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LICOLK, NEBRASKA, APRIL- 27, I90(i
no. 3
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Has a Very
Every day the dally newspapers con
tain advertisements (or help from the
Lincoln Overall and Shirt Co. This
ixia been going on for months. Either
advertising In the dally newspapers is
not worth much, or the girls who an
swer find that they have been offered
a gold brick and quit, making room for
, fresh victims. The advertisement, ap
pearing under the head of "Help Want
edFemale," is as follows:
"VVanted Twenty-five shirtmakers
and. twenty-five overall makers. . Ex
perienced girls earn from $8to $14 a
week on piece work. Can use 'a few
beginners. Apply at once at the' Day
light' Factory; Lincoln Overall and
Shirt Co., Corner Fourteenth ana P."
The Wageworker stll! has the orig
inal check for $2.42 paid by the "Day
light Factory" for fifty-nine hours work
on the piece system. It also has a dis
tinct recollection that according to Mr.
OPEN SHOP IN FRISCO.
Building Trades Lay Aside Rules in
Face of Great Calamity.
There is probably no better organ
ized section of the country, Insofar as
the building trades are concerned, than
the Pacific coast. This is especially
true of San Francisco. The building
trades unions were in 'absolute control
of the field. But now that San Fran
cisco lies in ruins and the need of
haste in rebuilding is manifest, the
unions have let down the bars and
notified the world that there will be no
distinction between unionists and non
unionists in the work of rebuilding the
city.
This is a body blow to the wrecking
crew that is forever howling that the
unions will not allow a "free and inde
pendent workingman" to earn an hon
est living. It is also another proof
that unionism makes men, not human
machines.
Building tradesmen, however, should
be in no hurry to go to San Francisco.
The Immediate supply of skilled labor
Is adequate. The chief demand now is
for unskilled labor in the work of re
moving the debris and getting ready
for building operations. It will be
weeks before any adequate supply of
material is on the grounds, and In the
meantime the resources of the country
will be taxed to take care of the desti
tute now there. Doubtless word will
be passed along the line when there is
need for more building tradesmen than
are now on the ground ready for work.
THE TEAMSTERS.
Plenty of Work and the Wage Scale
Shows Increase.
At the meeting of the city council
Tuesday evening it was decided to per
mit the street commissioner to pay
$3.50 per day for a man and team. The
old rate was $3.00 a day, but the com
missioner found that he could not get
the help at that rate, private contrac
tors bidding $3.50 and $4.00. The
teamsters are all busy, and the pre
vailing rate for man and team Is $4.00
per day.
The local Teamsters' Union is get
ting along in good snaps, new mem
bers being taken in at nearly every
meeting. But the transfer drivers are
still holding out. Either they haven't
the courage to organize or they are
unable to realize that In their present
condition they are unable to secure
what their services are worth. Union
men who contemplate moving should
use their influence to secure the union
izing of the transfer men. If you can
not get a union transfer driver and
you can not at this stage of the game
call up the business agent of the Team
sters' Union and ask him to find you a
man with a team and wagon.
PAINTERS WIN OUT.
Have the Eight Hour Day and an In
crease in Wage.
Union painters In Lincoln are feeling
good these n'ays. They have secured
the eight-hour day and an increase of
2 V4 cents per hour in the scale. They
have, too, signed up a number of shops
that were "open" last year. The fair
shops in Lincoln are as follows:
Lincoln Wall Paper and Paint Co.,
A. Cornell, Keens & Sharp, A. M. Davis
Co., Hoover & Gladfeller, Carl Meyrer,
Taylor & Chris tensen, C. E. Sickle.
Remember this list when you have
any painting, paper hanging or deco
rating to do. Work Is better than
Fanny Look
L. O. Jones' own figures immediately
after the fire in that factory the aver
age wages for the entire Institution fig
ured up less than 7 a week, including
foreladies, superintendents of depart
ments, etc. And the hours of work
were ten a day when that average was
given out by,. Mr. Jones. Since then
the hours have been cut to nine a day.
If the average wage has increased
since then it certainly is corroborative
evidence in favor of the shorter work
day. i; -
. But is it not strange that the "Day
light Factory" has to advertise contin
uously for girls to earn $14 a week?
Perhaps the- secret lies in the word
"earn." It will be noted that the man
agement does not say that the 'girls
receive from ..$8 to $14 a week. It
merely states that they "earn" it. The
Wageworker will admit that they do.
But do they get it?
good. In fact the union finds it almost
impossible to furnish the men needed
to do the work, and this is despite the
fact that the union is taking in new
members nt every meeting. The con
ditions are better than they have been
for years, and the outlook never was
brighter.
THE PRINTERS.
Will Nominate Officers and Delegates
at Next Meeting.
Lincoln Typographical Union will
meet a week from Sunday, and it is
expected that the meeting will be one
of the largest in the history of the
local. On that day nominations for
officers will be made, also nomination
for delegates to the Colorado Springs
convention. There are a number of
aspirants for delegateship and the race
promise's to be a spirited one.
There also promises to be a spirited
contesf over the adoption of the re
vised constitution, which is the first
order of business at the next meeting.
There is a fight over the method of
electing, and also on some minor de
tails. IT WAS PRETTY BIG.
Some Interesting Figures on Last
Week's Monster Edition.
Last week's edition of The Wage
worker consisted of upwards of 12,000
copies of twenty-four pages each.
There were six columns to the page,
or 144 columns in all. Each column
measured 19.5 Inches, or 2,808 inches
per copy, or a total of 33,696,000 inches
for the entire edition. The cover paper
weighed a fraction over 1,200 pounds
and the twenty inside pages weighed
a little over 2,000 pounds. The total
weight was approximately 3,100
pounds, or over a ton and a half. There
were 300,400 "ems" of composition
apart from the advertisements. In the
twenty pages of reading matter there
were 16,000 lines, each 24 inches long,
making a total line length per copy of
36,000 inches, or 432,000,000 inches in
the total edition. This is equal to
36,000,000 feet, or 6,818 miles of line
length in the entire edition. Folded
flat quarter-page size and stacked
one upon the other, the total issue
would have made a pile 170 feet high,
which is higher than the roof of any
building in Lincoln.
These are pretty big figures and
hard to realize, but they are approxi
mately correct and will give some idea
of the enormous issue of The Wage
worker's "Friendly List Edition."
VIOLENCE IN STRIKES.
Too Much of It, but Not as Much as
Some People Charge.
"The only statistics, of strike vio
lence which we have to show that be
tween January 1, 1902, and June 30,
1904, 180 persons were killed, 1,651 In
jured, and 5,553 arrested In strikes in
the United States. This showing is
distressing enough, but comparatively
speaking, strike violence is insignifi
cant. More lives are taken in lynch
ing bees than in strikes, and in an av
erage year there are probably four
times as many arrests in Greater New
York alone for assault and battery
than In the whole United States for
similar violence In strikes.
"The importance of strike violence
is the intimidation and coercion whose
existence It reveals which almost in
variably accompany strikes. The law
against Intimidation and wrongful co
ercion, however, is not enforced, and
this is largely due to the fact that the
law on conspiracy is unequal, weigh
ing more heavily on trade unions than
employers, and penalizing acts which
are easily discovered when performed
by large combinations of workingmen,
but are utterly beyond detection when
performed by employers." By T. S.
Adams, of the University of Wiscon
sin, before the American Economic as
sociation at its recent meeting in Baltimore.
THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY.
Accurately Located by a Keen Ob-
server of Industrial Affairs.
"When you investigate 'any one of
the evils or abuses which today our
country can produce, you will, in the
great majority, of cases, ..find as the.
original source or cause of such evil a
business enterprise illegal in its plan
of organization or unlawful in its busi
ness methods. Behind the political
boss, sutsainlng him in his power, di
recting his efforts for omnipotence in
the legislative, executive and judicial
departments of our state, county or
city governments, is the industrial
boss, the captain of industry, who
seeks to profit thereby." Atty. Gen.
Hadley of Missouri.
LABEL LEAGUE.
Roster of Officers-Elect for the Ensuing
Year.
Following is a list of the officers
elect of the Woman's Union Label
League for the ensuing year: .
President, Mrs. E. L. Cook.
Vice Presidents, Mrs. William
Wright, Mrs. Jessie M. Baker.
Recording Secretary, A. L. A. Schier-
meyer.
Financial Secretary, Mrs. Morris.
Treasurer, Mrs. Fannie Ilgen.
Doorkeeper, Mrs. F. W. Kent.
The League at its meeting Monday
evening voted $5 for the relief of the
San Francisco sufferers. The next
regular meting will be on May 11, and
all members are earnestly requested
to bear the date in mind and be pres
ent. The co-operation of all is needed
to make the work a success.
SHEET METAL WORKERS.
Figure on Reorganizing Their Local in
the Immediate Future.
The sheet metal workers of Lincoln
used to have a strong local union, but
The Fatanal
There are about one hundred of
them, in as many cities earnest min
isters of the Gospel, who are serving
in this capacity.
Among the first to be appointed was
the Rev. Warren H. Wilson of Brook
lyn, N. Y., who for something like a
year and a half has been attending the
meetings of the Central Labor Union
in his city.
Some time ago I asked him to tell
me what he considers the function of
the fraternal delegate. In part he an
swered me as follows:
"The delegate cannot by reason of
his membership in a union make con
verts. This is out of the question. He
is of course not restrained from it; but
he is not in any way assisted to it by
his place as a fraternal delegate. What
he can do is, to express to laboring
men, in their 'general parliament of
labor in the locality,' the brotherly in
terest in their problem felt by the
religious body which he represents.
This service is most important; for the
time has come when bodies of men act
independently of one another, and the
community has no longer one forum.
Men who are neighbors in person are
strangers in reality. Bodies of men
come to have group-opinions of one an
other. It is the business of the frater
nal delegate to cultivate among labor
ing men a cordial opinion of the
church.
"His presence in the union is also
a sort of publicity. He becomes a party
to what is doner and serious, thought
ful leaders of organized labor welcome
him, because his presence in their de
liberations is an assurance to the pub
lic that things are not being planned
wiilch are unworthy.
"He should make it his practice to
speak well also of the union, if it is
deserving of praise, and of its leaders;
and they will be found to be men, In
most places, better than the public
estimate of them. So far as he finds
during the panic years it went to
pieces. There is now strong talk of
reorganizing the local, and it is be
lieved that the men will have the co
operation of the employers. Sheet
metal workers are well organized
throughout the country, and local em
ployers find it difficult to secure need
ed help because union men will not
come here to work.
It Is probable that the local members
of this trade win meet in a short time
and endeavor to resurrect the local
union and secure, a return of the char
ter. The Central Labor "TjJmon will
give the delegates from a sheet metal
workers' union a rousing welcome.
A GOOD RECORD.
How ths Cigarmakers Have. Spent
-Money for Humanity's Sake. -.
- During. 1?05 the International Cigar
makers' Union paid out a total of $429,
019.88 in sick, death, strike and out-of-work
benefits. During the twenty
five years ending December 31, 1905,
this splendid organization paid out the
magnificent sum of $6,845,540.66 in ben
efits. The union has never had to ex
ceed 43,000 contributing members.
These figures are worth the study of
the opponents of trades unionis. They
would also prove instructive to Bishop
McCabe and other clerical opponents
of unionism.
SOLD OUT.
Erstine King has sold his interest in
the Ivy Press job shop to his partner,
J. K. Jessup, and intends to enter upon
the free and happy life of the untram
meled agriculturist. "No more .print
shop for me," declares King. "I've had
close upon thirty-five years of it and
that's enough." Mr. King has not fully
determined where he will go, but he is
determined to till the soil and Is cast
ing longing eyes upon Missouri, his
native state. No matter where he goes,
he will be followed by the hearty good
wishes of printerdom.
STILL CRITICALLY ILL.
Lillian Wathan, the daughter of Mr
and Mrs. George Wathan ,is still very
ill. Miss Lillian has been suffering
from an aggravated attack of inflam
matory rheumatism for several weeks,
and for a time her life hung In the bal
ance. During the past week, however,
a change for the better has appeared,
and the little miss is now out of dan
ger although still very ill.
Delegate's Daty
a serious purpose among them, he
should give it credit in public utter
ance and in writing. He should not
hesitate in the meetings of the union
to protest, remembering the courtesies
of his position, against proposals that
are unworthy.
"Reports from him as to 'his local'
will always receive attention; and his
fellow workers in the union will be
none the worse for the knowledge of
the activities of an earnest minister of
religion. ,
"The central labor union is the la
boring man's forum for the discussion
of the interests of the poor. It corre
sponds to the charity gatherings of the
rich and well-to-do, at which the same
interests are discussed, or at least the
state of the same people. Only in the
two cases the measures differ. Organ
ized labor would ameliorate the condi
tion of the poor by enabling them to
attain a state of self-respecting self
support. Associated charity is the
way of the rich, the employing class,
for the relief of the problem of pov
erty. The labor union strives for the
solution of that problem.
"There is as much religion in one as
in the other. It is well for the meet
ings of charitable assemblies that the
representatives of Christianity be
present; and it is well that they be
present at meetings of labor. It Is a
rare opportunity to have five minutes
a week, in which to address men cap
able of leadership, of high devotion to
immaterial ideals, of faith or atheism,
of intellectual and social leadership.
Few ministers address such a selected
audience. . v
"These central labor unions are to
their members meetings of almost a
religious value. They express the
idealism, the chivalry and the passion
of the present industrial contest. That
contest will be settled aright only in
obedience to the true principles of the
religion of Jesus Christ." Rev. Chas.
Stelzie.
McCabe on
Addressing the East New York con
ference of the Methodist church in
Brooklyn, Bishop McCabe declared
that his church is opposed to the. labor
unions as they now exist, and made
this statement;
"We are opposed to having a small
percentage of labor men run the entire
laboring class in a ' high-handed and
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 ministers
here to accept this as his creed and
preaoh it. I am stating the position 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 this state
ment to be published broadcast, so
there can be no doubt as to the atti
tude of j Methodists toward honest
labor. I believe this should become
part of the creed of every Protestant
church."
This is interesting. A great many
people, including, we doubt not, quite
a number of Methodists, will be cur
ious to know by what right Bishop
McCabe, for all his high place in the
church, is able dogmatically to align
it in open opposition to trades union
ism. We are inclined to think many
will question his right.
In Omaha, for example, the McCabe
creed will come very much as a sur
prise. One of the leading lay mem
bers of the Methodist church is also a
recognized and able leader of local
trades unionism. Among the fraternal
delegates representing the ministerial
association in the central labor union
and working in harmony with that,
union to advance the material and
spiritual welfare of laboring men is a
minister of the Methodist church. And
numerous union men are also good
UNIONISTS, READ THIS. .
Be very careful of the patronage
you bestow upon merchants who ad
vertise liberally in the daily papers,
but who refuse to advertise in your
labor paper. This is also true of the
merchant who will tell you that he be
lieves in union labor and wants the
union man's trade, yet persistently re
fuses to advertise in a labor paper.
There is a common understanding
among many of the larger merchants
that they will not patronize the labor
papers, and hope by thus withholding
their business from such papers to
force their suspension, or at least
weaken their influence. Labor Advo
cate. BRING THEM TO TIME.
If the union women of Lincoln can
not get union made shoes for their own
wear in Lincoln, let them get together
and buy them elsewhere. The Wage
worker can tell them where to send
their orders. , The shoe dealer who will
not make a special effort to win the
trade of union women does not deserve
to have that trade. There are plenty
of union made shoes for women, from
the cheapest to the very best. Ever
hear about the bird that could sing and
would, not? Well, that particular bird
was made to sing. Make the shoe deal
ers carry union made shoes for women
by refusing to deal with them until
they do.
INSIDE ELECTRICIANS.
The inside electrical workers have
organized a local of their own in Lin
coln and will hereafter transact busi
ness on their own hook. Heretofore
they have been affiliated with the Elec
trical Workers'-Union, which included
all branches of the business. ,The two
locals will work In entire harmony, and
the step was taken because it was
thought that better results could be ob
tained. The Wageworker . wishes the
new local abundant success.
ORGANIZER MICHLER HERE.
General Organizer Michler of the In
ternational Carpenters' and - Joiners'
Unoin was in Lincoln the first of the
week, and spent several days on the
local situation.. He will be here next
Tuesday night to attend the meeting of
the local and make a report. on what
he has seen and done in Lincoln. This
will be a special called meeting of the
The Unions
Methodists. Bishop McCabe, sitting in
solitary dignity in an ecumenical coun
cil of his own, will hardly be able,
without at' least a struggle, to read
them out of the union or out of the
There may be a suspicion that
Bishop McCabe's personal interest in
the Methodist book concern, which, is
u" cusascu m a. Homewnat acrimo
nious contest with the.
.u t,uw bJfw&IaPulv(U"
union, has helped to color his views
and give them a selfish bias; V As to
this we will not venture to express an
opinion. '
But the World-Herald does believe,,
and will say, that the great Methodist
church, builded as it is of the very "
bone and brawn and cemented to
gether with the blood of the common
people, the poor people, should be
among the last to pronounce anathema
upon laboring men who have entered
Into union organizations for their owa
protection. These laboring men have
no other means effectively to defend
Liiemseives. me rapid concentration
of capital into a comparatively few
hands, the amalgamation of industrial
establishments into trusts' and com
bines, leave the workingmen helpless
unless they, too, combine to meet or
ganization with organization.
The abuse of the power of labor
unions, the lawlessness and disorder
that occasionally spring from them
just as from the capitalistic unions,
the folly and short-sightedness that
sometimes mar their management.
these are all to be denlnrerl
demned. Intelligent and patriotic
union men, as a matter of fact, are
among the first to admit and strive to
correct these faults.
But the central idea of unionism
that of effective labor organization and
labor brotherhood is something that
not even Bishop McCabe and all the
bishops of all the churches, will ever
be able to crush so long as the present
social and industrial order maintains.
Omaha Daily World-Herald.
Carpenters' Union, and all members
are requested to be present.
A CHANGE OF BASE.
After twenty years of , service with
the State Journal company, Fred Bren
ner has made a change and is now. at
the George Brothers' printery. Fred
has stood in the southwest corner of
the Journal job rooms so long that he
wore a half-dozen hples through the'
floor. He made the change merely to
break the monotony. But even Fred's
record at the Journal job shop is beat
en by George Radebach's, for Rade
bach began there two months before
GOOD WORK.
The Wageworker takes pleasure in
testifying to the good work of Th
Western Newspaper Union in getting
our tne "friendly List Edition." The
work was handled to the entire satis
faction of the publisher, was nut nnt
on time, artistically done, and all labor
performed thereon done by union men
compositors, stereotypers and press
men. It is another proof that th Lin
coln branch of the Western Newspaper
Union is equipped to handle th hi.
gest jobs that can be handed to it.
A POINTER FOh LINCOLN.
The Laundry Workers of Coshocton.
Ohio, who were recently organized, and
who before their formation into a
union, were compelled to work ten and
twelve hours a day, have been success
ful in having their working hours re
duced to nine, without any reduction
in wages. They were also granted th-
Saturday half holiday.
UNION MADE COLLARS.
Union men can buy union made col
lars at the big store of Fred Schmidt
& Bro. And when a union man can get
union collars and will not, he is not a
bit better than the "scabs" who made
the non-union collars he is wearing.
BUILDING LABORERS.
Hod Carriers and Building Laborers'
Union No. 251 is contemplating a gen
uine rag time dance. A committee was
appointed at the last meeting of the
union to make arrangements for the
evest.
She--'I suppose you read a great
deal." He "No. I haven't time. You
see I'm a book reviewer."
,