The Wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, July 26, 1907, Image 1

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    VOL,. 4
IjIXCOLK, NEBRASKA, JULY 26,. 1&07
NO. 17
!
Bartenders Inaugurate
Memorial Observance
Lincoln unions seem to have fallen
Into the habit of setting the pace for
sister unions throughout the country.
Four years ago Lincoln Typographical
Union inaugurated the custom of ob
, serving memerial day each year, and
now the custom has the sanction of
international law and last May scores
of local unions observed the day with
fitting ceremonies.
Last Sunday the Bartenders' Union
of Lincoln observed "Memorial Sun
day," and thus Inaugurated a custom
In their craft which promises to speed
ily become well nigh universal. It
was, bo far ns known, the first time
a Bartenders' Union that ever held
memorial excerslses over the graves
of departed members. The local met
at Carpenters' hall at 3 o'clock last
Sunday afternoon, nearly 60 per cent
of the membership being present.
Each member was given a carnation
and a mourning badge, and the local
marched from the hall to Sixteenth
and O streets, where a special car was
taken to Wyuka cemetery. The union's
banner and ' an American flag were
carried at the head of the procession.
At the cemetery gates the procession
again formed and proceeded to the
grave of' a recently deceased member
where brief memorial exercises were
held and the grave decorated. The
members then visited other graves
and decorated them,' two of the graves
being located in the Catholic ceme
tery. There was no attempt at a for
mal program. After the decoration
services the members returned to the
city and disbanded at the hall.
The members have unanimously de
cided to observe the custom every
year, and already a movement is on
foot to purchase a burial lot and
erect a monument. The following ad
d.ess was delivered at the grave of
Fred Karcher, where the ceremonies
were held, the speaker being "Will M.
Maupin, editor of The Wageworker:
"It is meet and proper 'that we,
ilie surviving comrades of that great
army which marches and fights In the
cause of unionism, should pause in
our campaign now and then, and for
one brief hour devote ourselves to
tender thoughts of the comrades who
have gone before; comrades who
marched side by side with us, who
divided our misfortunes and doubled
their joys by sharing with us. In
the almost death grapple for existence
which has been thrust upon us by
modern Industrialism, It is most nat
ural that unless we join hands in
mutual helpfulness we should degen
erate socially and physically; it is
most natural that unless we pause in
the struggle now and then and let
tender memories and fraternal senti
ments stir our hearts we should grow
callous and unsympathetic, and in
time tear one another's throats over
the few bones dropped from the tables
of the more fortunate.
"Because such gatherings as these
call us back to our better selves, we
who fight in the great Industrial army
have realized their necessity, and so
we of the various crafts and occupa
tions are more and more every year
laying aside the cares of life long
enough to commune for a brief though
tender season with the spirits of those
who have answered the final sum
mons.
"In an hour like this the torturous
language of the logician, the fine spun
theories of the philosophers, and the
creeds and dogmas tf the theologians,
are wasted upon us, and we attune
our minds to that language of the
infinite which speaks to the hearts
and not to the ears of men. In this
silent city of the dead, where the
green grass waves above the crum
bling forms of once valiant soldiers
of peace who were our comrades, we
need no theologian to tell us that
death did not end all for these dear
friends.
"When the winds of autumn blow
and the chill winds of winter come.
we see the once blooming rosebush
lose leaf find petal and become the
bar brown bush. Its appearance
then Is not Indicative of what it shall
be when the spring winds shall blow
again, and the sunshine of April and
of May shall call back to root and
branch and twig the life-giving 3ap
And can it be that the same kindly
hand which fashioned the rosebush
and the stalwart man shall deny to
the wasted and empty shell of mor-
. tallty the same glorious resurrection
given to the rose? Men In the pride
of their strength and manhood may
often entertain doubts of Immortality,
but the doubts are only momentary.
Deep down in every heart is that long
ing for another life for another op
portunity beyond the grave for an
other reunion with the loved ones lost.
And can it be that the great power
which framed the wonderful mechan
ism of these mortal bodies overlooked
the answer to the longing which every
heart has felt?
"I am not of those who look upon
death as something to be feared. I
have been called upon to pass under
the rod of affliction, and while bowed
beneath that rod, mourning the tem
porary separation from loved ones, I
have been sustained by the belief
that their farewell kiss was only a
pleasant good-bye until that glorious
morrow when hearts knit to hearts
on earth should be knit together again
on a fairer shore. And believing thus.
I am constrained to believe that across
the chasm which we call death, the
spirit of all my loved ones, all my
comrades, who have gone before, are
reaching 'out to me, that they are help
ing me because the. tender memories
of their personal associations with me
on earth make- me better fit for the
stern duties of life that confront me.
Because of these things I am made
stronger by these annual memorial
meetings. They awake in our hearts
better thoughts, kindlier feelings and
strengthen the ties of friendship, with
out which life would not be worth the
living.
The Great Craftsman who walked
and taught in Galilee, and in three
years laid down a code of ethics which
has regenerated the world, told us
that "No man llveth unto himself, and
no" man dleth unto himself." The
great truth contained in these words
grows more important as the days go
by. I am my brother's keeper; you
are your brother's keeper. And be
cause we are our brother's keepers
we who toil in kindred occupations
have banded ourselves together in
unions to better guard our weaker
brothers. Unionism is the outgrowth
of an unselfish, not a selfish, motive.
We demand better wages, not that
we alone may prosper more, but that
those dependent upon us may enjoy
life as it should be enjoyed. We de
mand shorter hours, not because we
desire to work less, but because we
desire to give our brothers an oppor
tunity to secure some of the good
things of life. We organize because
Ufa is a battle that cannot be won
by individual action. In these unions
we learn to know one another as we
would never learn if engaged in a
selfish struggle for individual exist
ence. Ties of friendship are formed
that are only strengthened by the
appearance of the death angel. We
follow the mortal remains of the dead
brother to the cemetery, we hear the
clods rattle upon the coffinlid and
listen to the words of the minister as
he repeats, "Ashes to ashes and dust
to dust," but if we have learned the
lessons of unionism well we realize
that death has not ended all. We
realize that death has only added to
ihe sum of our responsibilities, for
into our keeping has been left the
sobbing widow and the orphaned chil
dren. Into the keeping of our mem
ories is left remembrances of the kind
ly deeds, the smiling welcomes and
the handclasps of the dead brothers
who sleep but for a time, only to
awaken as the rose awakens at the
call of 'spring. From these meetings
we go back to our daily toil, strength
ened for the conflict by this brief
co.timunlon with the spirits or those
who fought the fight and who have
finished the course.
" 'There is no death!
What seems so Is transition;
This life ot mortal breath
Is but a suburb of the life elysian,
Whose portals we call death."
"The blossoms we lay today upon
the resting places of our dead com
rades will fade away into decay, just
as their mortal bodies have faded to
dust. But we will remember this brief
hour when we scattered the blossoms,
and the memory will be an inspira
tion to us. Ours shall be the blame
if we fail to profit by the lessons of
fraternity and charity whicfy these
dead comrades taught U3 by precept
and example.
"But In thus remembering and dec
orating the graves of our dead com
rades, let us not .forget the living
comrades. Let us not reserve all our
fragrant flowers for the dead, but
scatter them into the lives of the
living. When we turn away from this
beautiful spot where sleep our fallen
comrades, let us carry with us a real
ization or the fact that the flowers
we have left here will be of no avail
to those they cover unless we carry
with us the knowledge that we owe
more to those who are still with us.
To the brother in sickness or in dis
tress, to the widow and to the orphan,
to all the countless afflicted who toil
shoulder to shoulder with us, we owe
a debt that a lifetime of service can
scarce repay. Fraternity is a flower
that will not bloom in the narrow
confines of one's own life; it must
be given the sunshine of comradeship,
the soft rains of friendship and the
rich soil of mutual love and fore-
bearance.
"This, then, is the lesson for those
who still survive. We gather here
to pay tribute to the memory of our
beloved ones, but. more than that
we gather here that we may take on
new hope, new faith, new courage.
that shall better fit us for the battles
of the morrow. '
"Sleep on, O, comrades brave and
true! Sweet be thy rest until the
Master bids thee awake. And may
thy spirits hover over us and inspire
us to better works that shall result
in better things for all those who toil
and strive, and in toiling and striving
forget not the weak and the oppressed.
"And when the last one of us shall
have been laid away in the narrow
confines of the tomb, may we all
awake to join in that Grander Union
where all men are brothers, and
where toil and heartaches and hunger
and oppression shall never more be
known."
LABEL LEAGUE DISBANDS.
Faithful Few Could No Longer Carry
the Load of Responsibility.
The Lincoln branch of the Woman's
International Union Label League haj
disbanded. The charter has -been re
turned, and the small balance in the
(reajii.y, amounting to about $10, has
been turned over to the Central Labor
Union. A few earnest women workei
hard i make the Label League a
success, but the absence of any indus
trial organization among the women
of the city, together with the indiffer
ence and unconcern of many who were
vitally interested in making the league
a s'lcof ss, worked to make the orgaui
7ai: 1 a failure. For a year k faith
ful half-dozen have met regularly,
paid dues and boosted for union-made
goods all they knew how, but realizing
that they could accomplish nothing
worth while unless others were inter
ested, they decided to quit. In dis
banding the ' league thanked the cen
tral body for its many courtesies,
that organization having paid the
League's hall rent from its . inception.
The Label League should have had
as many members as there are wives
and sisters of union men in Lincoln.
The women are the spenders of the
wages, and this puts them in position
to make a good boost for the label.
The men should have taken a greater
interest, because the League was cal
culated to help them. But the union
men ignored it.
PRINTERS' PICNIC
Guests of Capital Auxiliary at Ante
lope Park Tuesday Evening.
Capital Auxiliary No. 11 entertained
such of the printers as were courteous
enough to accept a kindly invitation
at Antelope park Tuesday evening.
Supper was spread under the trees at
7 o'clock, and the seven or eight
printers present had enough of good
things and to spare. Barring the
presence of the flies the evening was
pleasantly spent. The women en
gaged in a rope jumping contest
names of winners being suppressed.
The men had a tug-o'-war which re
sulted in a tie. Some "Injun wrest
ling" afforded amusement for an ad
miring crowd. The picnic was voted
a success.
THE CARPENTERS.
Little Notes of the Craft Picked Up
Here and There.
Business Agent Bly of the local
union has been laid up for several
days, and therefore unable to attend to
tia duties. At this writing he is re
ported on the mend.
With other tradesmen engaged in
the construction of the Orlo flats a
number of carpenters attended the re
LEST WE FORGET! LEST
Lincoln Overall . Shirt Co.
' " rf'r "
S.aiy
. . lb F$st National- Bank. ' (
-.":,r f. ;:Yv
The above is a fac simile of a check
issued by the Lincoln Overall and
Shirt Co., to a former employe, the
check representing the wage paid for
fifty-nine hours' work. This fac simile
i; again printed because the manager
of jthe company issuing it is manage-
of the Ep worth Assembly, which
opetis next week.
ception given at the new building by
Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Sawyer. George
Quick of the Carpenters' Union was on
the list for a talk and he made it.
The carpenters appointed a member
of the Labor Temple committee and
he has been present at every meeting
of the central body since his appoint
ment. He found no other committee
men there.. The carpenters also ap
pointed a member of the Labor Day
committee, and he has been ready for
business ever since. y
.Over 2,000 building tradesmen in
Louisville, Ky., went on strike on
June 24, owing to a set of resolutions
issued by the contractors, declaring
their determination to maintain the
"'open shop."
Owing to a disagreement with the
carpenters about the wage scale, the
mill owners of Memphis, Tenn., post
ed notices hat, beginning -with Juno
15, their places would be run as open
shops. A strike was the result, and
within three days the mill owners
capitulated, conceded the "union shop"
and Saturday half-holiday and all is
lovely again.
All union carpenters at Sault Ste.
Marie, Mich., went on strike Monday,
demanding an increase in wages from
33J-2 cents an hour to 36 cents. Conp
ti actors offered a counter proposition
to complete the present contracts on
the present basis and then give 35
cents, which was refused. All work is
at a a(tandstill. The woodworking
plants are also tied up, about 100 men
being idle.
The Colorado Springs Labor News
notes with great satisfaction that a
large majority of carpenters arriving
in that city bring paid-up union cards
with them. It also notices with ap
proval that a lot of them are young
men, a fact which disaproves the anti
union claim .that unions discourage
apprentices.
The 6,000 carpenters in Manhattan,
New York, were granted an, increase
in pay from $4.80 to $5 a day, on Mon
day. On January 1st their pay was in
creased from $4.50 to $4.80 a day, with
a promise to receive $5 a day July 1st,
and the employers have fulfilled their
promise. Only two employing firms
declined to grant' the increase and 12
men went out on strike.
PREPARING TO TOUCH US.
"Sadie Maguire" Throwing the Bull
Con With Ulterior Motives.'
Last week the daily papers printed
dispatches from Lincoln, announcing
that Will M. Maupin, editor of the
Wageworker, had fallen heir to a for
tune of seven figures. The last time
we saw Bill, he was saying "Down
with the rich." No doubt he will be
come class conscious now. How
ever, we hope the report 4s true, and
that we will have one labor editor in
this country who is a millionaire. Here
is our heartiest congratulations, Bill.
We think you will make a peach of
a millioniare. Omaha Western La
borer. Owing to the lack of interest and
poor attendance nothing came of the
meeting held in Montreal recently to
form a purely Canadian Typographical
union.
PAY ROLL ACCOUNT.
" ' jjr:
f ''
mCOLM
Lincoln. N kb."
"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall
know them. Not every that saith unto'
me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth
the will of my 'Father which is in
heaven. Many will say unto me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophecied in Thy name, and in Thy
name have cast out devils, and in Thy
To Work With
If the Central Labor Union carries
out a plan decided on at the meeting
Tuesday night, it . will have ' work
enough to keep it busy for the next
few months, and it will be work that
will call for the best talent of the
organization. ' .'
Some months ago a committee of
the Allied Building Trades called on
the executive committee of the Com
mercial club, and the two committees
had a long and" satisfactory consul
tation as to conditions . in Lincoln.
The Allied Building Trades council
now asks the Central Labor Union
to'; act through a committee in conjunc
tion with the building trades commit
tee, to call upon the Commercial club
and endeavor to arrive at some under
standing whereby the trades unionists
of the city can "work' hand in hand
with the Commercial club for the up
building of Lincoln. The whole trouble
so far seems to have been that the
unionists and the members of the
Commercial club have not sufficiently
understood one another. If this is the
case the joint committees hope to set
tle the trouble amicably. I
The : trade unionists insist that busi
ness men who talk about the .neces
sity . of "building up Lincoln institu
tions", ought to be willing to employ
Lincoln citizens and taxpayers in pref
erence to the "floaters" who come in,
work through a season and then de
part .for their homes elsewhere to
spend the wages earned here. Again,
they insist that if they are expected
to' purchase Lincoln made goods the
goods shall be up to specifications
made by the purchasers. The business
men insist that the carpenters, brick
layers, .plumbers, painters and others
whom them employ shall perform the
work accprding to specifications.
The joint committee is going to meet
with the executive ' committee of the
Commercial club as soon as, possible,
and The Wageworker anticipates good
results for all parties concerned. The
following gentlemen have been named
to represent the central body on the
committee, other names to be added
as affiliated unions send delegates
regularly to the meetings:
Kolsey. Leaden, Evans, Warner,
Rudy, Walker, Parmalee, Weckizer.
"It is a mistake for the union men of
Lincoln to look upon the members of
the Commercial Club as 'enemies,' "
said one speaker at the Meeting Tues
day night. ' "On the contrary, a ma
jority of the members of the club who
employ labor are really our friends.
The trouble is that we have neglected
to show our side of the question. We
have failed to demonstrate, as we are
LABOR DAY MASS MEETING
ALL UNION MEN interested in making Labor Day
a success, are cordially invited to attend a mass
meeting at Central Labor Union hall, 1034 O street,
Monday evening, July 29, at 8:30 o'clock. The meet
ing is called by the Central Labor Union, but that body
will have no official connection with the meeting.
WE FORGET!
NQV 4 1905
MIT mOLf. AGOOUMT.
OVERALL A SMIHT CO.
name done many wonderful works?
An then will I profess unto them, f
never knew you depart from me,
ye that work iniquity."
"Woe unto you, scribes and Phari
sees, hyprocrites! ' For . ye devour
widows' houses, and for a pretence
make, long prayers, therefore ye shall
receive the greater damnation." .
Lest we forget! Lest we forget! !
the
Commercial Club
well able to do, that our interests are
their interests. We have been looking
at a lot of things from different stand- :
points, and it is up to use to bring the
business men around to our viewpoint. ,
A majority of the members of the .
Commercial Club are not employers of
labor. They are lawyers, doctors, den-'
tists and capitalists, and the question
of labor does not in any way interest
them. ' The minority members who do
employ labor can easily be reached,
and we have failed- in our duty to our
selves and to our unions if we have
neglected to so inform ourselves that
we cannot demonstrate by facts beyond
dispute that our interests. are common
interests." '
It was hoped that the delegates ap
pointed by various unions to act on
the Labor Day committee would appear
In sufficient numbers to permit the
holding of a meeting Tuesday night.
But the hope died. The Central La
bor Union does not meet again for "
three weeks, and that will only be two
weeks before Labor Day. In view of
this fact the central hody has decided
to call a mass' meeting at the hall,
1034 O street, next Monday night for
the purpose of starting the ball to roll
ing. Every unionist who in interested
in making the Labor Day demonstra
tion a success, in whatever form is de
cided upon, is cordially invited to be
present at the meeting. While called
by the Central Labor Union that body
will have no official connection with
the meeting. . , . ' " .' ' : .'. '
MORRISON A GRADUATE.
One of Few Leaders Boasting a Col-
lege Education.
" Frank Morrison, secretary of the
American Federation of Labor for the
last ten years, is one of the few labor
leaders who have had a college educa
tion. He was graduated from the law
school of Lake Forest University.
After his post-graduate course he be
gan the printing trade, and from that
time on he was active in the general
labor movement. He was chosen to
devote his time and ability to the
cause of the workingman instead of
practicing his profession, which would
undoubtedly have brought him greater
returns in a financial way. Ex.
The International Union of Brewery
Workers, recently deprived of its char
ter by the American Federation of La
bor, has a membership of 40,000.