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About The Wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-???? | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1906)
n n n rrs tt ft rzm i S : L a i i I rv i i ri I I I I . i i i ;.,'. . 4 i i i i i i i i i 1 i i I - . o r4 E TRADES liggjggl COUNCILS LSUYZ JU 11 U ri WW Lr-ilKJ . ' ' . . . . . i ,i l ' A Newspaper with a Mission and without a Muzzle that is published in the Interest of Wageworkers Everywhere. ' " ' - 'lit' " 'J-l VOL. 3 LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, APRIL-13, 190 , 'NO; iff " j ; ; ; ; : - ! ' 1 . ... --. 0 o Does McCabe Speak For All Methodists? Does Bishop Charles C. McCabe, of the Methodist Episcopal church, repre sent the views of the great, body of Methodists on the subject of labor unions? The Wageworker refuses to believe that he does, but If he does represent the views of Methodism on that question, then it is time for Meth odism to rid itself of & lot of 'barnacles, get nearer to God and step forward a few centuries into the light of modern intelligence. Last Sunday morning, April 8, Bishop McCabe delivered a sermon before the East New York con ference at Brooklyn, and in that ser mon declared that the Methodist church was opposed to labor unions end would use its Influence to wipo them out or reform them. He said: "We are opposed to having a small percentage of labor men run the entire laboring class in a high-handed anl authoritative manner. As now consti tuted, labor unions cannot long stand. Either they must reform themselves or they will cease to exist, as they are now unfair and unjust, and the honest workingman cannot long be subjected to oppression without rising in revolt. "I want every one of the 300 minis ters here to accept this as his creed and preach it. I am stating the posi tion of the Methodist church today at this conference, as the members of the church do not seem to be disposed to state it themselves. I want the state ment to be published broadcast, so there can be no doubt as to the attltudo o Methodists toward Lonest labor. I believe this should become part of the creed of every rPotestant church." We might retort upon Bishop Mc Cabe that "the Methodist church a? now constituted can not stand. Either it must reform itself or It will cease to exist." And again we might retort that "honest Methodists cannot , long be subjected to such tommyrot as Bishop McCabe's." And we have just ac much authority for our statements as Bishop McCabe has for his. The trades unions are older by several hun dred years than the Methodist Episco pal church. And again we might retort that "we are opposed to having a small per cent of Methodist preachers, ele vated to the bishopric by political ma nipulation, running the entire body of MethodiBm in a high-handed and au thoritative manner." What's the matter with Bishop Mc Cabe? Haven't union men as, much tight to select authoritative leaders like Mitchell and Gompers and Perkins, as the Methodist church has to select authoritative leaders like McCabe? "1 am stating the position of, the Methodist church!" declared Bishop McCabe. Is he? Since when was Bishop McCabe inspired? Since when did he become greater than the scrip tures or better than the Master whom he pretends to serve? "I believe this should become the creed of every Prot estant church." All right, Bishop McCabe; now 1st ua see along what lines we can reform the labor unions. , Firstly, shall the labor unions begin teaching the doctrine of infant damna tion? That was taught for centuries by one or more great branches of the Protestant church. Secondly, shall the labor union3 be gin advocating slavery as a divine in stitution? That was taught by a ver? large proportion of tbo ministry and laymen of the Methodist Episcopal church less than fifty years ago? Thirdly, shall the labor unions be gin advocating burning at the stake? That wa3 practiced by a portion of the Protestant church at one time, if hls- , tory is not at fault. Fourthly, shall the labor unions be gin advocating fine salaries for ths leaders and starvation wages for the men In the ranks? If we mistake not ' Bishop McCabe's salary is something like 1,200 per cent higher than the average salary of Methodist preachers. And there isn't a labor union leader in America whose salary is . equal to Bishop McCabe's. In what respect are labor unions un just? Bishop McCabe will answer that they deny the right of the non-union man to work. That i3 not true, but suppose it were true. Doesn't Bishop McCabe preach that non-Christians cannot go to heaven? The fact is that labor unions are not as unjust as the average Protestant church. There isn't a labor union in existence that denies the right of the non-unionist to-woik. There isn't ah orthodox Protestant church in existence that admits the non-Christian to fellowship or admits his claim to a home in heaven. . To te .sure, labor unions must re form themselves. So must everything else that is not perfect. Does Bishop McCabe clai)-Uil hN-perfect? 'Does he claim that the Methodist church is perfect? If he does he is a fool. If he does not, then he must admit that he and the Methodist church must re form or they can not long stand. We sorrowfully admit that a reat many excesses have been committed in the name of labor unions. But the murders, the assaults, the riots, the barbarities committed in the name of labor unionism is not a marker to the murders, the. assaults, the riots and the barbarities committed "for tho glory of God," by those claiming to be His servants and followers. Too zealous labor unionists have sent: many a non-unionist to the hospitals which was all wrong. But for every man thus sent to the hospital a thou sand have been sent to the insane asylums by overzeal in religion. Ani if the labor unions are to be blamed for the one, shall the church be held blameless for the other? Labor unions oppose child labor in the mills and fac tories, while smug-faced Methodists sit in cushioned pews ad drop into the collection baskets golden eagles coined from the tears and sweat of those of whom the Master said, "Suffer the lit tle ones to come unto Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Shall the labor unions re form by ceasing their opposition to child labor and begin coining the tears of the innocents into gold? In the la3t twenty jears the labor unions of America have distributed up wards of $50,000,000 in sick, death, burial and other benefits. Shall the labor unions reform by quitting their work of loving Kindness, charity and mutual help? , Bishop McCabe declares that the la bor unions are now unfair and unjust. But he fails to specify wherein they are either unfair or unju3t. If he says they are unjust because they deny the right of the non-union man to work, we will only reply by stating that Bishop McCabe is criminally ignorant, for in these enlightened days a man is a criminal for making false charges when the opportunities for learning and telling the truth are so numerous. Labor unions teach nothing of th; kind. But they do teach that a man who will enjoy the benefits of organi zation while refusing to bear his share of the expense is a knave, a human sponge, and not entitled to any mor consideratlon than any other hanger on. The non-union man who benefits by the improved conditions brought about by labor unions and refuses to help pay the expense, reminds us of the man who expects to get to heaven because his wife is a Christian. If Bishop McCabe speaks for the Methodist church, then Methodism should hasten to change its mouth piece. Let us sum up: Non-union men have been assaulted and killed by union men, therefore, according to Bishop McCabe, labor unions teach and defend murder. Latimer and Ridley were burned at the stake by order of Protestants. According to Bishop Mc Cabe'3 logic the Protestant church teaches and defends burning alleged heretics at the stake. Non-union men have been thrown out of employment and rendered unable to earn a living in their home communities because of labor unions. Therefore, according to Bishop McCabe, labor unions teach banishment and should be suppressed. Roger Williams was banished by Protestants because he insisted on go ing contrary to their wishes. Accord ing to Bishop McCabe's logic the Protestant church teaches banishment and should therefore be suppressed. We cheerfully admit that the Methodist church would profit by Bishop Mo Cabe's suppression. Two Irishmen, working in a sewer trench, began talKing about their hard lot. "H yez had yer choice, Pat, what would yez like t' be?" queried Mike. "Well, Molke," replied Pat, "fr a rale, nice, aisy Job, O'ld lolke t" be a bishop." ASSOCIATED PRESS LIED. Woman's Home Companion Is Still Printed by "Rat" Printers. Relying on a dispatch sent out by the Associated Press; The Wageworker last week reported that the Crowell Publishing company, publishers of the Woman's Home Companion and Farm ar. djgA&fevbMwe&n ed UP with the Springfield, O., Typogi The Associated Prcl The Crowell PubllshiJ still printed by "rats.1 communication from O.', Typographical ' Uni planatory: "Press dispatches h i - Vazaln. Vny is 'I Xwing I Veld. .ex- ri pent broadcast over the country stating that the Crowell Publishing company, publishers of 'Woman's Home Com ipanion' and 'Farm and Fireside,' of Springfield, Ohio, had granted the eight-hour day to their employes, thereby creating the impression ' that ttis firm had unionized their plant. "The Crowell company will give tho eight-hour day to the imported scabs and strike-breakers in their factory, beginning April 9, 1906, and have is Friendly List Edition for 1906 ' On April 20th The Wageworker 's Friendly List Edition for 1906 will make its appearance, and it will be at once the largest and the finest edition ever issued by any labor newspaper in the country. It will be printed on good paper with heavy cover, and will be a valuable reference book for all consumers who desire to patronize business and professional men who are friendly to the cause of organized labor. Fremont, Nebraska City, Plattsmouth and Beatrice union men and union sympathizers will find very complete write-ups of their re spective cities. The largest Omaha firms doing a state wide business . and fair to organized labor will also be represented. Taken as a whole the issue will be a remarkably complete roster of men, firms and cor- -porations who are friendly to the cause of unionism. j The total number of copies of The Friendly List Edition for 1906 to be issued will exceed 12,000, and all of them will be properly dis tributed. ( j The editor and publisher is under obligations to the many friends who have so kindly assisted in making this issue a success, and he hopes that its publication will be of assistance to the great cause which The Wageworker seeks to represent. AN OPEN LETTER TO In your latest spasm of anger at the labor editors of the country, Mr. Post. you indulge in some very harsh lan guage, and make some very severe charges. We are inclined to overlook them, Mr. Post, on account of the very apparent nearness of your; complete mental unbalancing on the subject of organized labor. We do not blame you for frothing at the mouth when a labor newspaper is mentioned in your presence. If we were a millionaire manufacturer of edible sawdust who had deserted a faithful wife and forced her to secure a divorce on account of cruelty, and all for the purpose of al lowing us to marry the pink-cheeked and buxom stenographer in our palatial office, we, too, would wax wroth if a lot of scurrilious labor edi tors kept throwing our contemptible littleness in our face. But this is not what we started to write about, Mr. Post. We want to call a few of your little bluffs about the " wonderful health-giving and health-preserving properties of your much vaunted "Postum" and "Grape Nut3." You have toutea them so loud ly as being muscle builders, brain builders, body builders, and all that sort of thing, that undoubtedly a lot of silly students and a lot more of hysterical women have-come to believe all you say. That, of course, aids im mensely to the amount of money the ex-stenographer can spend on Paris ir illinery. But we are anxious ' to know if there is any truth in all your claims, and in order that the exact facts be known we desire to make you the following proposition: We propose that you select some able bodied man upon whom to try this experiment, the experiment to be tried This Should be In last week's issue of The Wage worker the firm of Miller & Paine an nounced that in future their big store would close at 6 o'clock on Saturday evenings hereafter, instead of at 7 o'clock as in the past It will be borne in mind that Miller & Paine is the only retail firm in the city that does not keep open on Saturday evenings until 10 or 10:30 o'clock. Organized Jafcor everywhere i3 making a Con certed demand for shorter, hours a de mand founded on Justice and abstract right. For this reason the action of Miller & Paine should appeal especial 1;; to organized labor, he fact that this big store observes the short hour day six business days in the week, all sued a statement to the effect that thev are still opposed to organized labor and will continue to Issue their maga zines with imported non-union labor. "The assistance rendered Typograph ical Union' by members of organized labor is the cause of the Crowell com pany granting the eight-hour day to their cheap, scab labor and we request each reader of this article to give us a little assistance by calling their friends' attention to the hostile atti ia Lincoln under the supervision of one reputable physician, one reputable lawyer, one reputable grocer who han dles your goods, and one member of some one of the trades unions in Lin coln. The Wageworker will furnish the room, bedding and all articles con ducive to the physical comfort of the man you furnish for experimental pur poses. The man you furnish is to be given the free use of the room, and for a period of sixty consecutive days of twenty-four hours each is to drink nothing but Postum Cereal and water, and eat nothing but Grape Nuts, thre meals a day to be the maximum, and one pint of Postum Cereal and two tsblespoonsful of Grape Nuts to con stitute a meal. One pint of cream per day shall be the maximum of cream for use in your two productions. The man you furnish is to be kept un der surveillance, and if he shall be detected in eating or drinking any thing other than above specified, then you lose. If he survives the sixty days on the diet specified", The Wageworker loses. In order to make the test binding upon both The Wageworker will, upon your acceptance of this proposition, deposit $150 in the Columbia National bank of Lincoln, Nebr., Charles W. Post to do the same. If The Wage worker losses, the $150 deposited by it shall be subject to the order of Charles W. Post. If Charles W. Post loses, the $150 deposited by Mm shall be sub ject to the order of The Wageworker's editor. . It is. further specified that if the man furnished by Charles W. Post dies under the ordeal, Charles W. Post must pay all funeral expenses. Should the man suffer in physical or mental htalth The Wageworker shall not be of Interest to Organised Lbo other things being equal, should impel the advocates of the shorter working day to give it their support By doing so they will prove that their demand for the shorter day is sincere and noc founded wholly on selfish motives. It will prove that organized labor prac tices what It preacher. The firm of Miller & Paine is not a large advertiser in The Wageworker, although It -is a steady patron. If it had never advertised one dollar's worth in this paper it would be deserving of this mention' , because of its demon stration of interest in the welfare of its employes. If it were The Wage worker's largest advertiser that fact would not have impelled this paper to give the firm this noi ice. Miller & tude of the Crowell Publishing com pany, and by using your influence and discrimination against 'Woman's Home Companion' and 'Farm and Fireside.' " The Woman's Home Companion is still "rat." It should be shunned by union men and women everywhere. Do not boycott, because that is illegal. But there is no law in the land that will compel you to patronize an avowed enemy. - C. W. POST responsible for any damages, civil, criminal or otherwise. ii It is further specified that Charles W. Post is to furnish the Postum Cereal, Grape Nuts and Cream, and that The Wageworker shall furnish the room and ' all furniture, pay the gas bill and furnish' plenty of good secular, non-partisan and wholesome reading matter for the victim. The cook who prepares the Postum Cereal shall be a stranger to both Charles W. Post and The Wageworker's editor, and shall be selected by the four representatives chosen to conduct the experiment. Charles W. Post may have a represen tative on the 3pot to test the prepara tion, but shall add nothing to nor take nothing therefrom, and shall under no circumstances be admitted to the room nor approach the body of the' victim. The aforesaid victim may have all the outdoor exercise he wants, provided he is always accompanied by not less than two of the committee selected. - In order to demonstrate The Wage worker's sincerity, the editor, hereby agrees that in case the victim of this experiment survives and is not a men tal wrecksaid condition to be passed upon by a board of competent alienists it will give Charles W. Post twenty (20) inches of display advertising every week for a period of one year. In case the victim dies or 13 mentally unbal anced as a result of the ordeal, Charles W. Post is to pay to the editor of The Wageworker the sum of $208, cash. Mr. Charles W. Post, if your prep arations are all you claim them to be, you will accept this offer. If they are the frauds we believe them to be, your failure to accept this fair, propo sition will be proof positive that our belief is correct. THE WAGEWORKER. . Paine could not have bought this Space to advertise its goods. , But this notice is cheerfully given because it3 action is in line with the demands of unionism, and The VSfageworker's mis sion is to advance the cause of union ism, thereby advancing the interests of those who work for' wage. Any other retail firm in Lincoln that will follow the example set by Miller & Paine will deserve, and will have, equal pub licity in The Wageworker. The Wageworker trusts that Miller & Paine wSU profit handsomely by their shortening of the hours of labor, and they will if organized labor does .its duty and stands by those who demonstrate their friendship for those who toil. Central Union Wants to Knot? x The Central Labor Union met Tues day evening and transacted what little business came before it and made a speedy "get-away." The chief business was the matter of a local clothing firm that had violated an agreement with the Central Onion. On April 15, 1905, the manager of this firm signed an agreement not to handle a certain "scab" hat, said agreement now being in possession of the Central Union. Early this spring the firm began ex tensively advertising this same "scab"' hat in violation, of said agreement. A committee was appointed :to waij. upon the manager, exhibit the agree ment signed by his own hand and wait an explanation. The result of the con ference will be given in next week's issue. The Central Union also took cog nizance of the fact that the firm of Miller & Paine had voluntarily cut off another hour from its Saturday busi ness, now closing at 6 p. m. instead of 7 p. m. Miller & Paine'3 store is the only retail establishment in Lin coln that observes the. early Saturday closing. 1 The Central Union unani THIS APPLIES IN LINCOLN. Each Union Should Have a Press Agent to Give Out Important News. One thing wle notice about the Easton unions is that they are extremely bash ful. They hold enthusiastic meetings and in many cases initiate several candi dates, but are so bashful that they never let anyone know they met at all. Year in and year out, no report is allowed to be made public that , they ever existed at all. Let each union appoint a press agent, a member who can Judge what part oi the proceedings are proper for thj public to know, and let all reports be given out through him. We believe it to be for the good of organized labor that regular reports of the meetings be published, that the public be informed o; our growth and progress, and our side of public questions'. We do not believe that all of a union's business should be given to the ipublic, and the only way to avoid leakage of private matters is to have a responsible source oi information to which the public can apply a news or pres3 agqnt. 1 ! It seems that in many cases bash- fulness smothers whatever : unionism some people ever had. "The Journal" has repeatedly rer quested several unions to send us news that could be published with benefiicial results, but the same old laggard fash ion still prevails. ' The unions and many, individual members in this City want to get a "hump" on themselves or they will awake some of , these fine mornings wondering what struck them. Easton (Pa.) Journal. THE NEW LYRIC. One of the.-Handsomest Little Theatres in the Country. The new Lyric theatre, now in course course of construction, will be one. of the' handsomest little theatres in the country, and when completed will be aii immense credit to Lincoln. Archi tecturally there will te nothing pret tier in the west, and from the stand point of convenience it will be unex celled. Manager Miller is spending ail his waking hours watching it grow, and the addition of each brick and bit of terra cotta or cut stone adds an other section to his gratified smile. When completed the new Lyric wSU have every convenience, known to mod em amusement buildings, and . un doubtedly will become even more popu lar than the Lyric now i is which seems almost an impossibility. NOW FOR HIMSELF. George Bush, for many years in the employ of Buckstaff Bros. Manufactur ing company, is now in business for himself and has opened up a harness repair shop at 1343 O street, where he will repair, oil and wash harness and guarantee- all work entrusted to his care. Mr. Bush is a union leatherwork er and has always been at the fore front in union matters. k He is entitled to the patronage of union men and The Wageworker (.wishes him success in his new venture. " CAN'T MAKE MAIL BAGS. The inmates of the New Jersey state pjf ion have stopped making mail bags because of the law prohibiting the use of convict labor on government con tracts. A Trenton factory employing 1C0 hands has taken ur work. ' mously adopted the following resolu tion: r i ,t: "Resolved, That the Central LaTor' Union extends to the firm of Milter fc; Paine the assurances , of this'' body's appreciation of the . firm's action u cutting off another hour on Saturday. now closing at 6 p. m., which actio, this body recognizes as a humane f on the ipart of the firm and a jveoguir ' t:on of the shorter workday." The labor temple committee askeS for a little more time, owing--fo a v misunderstanding as to the commit-' tee's make-up. i The request Was grant- ed. President Castor suggested that au. attempt be made to organize a 2 trade or two and mentioned the sheet t metal workers as being good ones to start on. . . . , Under "state of trade" all lines re-"; ported good with the, exception ofJthe cigarmakers, who reported "dull." " This wouldn't be true of the cigar- makers if a lot of eminent : business men who are always yelling about "patronizing home industry" would : practice what they preach. Hereafter. the law providing for fines for non-attendance of delegates will ' bt rigidly enforced. KANSAS CITY CARPENTERS. Some Encouraging Reports from Good i Old Kawville. 'f The Carpenters of Kansas City have asked for a new wage scale to take effect on June 1st, 4906.s Carpenter foremen ' are to receive 55 cental iper hcur ,and journeymen carpenters 45 cents per hour. This is an increase of ' 7 cents an hour for the foremen and " j of 5 cents an hour for the journeymen.' : ' i r The business agents of the Carpen-- -. j ters who' have been working-vRloag- this line haye pygw vWngpX? ' ing success. The. contractor are not W. -t ptly. agreeable, .but some have nittB'ly - offered to sign up. Mr. P. Martin, one of the largest contractors of that city, s. not only approves of the advance in' ' wages, but says , he will insist on" a ' -r half holiday on Saturdays as well. ;'' f-, POSTUM AND PASTE'EM. , If you fill a man up with "Postum"? And send him out to his toil, ' -Or his sysjtem is clogged with "Gripe nuts," ' ' - 1 From Battle Creek, Michigan's, soil, If you look for a fair day's labor .' : ; You must have wonderful gall..' For a scab must always cover a sore, . And it's rotten, my friend, that's alt. . .- . . . . .... .i O course, Mr. Post, "there's a reason,", " And there's sawdust, and glucose as 1 well, . : ' ; And I've heard it said, you're as gooil 1 as dead, ' ' ( As to live on the stuff you selj. r l For the "Road to Swillville" is rocky v . No unionist takes that route; , , , They are fitting a slab for a misled ' ; scab, . i " V '.- -r When you will be down and out Jo E. Evans, in Denver Advocate,. CIGARMAKERS ELECT.' . , The Cigarmakers' International Union has just finished canvassing tha referendum' vote for the election . of officers. George W. Perkins is re-1 elected president, with 19,133 votes aa against 9,636 for Peter Knickrehm and 3,393 scattering. Samuel Gompers - is again chosea first vice-president. For several of the offices there wa3 no election, there be ing several candidates and none- re ceiving a majority of the votes cost. ' LIABILITY BILL IS PASSED. Washington, April 4. Chief among the measures passed by the house to day was the so-called "personal- liabil ity' 'bill, which has bf.en favored by the army of railway employes through? out the country, and which had prac-: tically a unanimous report from the committee. ' Members of the bouse showed great interest in the measure, . and had a division been called or the biU would have had an alntdst unani mous vote. ; , LOOKS PROSPEROUS. " , The April number of the Easton, Pa . Journal, edited and published by Marr quis DeLafayette Shrope,' was a "friendl?li8t edition" and looked good both typographically and financially.. The Journal oni gets -out' once a -month, but-it-te'"aiwav3 packed full of good stuff ana deserves the prosperity that is eyldenKon every page." ' Eighty-five members were ad- mitted at one 'm Car Men's Union cently. , ting of the Street , New Orleans re- - .. .v- newS ofk V I I .1 I i '-'J 4 y-. u -,'! V !- l ',!.
