WHAT IT EXISTS FOR
Destruction of Labor Unions Object of
"The Wickedest Corporation."
As we iread to hear of "the wicked
est man," we ought not now to be
surprised, since everything ! capital
ized and Incorporated, at hearing of
"the wickedest corporation.' Should
there be any contest for this distinc
tion, it might be won by the National
Association of Manufacturers, a body
that Is now engaged in raising a fund
of a million and a half for the pur
post of fighting strikes. What such
a fund would be used for it is not
difllcult to conjecture. It certainly
would not be used for the purpose of
obliterating the dangerous class feel
ing which is arising between employ
ers and employes and which the Na
tional Association of Manufacturers
is doing all it can to foster.
"One great trouble with the aver
age employer," as the Railroad Train
men's Journal says, "is that he is not
willing to consider the employment
of labor as he does any other busi
ness proposition. He talks glibly
enough about workmen having labor
to sell, but he begins to rave when
workmen unite to fix the minimum
price of their labor, although he re
gards it as in regular business course
for employers to unite to fix the
price of both goods and labor. He
grows -bitter and vicious at the
thought of meeting a committee of
workmen not in his own employment
to confer upon hours and wages in
bis own shop, yet he meekly takes
orders in these respects from other
employers. Moreover, he forgets, or
assumes to, that outside labor com
mittees were necessitated, not by
trade unions, but by employers."
The Railroad Trainmen's Journal is
absolutely accurate when it says.
"The labor representative 'became
necessary because so many employ
ers insisted on meeting their own eni
playes, and then when they did fre
quently discharged the committee
men for daring to come to them, and
they thus intimidated the rest. The
representative who does not depend
on the employer for his wages does
not fear personal results, and he is
much more effective than one could
be who felt that he would be singled
out for dismissal." That is the his
tory of the rise of "the walking dele
gate." It "was necessary for organ
ized labor to create an independent
embassador, one whom the employer
could not hurt, in order to secure
fair conferences with employers in
kel f.lf of their own workmen.
If employers generally were dis
posed to act with workers like sen
sible men . instead of domineering
bosses, they would deal with "walk
ing delegates" or representative com
mittees, either ' directly or through
their own walking delegates or repre
sentative committees, as they deal
with lawyers or arbitration commit
ti es, in their disputes with fellow em
ployers. Were they to pursue this
course, strikes would cease. But
this they will not do, and. their stub
born refusal in that respect is the
most prolific cause 'of strikes. Un
fair and stubborn as labor unions
may be at times, they are neithar so
unfair nor so stubborn as employers'
unions. A fund of a million and a
half, devoted to breaking down t"ae
wretched anti-labor prejudice of em
ployers would do more good than
tho same fund devoted to "putting
down, strikes" by employes could dp
evil and that is saying much. The
Public.
A SAFE TRIP.
Nebraska's three railroad commis
sioners are taking a tour over the
Missouri Pacific lines within the state.
They are walking. And after a jour
ney of 1,600 miles on that road, in
which he was in one railroad wreck
that resulted in the death of an en
gineer, The Wageworker editor is of
the opinion that the commissioners
have taken the only safe way of jour
neying on that near-railroad.
London, Eng. The total member
ship of the Women's Trade Union
League in Great Britain is in excess
of 135,000.
Washington. In the United States
1,500,000 servants attend the wants
of 6,000,000 who ; believe that the
housework should be done by others.
Indianapolis, Ind. The Internation
al Typographical union now has a
membership of a little more than 50,
000 distributed in the United States
Canada and Mexico.
San Francisco. Representatives of
labor and capital In the building
trades are discussing a proposition to
settle upon a scale of wages for three
years. i
Vienna, Austria. Twelve thousand
dressmakers and ladies' tailors, of
whom 9J0OO were women and girls, re
cently went on strike for better con
ditions. After nine days the dispute
was settled favorably to the strikers.
Minneapolis, Minn. Building con
tractors all over the northwest are
crying for carpenters, brick and stone
masons, plasterers, paperhangers and
electrical workers at wages ranging
from $4.50 to $6.50 for eight hours'
work.
New York. A large number of tail
ors went on strike recently for recog
nition of the union, a nine-hour day,
ten per cent, increase in wages, and a
signed agreement with-the contrac
tors. The tailors say their average
wages ranged from $12 to $16 a week
last month!
Indianapolis, Ind. A formal agree
ment has been reached between John
Mitchell, president of the United Mine
Workers of America, and William D.
Haywood, secretary and treasurer of
the Western Federation of Miners, for
an interchange of cards between the
two organizations.
Milwaukee, Wis. The Federated
Trades Council, at a meeting passed
resolutions opposing the big fine Im
posed against the Standard Oil com
pany by Judge Landis. The resolu
tions say that under present business
conditions the people will eventually
have to pay the fine. The only rem
edy, it Is declared, is in government
ownership.
Wilkesbarre, Pa. The report of
President Nichols, of the United Mine
Workers' union at the convention
showed a falling off in membership for
that district of upward of 21,000 for
the past year. Despite this, however,
the report says, the union has done
more effective work for Its members
and maintained its strength for a
much longer time.
Pittsburg, Pa. After being on strike
for about one week the demands of
the men employed by the Mononga
hela Coal & Coke company, on the
docks at Elizabeth, were granted and
they returned to work. The men asked
for an ight-hour day. The settlement
will also affect the same class of em
ployes at Dravosburg . and McKees-.
port,
Berlin, Germany. Letter carriers In
Berlin begin on a salary of 900 marks
(a mark equals 23.8 cents), with an
allowance in addition of 360 marks
per year for rent, and receive 'but
1,500 marks after years of service.
They work 12 hours a day and the av
erage weight of mail delivered daily
is 150 pounds, except when the Amer
ican malls arrive, which increase It to
300 pounds. Appointments are made
by examination and preference is giv
en to those who have served in the
German army.
London, England. Steam Engine
Makers' society of Great Britain, bad
127 branches at the close of 1906, an
increase of seven In the year.-
Ottawa, Canada. The statement is
made that 'not less than 40,000 labor
ers will be needed In Canada this sea
son for the construction of new rail
roads. . v ... - '
London, Eng. The wages of the
coal miners of England and Wales
were increased by flvejer cent, from
the first "maklng-up" day in May.
This is the second advance of five per
cent, this year, the previous one going
into effect on the first "making-up"
day in January. The two increases
are said to add about nine cents per
ton to the cost of mining the coal. '
Ottawa, Canada. The average an
nual salary for male teachers in the
dominion is $486, while the female
teachers receive $245. The highest sal
aries are paid in British Columbia, the
males receiving $677 and the females
$553. The lowest salaries are paid to
the male teachers in the province of
Prince Edward island, where they re
ceive $246, while in the province of
Quebec the female teachers, ' receive
the lowest pay, $138.
London, Eng. Official figures for
1906 show an increase In the number
of passengers of British origin who
left the United Kingdom for places
out of Europe, as compared with 1905,
the total being 325,036, as against 262,
077. London, - England. British ' Post
men's federation held its sixteenth an
nual conference in Leeds. The mem
bership was- stated to be 15,388, an
increase of 446 in the year.
El Paso, Texas. The American
Smelting and Refining company has
voluntarily raised all employes' wages
from eight to 15 per cent. -
Ottawa, Canada. The returns for
the four months of 1907 show a total
immigration into Canada from all
sources of a little over 80,000, com
pared with 56,000" for the first four
months of 1906. y
Boston. Boston upholsterers' union
53 won the first case of its kind in
this city when Benjamin Scheinfein
appeared before Judge Wentworth in
the municipal court and on two counts
of coercion . was fined $26 on each
count. He was charged with coercing
two employes of the Globe Upholster
ing company, Barnett Rackofl and
Louis . Leib, into a verbal agreement
not to join a labor union as a condi
tion of their continuing in his em
ploy. , Washington. A statistical report
just issued by the department of com
merce and labor states that during the
25-year period from 1881 to 1905 there
were 36,757 strikes and 1,546 lockouts
in the United States. The number of
persona who went on strike was
6,728,048, and those locked out num
bered 716,231. The total number of
people thrown out of work because of
strikes and lockouts made a total of
9,529,434, and 90 per cent, of these
were males, on whom others were de
pendent. Pittsburg, Pa. The American Fed
eration of Labor hafe not announced
definitely as to when organizers wili
be sent into this field to launch the
new body of brewery workers which
it is proposed to place. In the field
against the United Brewery Workmen,
who have been expelled from the or
ganization. Despite reports to the
contrary, It is learned on the best of
authority that the engineers' and fire
mens' unions are not at present mak
ing any active campaign either. En
gineers and firemen employed In the
breweries who are not members of
either of these unions are being re-
ceived as fast as they show a disposi
tion to come in, but no effort, as yet,
is being made to break up the brewery
workers' organization. s , '
Colorado Springs, Col. Secretary
Treasurer Bramwood, in his report to
the International Typographical con
vention, shows that the collections
for the year ending May 31, 1907fhave
reached the enormous total of $1,939,
304.91, and the expenditures $1,642,
441.94, leaving a balance in the treas
ury of $296,862.97. There was also col
lected during the same period, for the
support of the Union Printers' home,
$61,931.40. The secretary-treasurer
shows that the expenditures from the
burial fund for the year reached the
sum of $39,270. The average age of
death of printers for the year was 46.7
years. It is proposed to build an ad
dition to the Union Printers' home,
and the fund for this purpose isknown
as the Cummings Memorial fund.
There was in this fund on May 31,
1907, $12,910.44. This amount repre
sents voluntary contributions by the
membership. The net cost of trans
acting the general business of the or
ganization, excluding the conduct of
the eight-hour campaign, has been,
only $16,026.63. The average cost per
member has been 37.78 cents; the av
erage cost of officers' ' salaries has
been 10.02 cents. The total cost of
the eight-hour, campaign and Its at
tendant strike up to May 31, 1907, la
shown by the secretary-treasurer to
have been $3,533,058.11. The receipts
and disbursements of the internation
al organization from 1891 to 1907 are
$4,934,318.56 and $4,659,037.21, respect
ively. London, England. Yorkshire Min
ers' association resolved recently to
apply for a further advance of five per
cent, in wages. ,,
Victoria, B. C The steamer Tartar
brought advices from Tokio that five
emigration companies have' combined
to fill an order for 6,000 contract labor
ers, for which a Canadian railway com
pany has made application for railway
building work in British Columbia. ;
- Indianapolis, Ind. For the first time
in the history of coal mining in In
diana 300 miners were recently fined
one dollar per day for eight days for
an unauthorized strike at Linton by
their organization. The aggregate of
the fines, $2,400, will go to the Sum
mit mine owners. -
Reno, Nevada. The Carpenters' un
ion has declared a strike against
the Reno Builders' association because
they claim certainjsontractors are en
deavoring to make Reno an open-shop
town. , '' .
Pittsburg,.. Pa. An increase of two
cents per hour has been granted to all
motormen and conductors of the Alle
gheny Valley Railway company. This
will bring their wages to 23 cents per
hour.
New York, The first general strike
in 12 years of the United Hatters of
America, Involving about 20,000 men
throughout the country, is now likely.
The .strike will be called against the
open shop, which the National Fur
Felt Hat Manufacturers' association'
proposes to introduce. The open-shop
declaration is contained in a resolu
tion of the manufacturers to abolish
the union label.
New' York. The recent statement
made that the Erie railroad paid $10,-.
000 yearly as the price of peace to
the machinists' union is declared to be
absolutely true.
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ANNOUNCEMENT
FALL CLOTHES READY
IMPORTANT NEW FEATURES
For years we have specialized Kensington high grade clothes Clothes, we be
lieve, equal to the product of the very best custom tailors. Upon these we will
continue a vigorous campaign with a greater demand for them than ever We
are sure that not every man wants to pay $2000 or more for a suit and it is to
give such men great values at less money that we will feature from this time on,
two cheaper lines the big 2 suits, overcoats and cravanettes at
$10.00 and $15.00
r" In these cheaper grades our reputation for absolue dependability will be carefully maintained. We will show
them in blacks, blues and mixtures, in all sizes. To introduce them quickly we have gathered together the best
values that it is possible to obtain and even the suits at $10 look astonishingly well. We offer them to our trade
with' confidence and stand ready to make good every unsatisfactory purchase. At $15 we show unusual values.
Union made by some of the best shops in America. We invite men to see these $10. and $15. garments
KM A 'EC C. T C C IX B T
1109 0 ST.
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0
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Conservative .gvSafe
Place you savings, in any
amount at per cent with
Tho Union Loon and Savings Association
Assets Invested Exclusively in
Eirst Mortgages eind Real Estate
MANAGING BOARD
John 7V. Stewart A. W. miller A. L. Johnson
L. J. Dunn H. J. Wlnnett
GfAAf Aulo Phone 2577
1 H l- Bell Phone 1967
The ELITE THEATRE
i
1329 0 STREET
The management has made special arrangements to show to the
people of Lincoln and the visitors to our State Fair one of the
finest programs of Moving Pictures ever shown in the city, and
the Theatre will be open in the forenoon every day so that all
visitors will have an opportunity of seeing them
One Hour's Show for 5c