f j , m VOL. 3 LIXCOLN, XEiiltASKA, OCTOBER 12, 1900 KO. 27 AN HUMBLE APOLOGY. f 1A GREETING TO UNIONS. President Smith of Central ' Labor Union Issues Address. To all unions affiliated with the Cen- ivnl Labor Union: Do you realize that as union men von have a work before you into which jou should put all the energy you can spare? Do you know that a proiK'r effort, cu your part wouii plane organised labor in a position to greai ly benefit t!io cnu3e of union labor, and Mt'd very materia'ly to the welfare and comfort of your own people and It mankind generally? Let me tell you now l nat as a bc.dy o? men united for your ovvn good, you are also an orsan i7ntiou rhat is in duty bound to work with other organizations of the coun try to better con (11 lions in the indus trial, world. You realize, of course, that Ubor wlli not be able tc secure from its enemies what labor want--, therefore you must, act with others to set what you desire. In unity there is Kt;-eni?ih, and in united and harmoni ous tction lies victory. Therefore I want to appeal to every union nUIialert with the Central Labor Union to not only elect delegates to the central body, but get men who will aitend the mitral meetings, p.ni see that they do so. We had a much better attendance at laHl Tuesday's meeting than we have h id for some time, but not nearly the number we should have, impoi tant njesi ions come up before tne cen tral body that you are directly and vitally Interested In, and you o.ve it to vonrsolves to be represented. Let mo ap;eal to your unionism and your best ! self to immediately take steps to be represented in the central body, i promise you that if you will get alive and boost the attendance that the cen tral body will 1 e initiating measures and moves that will place organized labor in- such a position in tne city thnt it will be stronger and better, ard more appreciated. Let's work, and do somethbig for ourselves. Yours fraternally, - . HARRY W. SMITH, .-' . President C. L. U. rlass Meeting ftada at 0nfrai Labor 0 There will be a mass meeting of wor union, a! Centra! Labor Onion hall, 1034 0 Qefobar 15. Frank L Kennedy of Omaha, id or, and former organizer for flie Hmerioan F address the meeting. There .will be brief a ingmen. Every man who works for wages' attend this meeting. If will begin promptly working friends about it and urge f hem to be reef, it iter of the ederafion ddresses hould ma 8 o'clo present. nion Hall union and non- ay evening, astern Lab Labor, will y other work i if a point to Tell your THE OPEN SHOP. Some Delightful Things it Secures for Matter and Man. i The "open shop" means porlerhoti6- j steal; for (he employes and liver foi j the workman. i Tbo "open shop" means individual j bn.rgalnir.ur, so much desired by the op- ponents of organized labor. I The "open shop" stands for the nn j fettered employment of women and j children. .. . j The "open shop" means that the em-j ployer shall be the sole judge as to j what your labor is worth. The "open shop" gives the employer the privilege of being a member of an orgt'iil.ntlon Intended to prevent, the payment of better wages, but denies the laborer the right to be a member of a labor organization. Tbo "open shop" bars the possibilit of a solid front on the part of the workers. Tba "open shop" decUfres thai some can enjoy better conditions while others can tnjoy the benefits without cost. The "open shot)" denies men the right to cell their labor under any co;i : dltions they elect. The "open shop" declares there ;.J no "living Hue" no minimum for las price of labor. The "open shop'' declares it is lo&ui for an Individual to do an act that it Is Illejt'il for a collection of Individuals ! to attempt. J The "open shop'' would place the so-: till loll of factory sanitation aud un guarded machinery in the hands of tlif! - employer. The "open shop" slum's for every thing that will increase profits for the employer and decreauo the income of the employe. The "open shop ' means tlur. the em ployer will be the master and yon will be the slave. Minuet' polis Union. CAPITAL AUXILIARY. Capital Auxiliary No. 11 to Lincoln Typographical Ui Ion No. 209 will meet Friday, 2.30 p. m., Oct. 19 at the home of Mrs. W. S. liustard, 255C H street. There will be an election held at the home of Mrs. C. H. Turner, 1202 P street, Monday afternoon from p. m. to 6 p. m. The election is to veto on the proposed amendments to ibo eon stlmtlon of the Woman's International Auxiliary. Monday, Oct. 15, 190C. A DUTY WE -OWE: TO CHILDREN AND TO OURSELVES Nebraska is the only northern slate that has no child labor laws upon its statute books. The state with the smallest per centage of illiteracy is classed with states like Mississippi, Ala bama, Georgia and Louisiana. There is not in Nebraska a law that will prevent a drunken, shiftless, irresponsible parent from compelling his 8 or 10-year-old child to work in a store, a mill or a factory, and turn the wage over to him to be spent for liquor. The only protection the child has under the Nebraska stat utes is the compulsory school law, and even that beneficent law is not enforced as it should be. Under the present Nebraska statutes the convicts in the penitentiary are bound out to a contractor who pays the state 50 cents a day per head for every convict he uses, the state boarding and clothing the convicts. This contractor then puts the convicts to work making articles of commerce which are sold on the open market in competition with the. articles made by free labor, the result being that free labor is forced into idleness. Two years ago the free workingmen of Nebraska asked the legislature to enact a law compelling all convict-made good3 offered for sale to bear the stamp, "Prison Made." A . bill was drafted and introduced after a long search for a legis lator willing to stand sponsor for the bill. The bill was referred to a committee, and after infinite pains and labor tbe union men secured a hearing before tbe committee. The committee lis tened, asked a few questions, looked wise and then reported the bill with the recommendation that it be indefinitely post poned. The house concurred in the recommendation, not a single member protesting and asking for justice for the free, lawabiding and honest workingmen who were being driven to the wall by convict competition. Under the Nebraska statutes a man injured by the incompe tence or the negligence of a fellow servant has absolutely no recourse against the corporation responsible for the employment of the negligent and incompetent workman. There is no ade quate, just and fair employer's liability law in Nebraska. Under the present law governing the leasing of convict labr it is possible for the penitentiary convict to engage in any branch of manufacturing he pleases," using convicts to perform the work. He can compete with free cigarmakers by making cigars in the pen. He can compete with the printers by estab lishing a printing plant. He can compete with the harness makers, the glovemakers, the garment workers, and many other tradesmen. The workingmen of the state demand some legislation cal culated to protect them against these things. Nebraska's in dustrial development is just begining. Workingmen demand dustrial development is just beginning. Wohkingmen demand conditions that exist in the congested manufacturing centers of the'east and south. They insist that now is the time to take steps tc ; rotect the children. Experience has taught us that it i3 foolish to expect any thing along these lines from politicians who are interested only in their own selfish political schemes. Experience has taught us the folly of expecting a lawyer, or a doctor, or a farmer, who may be a legislator, to take an active interest in these matters and give labor bills the constant attention they must have if they are to receive any consideration from the legislature. The only way for labor to get what it wants is to elect men from their own ranks who will devote their entire time while in the legislature to pushing the bills introduced in behalf of labor. The time has come when the men who toil must show by their votes that they demand recognition. The time has come. when laboring men must stand as solidly at the polls as they do on Labor Day. It is time that laboring men quit being the tools of cheap politicians who flatter them during the cam paign and then betray, them after the ballots are counted. If laboring men do not vote for their own interests it is a cinch that nobody else will. There are laws imperatively demanded by the hosts of toil laws that will put them on an equality in the courts with em ployers ; laws that will protect them against unf air competition ; laws that will give the free workingman a show for his white alley. . The workingmen of Lancaster county have their chance now. They have a chance to demonstrate that they will no long er be puppets in the hands of the machine politicians. They have a chance to elect two workingmen to the legislature two that steps be taken in time to prevent the unholy and brutal work and vote for the things outlined above. They will devote their time to the accomplishment of these things. They are not "agitators" or "walking delegates." They were drafted instead of seeking the nominations. They are entitled to the vote of every man who works for wage. George F. Quick and Harry W. Smith are the candidates of the hosts of labor for the legislature. If you want to vote for your own interests you will place an "X" after the names of Quick and Smith. Think it over for yourselves. Tell the professional politi cians that you are tired of pulling political chestnuts out of the fire for them to enjoy. Vote for "Molly and the babies" once and see how you like it. Tendered - in Deep Humility to the Western Union Telegraph Co. A short time ago The Wageworker' charged the Western Union Telegraph company, doing business in Lincoln, with violating the law by employing messenger boys under the legal age. The Wageworker was wrong. The Tel egraph company does nothing of the kind, for the simple reason that Ne braska has no child labor laws. The Telegraph company can employ boys three years old without violating any statute law. But just the same the Western Union Telegraph company in Lincoln is vio lating every law of morality and hu manity by employing little boys to de liver messages night and day, and de liver them to houses of ill fame and vile dens where they receive their first lessons in debauchery that" sets them on the road to graduation into lives of crime and dissipation. It em ploys boys in this work because would have to reduce its liberal divi dends a little bit in order to employ young men. The eminent gentlemen who control the Western Union Tele graph company do not give a tinker's dam about the welfare of the boys. They are concerned only in the mak ing of big dividends. The state can look after the boys after they have become criminals. The Western Union Telegraph com pany in Lincoln is murdering the souls of boys every day in the year but The Wageworker was wrong when it charged the company with violating any statute law. For the mistake we apologize. In the meanwhile the soul murder by the company goes on, thanks to the criminal carelessness of the people of Nebraska. CARPENTERS NOMINATE. Will Elect National Officers by Refer endum Vote This Time. - The' Brotherhood of Carpenters at their convention in Niagara Falls wound up their business by nominating William D. Huber, J. Schwartz and Charles Mains for the presidency, Frank Duffy was nominted for gen eral secretary and Thomas A. Nealo for general treasurer. For vice-president F. M. Guerin and H. C. Fuller were named, while the nominees for second vice-president are Arthur A. Quinn, Perth Amboy; N. J. Wilson, Jacksonville; Frank G. Shnson, Bal timore. Some surprise was created by the fact that men have been nomi nated against all the principal officers, and it is evident that the election will be hotly contested. The election will be by referendum vote, which will be come effective 'in this Brotherhood fop the first time on February 1st. Hugh Stevenson of Toronto asked that . the Canadian locals be requested to affili ate with the A. F. of L. in the United States. Michigan Union Advocate. MORAL SUASION. Judge Pollock Says It May Be Used by Sticking Linemen. Topeka, Kas., Oct. 8. Judge Pollock in the United States district court last Monday granted a permanent injunc tion against the members of the Elec trical Workers' union in Wichita pro ventng them from interfering with tha property and employes of the Missouri & Kansas Telephone company. A tem porary injunction was granted against the union and its members some time ago. When the question of the perma nent injunction was brought up the court dismissed the injunction against the union, but granted it as against the men. Judge Pollock in . his opin ion says that it was impossible to en join the men from using "moral sua sion, ' but they must not use violence. A Pertinent Question. How would . you like' to smoke a cigar that has been "mouthed' by a. dirty Chinaman? When you buy i trust cigar you do that very same thing. Chinamen make a large por tion of them, and moisten the' point with their tongues to shape them up. In a union shop' no workmen is allowed to touch a cigar with his mouth, pure, vegetable glue being used to stick the ends. Be sanitary; see that the blu3 label is on the box before buying a cigar. Spring-Held. 111., Tradesman. The arbitrators in the street railway dispute in Hamilton, Ont., have award ed the men 16 cents for the first year and 20 cents as the maximum wage after three years' service. The Duu das men will also receive the raise. . J 4