Ihringer.
Floor -Bustard, Simmons.. Bostrom. Leaden,
Brenner, Mickel (F. W.), Mickel (J. E.), Pent
zer. Wathan. Dobbins, McVicker.
Door -Sayer, Peat. . .
Check Room Huckins, Reiger, Wilson.
The ball -will be held at Fraternity : hall on
Thursday evening, February-22, and music will
be furnished by -Reid's orchestra, two members
of which are members of Lincoln Typograph
ical Union. Refreshments will be-served, this
feature being in charge of Capital Auxiliary'
No. 11. Tickets $1 per couple, extra lady 50
cents. The above arrangements will be -subject
to the approval of the union at Sunday's
meeting.
Last week's Colorado Springs Labor News
conveyed' the information that the wives of
Colorado Springs union printers had just or
ganized an auxiliary with twenty-five charter
members. The president-elect is Mrs. Sam A.
Hoon. who was the first president of Capital
Auxiliary No. 11. Mrs. Hoon is a zealous and
active worker, and we congratulate the Colo
rado Springs Auxiliary on their first presiden
tial choice. Mr. Hoon has been working in
Colorado Springs for several months. ' There
are no better union men in the I. T. U. than
Sam Hoon.
Capital Auxiliary No. 11 celebrated its third
anniversary at Bohanon's hall last Friday
evening, and it was the most largely attended
social in thes history of the organization. H.
W. Smith officiated as master of ceremonies
and introduced the speakers. Mrs. Norton,
president of the organization, made a neat lit
tle speech iri which she welcomed the visitors
and explained , the objects of the Auxiliary.
President Greenley of the Typographical Un
ion said he would tell why the Auxiliary was a
good thing if it were not. for the fact he
couldn't talk all night. Several musical selec
tions were rendered, and short addresses given
and then the rest of the evening was spent in
social pleasure. A luncheon was served by the
Auxiliary. ;
. President ' Greenley, Vice President Peat
and Executive Committeeman Bingaman went
to Omaha last Sunday and visited with the
Omaha union.
JABBED GEN. OTIS HARD.
Los Angeles Union Lands on Solar Plexus of
a Chronic Union Hater.
Wrord comes from Los Angeles that the un
ions on Strike, in that city for the establish
ment of the eight-hour day (the affiliated
trades are standing together in that place)
have won the advantage of drawing first blood
from the enemy. As a part of the Typothaete
program it was arranged with the notorious
Times establishment to assist the various
struck offices by loaning men and executing
orders for work that could not be delayed. Otis
has always endeavored to "keep a large force
of employes'in his establishment, giving steady
work to the best men and only enough to those
of mi ilini 1 1 ilnlil i mil nli i to en
courage' them to hang- enNarfrqally, an es
tablishment of this charcterySi be of
great help to the . TvpothaetFin2Kaes of
trouble. Just at the moment when theJSjies
DOWN.
office" was beginning to assist the Typothaete
in a substantial manner, twenty employes (17
compositors and 3 pressmen), the best men in
the office, put on their hats and walked out.
This occurred Friday, of last week. Just now
the Times is -busy looking after its own
troubles and instead of proving a serious ob
stacle to the eight-hour movement in Los An
geles, it is. in the unexpected position of look
ing for-fKUp to, handle its own work. This is
an old trick, of course, in the management of
printers' strikes, but the writer does not recall
a single instance in the history of the I. T. U.
where it has been played at a more opportune
moment and where the damage to the enemy
has been more disastrous. Labor Clarion. '
ELIOT'S "HEROES" START THINGS.
"Scab" Miners Attack Union 'Representatives
and a Pitched Battle is the Result.
Goldeld, Nev., Jan. 27. -Jack Gineau lies
dead in the morgue at Tonopah tonight and
George Cole, a memb.er of the legislature from
New York county, is shot through the arm as
the result of a pitched battle between union
and non-union miners at Cliffords, on the Man
hattan road. Sheriff Tom Logan this evening
placed eight non-union men who are charged
with precipitating the trouble, under arrest and
brought them to Tonopah tonight under a
strong guard to prevent lynching. As soon as
the news of the shooting reached Goldfield,
Sheriff Carberry assembled a ppsse to go to the
scene of the trouble. -
George Cole, who was for years' president
of the Delamar Miners' Union, with a com
mittee of . uniorjjjifHjr s went to Cliffords, -the
. scene' -of a 'strike, to interview miners charged
with working for less than $5, the union scale.
A man named Pittis is said to have opened
fire, shooting Cole through the arm and Gineau
through the lungs. A hand to hand battle en
sued, which concluded with the escape of the
non-union men, who for a-time defied the citi
zens' posse. The arrival of Sheriff Logan up
on the scene resulted in the recalcitrants giving
themselves up. "V . ;.
DELIVERS AN ULTIMATUM.
Miners Must Have an Increase of Wages or ,
There Will Be No Agreement.
; John Mitchell, president of the United Mine
Workers of America, speaking on behalf of his
union, said last Wednesday that there must be
an increase in wages or there will be no agree
ment. . . . . . '
This looks, like trouble. The mine owners
have declared fhat they will not grant an 'in
crease. They iare very emphatic in this as
sertion, i
Conference have been in progress ior? a
week or moije, but to no purpose. . The mityers
are asking bait 5 per cent increase, that baing
the amount of the reduction two years agoJ At
-the present time it looks like big troubleV in!
the -coal regions. . . i ,
THE BIBLICAL GREAT "DIVIDE"
The Early 'Christians Did Not Practice Com- ',
munism as It is Taught by Modern Adher
ents of That SchoolWhat They Really Did
Preach and PrcR Was Brotherhood
Rev. Charles Stelal-j Regular Weekly Ser
mon for Wageworker Readers.
Communism is peculiarly attractive to some
men. In most cases it appeals to the fellow
who vjrtmld like to adopt for his motto : "AH
yours is 'mine; all mine is my own." v
Unquestionably, there are noble features in
connection with this social system. It has. at- '
trac.ted some great minds. It has. however, al
most invariably been a failure when put to' a ,
practical test. Wrhere it has succeeded, it fias .
been due to a strong moral oil religious senti-
ment. . - , ..
" Some reformers who advocate communism
insist that Jesus Christ endorsed their systern;
bedause it is said in the Acts of the Apostles,
with reference to the early church, that "neith
er said any of them that aught of the things
which he possessed was his own, but they had
all things common." They also declare that
the frequent allusion to a "common" table in
the history of the early church proves that this
condition existed quite generally among these
Christians. 'As a matter of fact, in most in
stances the reference is clearly to the "com
munion" table, which has to do purely with a
religious service: It is true that during the
earliest days of the church a form of com- '
unism was practiced. It is forgotten by those
o interpret these scripture texts as teach-
that communism is incumbent upon all
that even during this almost ideal period
it was practiced by the early Christians',
he church .recognized th; right of private '
y, as was manifested in tne case ot
as. When this man tried to deceive
by bringing only a. part of the money ;
he had received for his property declar- c
at it ;was the -whole amount, the apostle . '
said " to- Tvim :' "While it Remained, "wis if'noV
your own? You were not under obligation to
ifat'mg his money to me," thus plainly indtcat- '
mg that this was purely a voluntary arrange- '
ment. . . -
Furthermore, those who entered into it were-,
of "one heart and one soul';" it was limited to
"they that believed" namely, the Christians.;
WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRIES. -
. '
The Wageworker's Editor Invited to Address
the Woman's Club of Omaha.
Next. Monday afternoon, providence' per
mitting, the editor of The Wageworker will
address the Social Science department of the
Omaha Woman's Club on the subject of em
ployment of women and children in the in
dustrial world: The invitation is the result of
an :"open letter" addressed to the Lincoln Wo
man's Club through this paper several months
ago, the letter being based on an address made
before the State Federation of. Women's. Clubs
by a representative-of the National Consum
ers League. , ' '
The W ageworker at that time' called the at
tention of Lincoln's club women to the fact
that the trades unions were doing more to
protect women add children who were forced
.into the industrial field than all other agencies
combined. It will be the aim of the editor,
when he appears before the Omaha club to
point out reasons why the women should lend
their aid to the trades unions in the effort to
reform industrial conditions.
A WISE APPOINTMENT.
American Federation Appoints a Woman Or
ganizer for Industries Employing Women.
. Miss Gertrude Barnum,, daughter of Judge
Barnum, of Chicago, has been appointed a gen
eral organizer for the American Federation of
Labor, being the first woman ever, appointed
to such a position. Miss Barnum will devote
her attention to the industries in which wo- J
men "arid children are employed, and will col
lect facts and statistics bearing on'; these in
dtistries. ,- . - '-
There is A splendid field of usefulness for a
woman of 'Miss Barnum's ability and energy.-
She has made a study of this branch of indus
trialism, and has been a college settlemen
worker for some time. - - . '
WHERE THE LAUGH COMES IN
rGrjpe Nutr, Post Running Lew Dockstader
A - Very Close Race.
On the eve of the annual convention of t!
Citizens' Industrial association'- at- St.
C. W. Post issued a statement to the press th;
brands him as the peer of Lew Dockstader,
t- t - it - r . , , , . . . -
nzra ivenuai or any oi ipeir Kina. c VV . grave-'
ly announced that his association was formed
for the purpose of helping the labor, unions and'
strengthening them. He made the further stater '
ment without cracking a smile that a num
ber of trade unions were seriously considering
the' advisability of joining the Citizens' Indus
trial .alliance. Brobably. he thinks to" kill the '
unions by kind Vs. Isn't it funny wfiat-a'
man, win say . i under the influence .,of
Fostum .-' L ypol ical JotirnaJ
r