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LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, 'DECEMBER 7, 190
NO.
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FALSE PRIDE.
It Keeps Many Working Women from
Bettering Their Condition.
Speaking recently before an audi
ence mado up of women bookbinders
Denis A. Hayes, president of the Glass
r.ottle Fflowers' association, and fifth
vico president of the American Feder
ation of Labor, touched especially on
the treatment of the p-oman in indus
try, as compared to her treatment by
the same men in society.
Continuing Mr. Hayes referred to
the chivalrous courtesy accorded by
American men to womanhood in their
Mnrtnl or casual intercourse. He de
clared that the spirit which actuated
Sir Walter Raleigh to lay his coat in
the street that England's Queen might
l.asa without soiling her shoes was
alive and dominant today among
American men in their social life; that
that spirit was inculcated in the minds
nf th bovs in school and fostered
la all the teachings they received.
Hut when it comes to the woman
in industry all thought of chivalry is
forgotten; the woman at work re
celves Just the consideration her serv
ices will command from the commer
cial or "business" point of view. When
the woman goes looking for a job the
uirtprtitinn the employer is
willing to accord her is a considera
ttosv of how little he can induce her
to work for. Mr. Hayes made it clear
that the only protection the woman In
industry could hope for was the same
protection her brother secured and
she must secure it in the same manner
by uniting with other women in the
particular industry in which she was
engaged and demanding fair wages
and decent conditions of employment.
Mr. Hayes also referred to the fact
that one of the principal obstacles to
the formation of women's unions is the
false pride, of the women workers
themselves. Although compel" to
wori for a living many of them are
disposed to think that the Joining of
a labor union would tend to lower
them socially. This false, pride, he
ald, ia responsible in a very large
degree for the failure of women work
ers to obtain the redress of grievances
and the payment of a decent rate of
wages.: He strongly advised the women-
in the binderies to forget this
false pride and to unite with the Wo
men Jlindery Workers' Union in an
effort to secure better conditions.
THEY ARE MONEY-MAD.
Parents Who Selil Their Children Into
Virtual Slavery.
We Nebraska boast that our
slate is first among the stateB of the
union in noint of education that our
percentage of illiteracy is smallest.
It is a proud boast, and a laudable
one.
But Nebraska is entitled to one dis
tinction over which clean people are
not doing much boasting, and that
distinction is the shameful fact that
Nebraska is one of the few states
which has no law on the books to
prevent the employment of child la-
lx;r. .
We are quick to demand that our
legislative candidates shall make
pledges as to how they will vote as
to tax laws,' and indee4ai) all ques
tions' affecting our pocketbeoks. But
somehow in our mad desire for dol
lars we appear to forget the interests
of the children, and year after year,
this proud state of Nebraska bears the
shame of being one of the few states
of the union which permits the em
ployment of child labor. The ques
tion of child labor does not come as
close home to the people on the farm
and in small cities and towns as "it
'does to the people of our only large
cities Omaha and Lincoln. . In those
cities today, and especially in the
packing houses of South Omaha, may
be found hundreds of little children
working for wages children so small
and sq tender in years that it were
better they should be at home with
mother, if not in school. It is true we
have a compulsory education law in
this state, and that law Is supiosed to
compel the attendance at school of all
children under fourteen years of age.
. But the packing house people find it
easy to evade the law. Money is
lowerful, and it leads fathers and
mothers to perjure themselves In ref
erence to the ages of their children
in order that their greed for money
may be gratified by receipt ot tne ;
salary of the little workers m the !
packing houses. '
We are in the habit of speaking
of the rich as the only ones who sell ,
their souls "for money. But that is a
mistake. Many poor parents in the
cities not only sell their souls, but
also the health and often the lives
of their children in order to win
money. The boasted educational per
centage in Nebraska does not appear
strong enough to withstand the temp
tation held out to parents by the em
ployers of child labor in. the cities.
Perhaps while our educational stand
ing has risen so high our moral stand
ing has fallen very low. At any rate
we need a strong statute on the books
to prevent child labor in the factories
in Nebraska, and the Herald hopes
that all candidates for legislative of
fices may be Induced to pledge them
selves in favor of such a statute.
Fremont (Neb.) Herald.
SUMMONED TO WEEPING WATER.
Jay Worley, of Typographical Un
ion, was called to Weeping Water the
first of the week by the sad news that
his-sister was dangerously ill. She
contracted a case of blood poisoning,
and when Mr. Worley was summoned
it was not believed that she could
survive many hours.
SOME VERY PLAIN WORDS
.The Union Labor Fair has been a magnificent success not.
'The union men and women of Lincoln have rallied to jts support
just like the old woman kept tavern.
But despite discouragements and indifference on the part of , those
who should have been most interested, the fair has been a success m
every way except that of attendance. Every promise of the manage
ment has been carried out. The attractions have been of the best,
and have post more than was taken in at the door. And while the
fair has scored a practical failure from the financial standpoint, the
management feels that it has done
The lessons learned from experience always prove costly, but
they are visually worth the investment. A man is to be pardoned tor
stubbing his toe once on a nail, but he is a fool if he stubs his toe the
second time on the same nail. Themanager of the labor fair stubbed
his toe on the labor fair nail once he will not do it again. He will
go around the other way after this, and let those who want to risk
the stubbing take the path that he has just" finished.
But the manager does not regret a dollar that he has expended in
an effort to advance the cause of unionism. He only regrets the indif
ference of union men and women. Perhaps he can stand to lose the
few dollars better than a majority of the indifferent unionists can
stand it to have their indifference known. To the faithful few who
have helped in every way they could to make the fair a success, the
manager returns his heartfelt thanks. To those who were indifferent,
and to the many who "knocked," he desires to express renewed
assurances of his distinguished consideration.
The fair opened Monday evening, W. J. Bryan and Governor
Mickey being the speakers for the occasion. Mr. Bryan said in part:
"There is a gulf .existing between the toiling class and those that
live without toiling; but at the present time brain and muscle are
working in closer harmony than they have for many years. Today
the world does not care for the non-producer, and the laborer ranks
much higher than the idle man 'who lives on the income left htm. The
dignity of labor has been so proclaimed over the land and impressed
on the minds of the people that it will not' be long until the world
will point the finger of disgrace at the man who lives in idleness. The
moral question is also involved in this. A man who refuses to work
cannot attain a high moral standard. The real pauper is not the man
living in poverty, but the one that does not produce anything. The
pauper may be found among the rich classes, where idleness takes the
place of work. If all the laboring men should quit work now the
world would starve in six months, because the country is only that
far ahead in supplies. No man can be better trusted than the laboring
man, and no one is more interested in good government than he who
toils." .
Governor Mickey spoke briefly and paid a high tribute upon
the men who help the world by producing something, and said he pre
ferred to shake the hand of the man who produces than to shake the
hands of the man who consumes what others pi'oduee. He asserted
that upon the honesty and courage of American workingmen depended
the perpetuity of the nation, and said that 88 per cent of the men who
fought the battles of the Civil war were recruited from the farms,
the mines and the workships. They, too, constitute the great
balancing force in our civic life.
Governor Mickey's friendship for labor was evidenced in all he
said and his remarks were listened to with closest attention and
loudly applauded. ,.''
Dr. Mayhew and Mr. Enyeart kindly gave their." services to make
the opening night a success. Dr. Mayhew presided at the piano and
Mr. Enyeart gave a vocal selection that was finished and artistic, and
both singer and accompanist were warmly applauded by the small
but appreciative audience.
Kimbro, a local magician, entertained for' a few minutes with
some feats of sleight of hand, and the manager made announcement
of the various contests. Then the dancing began and continued until
time to close for the night. ' ,
Tuesday night Booth Bros., acrobats, Sprague, magician and
Karcher,' all-round . entertainer, entertained the people and gave a
performance that deserved a much larger audience. Tuesday evening
the interest in the various contests warmed up a little, and especially
OOOCXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXOOOOO
"Trades Union
The Mutual
Mr. Will M. Maupin," editor of The
Wageworker and a member of Lincoln
Typographical Union No. 209, will speak
on the above topic at the
First Baptist Church
SUNDAY EVENING, DEC. 9
All who are interested in the labor
question, and especially those interested
in the child labor problem, are cordially:
invited to attend this meeting, which is
free to all. The services preliminary to
the address will begin promptly at 7:30.
Special music will be rendered.
COOOOCXSOCOOOOOOOOCO
all that could have been asked o it.
and Church"
Relations
was the set of dishes a center of attraction. But, the attendance on
both Monday and Tuesday night was not much larger, than should
have been committee meetings to arrange for the fair;-)
Wednesday night was the first showing of interest, and the crowd
was large; for the admission was free. The baby show attracted a
great deal of attention and doubtless helped to draw the crowd. Just
how lajrge the crowd would have been had admission been charged is
profcV imtie.al. Booth Bros, and Sprague aga'in entertained,-and some
of the contests warmed up still more. The homely men's contest is
drawing the most attention, though there were rumors of something
doing in the dinner set contest. - .'' '''"; .';.
Thursday night the attendance was again miserably small com
pared with what it should, have been. Union men who are always
loud in their union talk have attended the fair just once the' night
it was free. Less than one-half of the total paid admissions have'
been union men or their wives, and up to and including Thursday
night there were less than 400 paid admissions. '
IT IS A DIRTY, DOWNRIGHT SHAME, AND THE UNIONISTS
OF THIS CITY AND VICINITY OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED OF
THEMSELVES.
The piano contest drags along slowly but surely; Several ladies
are trying to earn the gas stove by selling tickets and are meeting
with considerable encouragement. ; f : V:
As The Wageworker goes to press Friday night the next to the
last session of the fair is in progress. The total attendance up to and
including Friday night has not been what it should have been on any
one night. Because of indifference, "knocking," jealousy and lack
of union enterprise the first labor fair ever attempted in Lincoln has
been a miserable financial failure. This means that the first lahor
fair in Lincoln will probably be the
worked hard to make this fair a success are not ; very apt to try it
again. They are perfectly willing to let-some one else enjoy the
honor. . . , . . ' . , ' '
And now the editor of The Wageworker wants to say a personal
word in explanation of his connection with the fair. Two years ago
an effort was made to arrange for a labor fair and a committee ap
pointed to look into the matter. The Vcommittee accomplished noth
ing. Six weeks ago Mr. Maupin made a definite offer to the Central
Labor Union to this effect; If. the
behind the enterprise, and if the local unions, would advance enough
to guarantee the" rent, he would undertake to arrange for, tlie fair,
sell all the exhibitors' space, pay all postage and printing bills up to
the opening of the fair in fact stand for all the preliminary expense,
attend to every arrangement and look after the fair while in progress.
If the enterprise cleared $300 Mr.
burse him for his expenses.. This
It has come to Mr. Maupin 's
in Lincoln have hinted that there was. a "graft" somewhere, and that
they didn't propose to give up their good money to help Maupin. To
all such Mr. Maupin wishes to say that he is not handling one cent ox
the funds of the fair and will not: that the men who are charging
"graft" are miserable and contemptible liars, and that if there is any
man Avilling to reimburse Mr. Maupin fo"r money already expended by
him, and for which he holds receipts, that man may have Mr. Maupin 's
contract with the Central Labor Union. This little labor fair experi
ment promises to cost Mr. Maupin about $125, and while he can ill
afford to lose the amount he would much rather lose it than to have
lost a goodly portion of his faith in the enterprise, loyalty and union
ism of about 75 per cent of the men who carry union cards and claim
to be union men. If there are those who entertain suspicions about
the financial management of the fair, Mr. Maupin cordially invites
them to confer with him and Evans of the Cigarmakers and Chap
lin of the Barbers. These two gentlemen are handling all the money.
It -is still possible for the unionists of the' city to pull the labor
fair out of the hole. If every union man who receives this paper will
attend Saturday night, take hold of some of the contests and push
them along, and will do a square union man's part, the fair will more
than pay out. The manager of the fair does not ask for any sympa
thy. He is getting well along in years but he is still a pupil in the
school of experience and he is willing to pay the tuition fee.
EMPLOYERS' LIABILITY LAW.
The Attorney General Says He Will
Intervene to Enforce It.
It is announced that with the ap
proval of President Roosevelt the at
torney general of the United States
will intervene when the first case un
der the new employers' liability law
comes up for the purpose of sustain
ing and enforcing the constitutionality
of the law. .. '.
This law was passed by congress
last winter, by which a remedy is af
forded to all employes of the inter
state railroads for death or injury in
curred in their service through the
negligence of interstate railroads or
any of its employes. :,
It is understood that when the at
torney general decided to intervene in
these cases he was in possession of
information that many of the railroads
had decided to enter upon a systematic
effort to break down the law. This
conclusion is said to have been reach
ed at a meeting of railroad attorneys
held in Louisville, Ky., a month ago
It is expected that a test suit will be
brought soon in Kentucky and another
in New Jersey. ' .''',' ,
Canton, O., car repairers are on
strike for an increase of two cents an
hour.' ' , ''
last one. The gentlemen who have
Central Labor Union would get
Maupin was to be paid $150 to reim
offer was accepted. , -
ears that certain alleged union men
POST AND PARRY PLEASED.
Reports From Lincoln Labor' Fair
Tickle Them Very Much.
New York, December 6. (Special
Dispatch to The Wageworker.) David -M.
Parry and Charles W. Post, union
busters extraordinary, ; are in the city
attending the annual meeting'of their
. t. -
union-busting organization. The Wage
worker representative interviewed
them concerning the Lincoln . labor
fair and asked them to express their
opinions. ;
"We are under obligations to those
true union men who have shown their
hatred for; agitation' by ' withholding
their patronage from the, fair," said
Mr. Post. "While those men carry
union cards: we know we,: can always ;
depend upon them in a pinch. The
men who have refused to patronize ;
your labor fair have conferred a favor .
on us, and when trouble comes we '
will not forget them. We always stand
by our friends as long as' it is profit
able, to us.": ' , ' ' ." !. . . -'
"I am not surprised that the Lin
coln labor fair was a failure," said
Mr. : Parry. ' j "Union ' men are great
talkers, but when it comes to doing1
anything they want to see big money
in it for themselves. ; The' idea that
union men . would stand together for
a general principle made me laugh
when I heard about the fair. Of course
it was a financial failure. Perhaps the
union men would have turned out to
the fair ; if the management had .paid
them overtime' for their work. ; " We
have made note of Lincoln for ret-'
erence when trouble arises in the
middle west. - It seems to be a good
recruiting ground for us when we have
trouble with the arrogant and selfish
trades unions." ; , '
TYPOGRAPHICAL UNION.
Regular Meeting Brings Out Some
. Constitutional Amendments.
, The Typographical Union meeting
last Sunday was better attended than
usual and considerable business was
transacted. A couple of amendments
to the constitution were offered and
will be considered at the next meeting. ;
Relief was granted to a couple .of
sick members and the label question
was again brought up and threshed
over .for an hour or two. It was de
cided to hold an opening meeting on
December 16 and invite the members
of the allied printing trades to be
present , and enjoy a "smoker." The
object is to advance the label cause.
A committee consisting of Messrs.
Leaden and Peat was appointed to look
after the principal arrangements. The
hall has -not yet been designated, but
every member of the allied printing
trades will be duly ' notified in ample
tlme.r. ' '.' r . .'';'; ' ".',-.
CITIZEN'S COMPANY WON.
City Council Grants , Right to Extend
Lines on N 8tret.
... There was a lot of oratory turned
loose at the city council meeting' last
Monday night, and the unusually large
crowd of spectators got the worth of
their money. The chief controversy
was over the matter of whether the
Traction Co. or the Citizens' Co.
should have the right to build east
on N street. If the Traction Co. had
any friends in the council they man
aged to keep pretty quiet, for the sen
timent in favor of the Citizens' Co.
was oyerwhelmning. ; As a result the
Citizens' Co. was given the N street
right which means a better car1 service
for northeast Lincoln In the very near .
future. .' ' ' ..
Mayor Brown has given it out flat
that he will oppose granting any street
railway company the right to build on
R street. That is the'principal route
to' Wyuka cemetery, and the street is
too narrow for car tracks and a suit
able roadway. In this stand the mayor
will have the support of the people
generally, -. -'':
A CHRISTMAS NUMBER. .
I The issue of The. Wageworker for
December1- 14th will be the annual ;
Christmas number. We want some
news from every organization in the
city for this issue. Secretaries will '
please take notice and help .their
1 locals and The Wageworker by getting
! busy at once. i
s