VOL.. 4
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, MARCH 21, IOCS
NO. 5 1
Temple Fund Gets
Another Big Boost
The board of directors of the Lin
coln Labor Temple Building associa
tion met Monday evening at the usual
place. In many respects It was fhn
best meeting that has yet been held
iViti It gave the promoters new zeal.
Just after Chairman Dickson had
called the meeting to order and Sec
retary Ihringer had read the minutes.
Delegate Walker arose and announced
that the Bartenders' Union had de
cided to buy another block of stock.
He stepped forward with a check for
225, and the directors cheered lustily.
' The local Bartenders'.Union now owns
and has paid for 335 shares of stock,
and Individual bartenders own about
100 shares in addition thereto. ThU
Rives the Bartenders the lead former
ly held by the Electrical Workers'
Union.
The total subscriptions for the even
ing amounted to an even $500. When
the first report was added up it was
found that $490 had been reported.
"We ought to make that an even
$500," said Chairman Dickson. "There
are just ten of us present, and that
only means a dollar each."
No sooner had he spoken than Sec
retary Ihringer was forced to dodge
the silver dollars thrown at him. It
took leBS than thirty seconds to ralsa
the remaining ten dollars and make
the evening's receipts the even $500.
The canvassers reported great en
couragement in their work among the
business and professional men. The
distribution of the prospectus has
aroused great interest in the project,
ii r J those approached for subscriptions
to the capital stock have shown this
interest by the questions asked. ,Also,
they have shown a desire to push the
good work along, and from now on
the work will be much easier. The
directors will continue the work of
canvassing, but as an experiment it
was decided to put a solicitor in the
eld for & week or two. The re-
suits will be measured and if satis
factory will be continued.
Just now the chief sticking point
Ik the matter of a site. While there
i? no particular location favored, near
ly everyone approached wants to
X-now where the temple is to be lo
oated. That, of course, cannot 'be de
cided until there is money enough on
Land to pay for the lot It is hopd
to have this in a very short time, and
, then the subscribers will be asked to
make the selection. '
A defect in the articles of incor
1 oration was pointed out. In that they
failed to show the business of ths
company. , An amendment will be
fiamed and filed with the secretary
in state at the earliest possible mo
ment curing the defect.
Many may think that the plan is
developing too slowly to be encourag
ing. v This Is a mistake. The facts
are . that the Lincoln scheme is In
lietter shape today than any other
temple scheme in auy other city at
the same stage of the game. The
local directors have progressed surely
if slowly. They have cut the garment
according to the cloth. As a result
it is fully equipped with books, roc
ords, etc., does not owe a penny, and
has' $2,000 on the good side or the
ledger. All this, too, without any I
flourish of trumpets and without any
sntematlc effort to raise funds. Tho
money has come from men who are
m convinced that the project is a good
one and are willing to pnt their shoul
ders to the wheel and help move It
along. .
1 Several unions that have not yet
allied themselves with the movement
are showing signs of waking up, and
' are asking what they must do to get
ii on the ground floor.
Two or three benefit attractions arc
in sight, and these promise to give
substantial boosts to the movement.
None of them, however, is in shape to
bv made public at this time.
The board will continue to meet
every Monday evening at 8 o'clock at
v 12" North Twelfth street, and any
in Ion not already in line' that may
want full and definite Information is
crrdlally invited to send representa
tives to the meeting. They will bo
given every information.
A LINCOLN WOMAN.
Under the head of "One Woman'.!
Power," the Toledo, Ohio, Unionist
ras this to say of Miss Laura Gregg,
who is well and favorably known in
Lincoln and Nebraska:
"Miss Laura Gregg, who has been
invited to address the Central Labor
Union at its next meeting, swung th"
recent miners' convention to the
cause of women's suffrage. President
Mitchell introduced the resolution,
after Miss Gregg had told how Pete
Henraty of the miners aided the
cause in Oklahoma. One thousand
delegates voted unanimously fo'
Mitchell's motiou."
THE MUSICIANS.
Laying Plans to Organize a School of
Instruction.
The Musicians' Union is going into
the business of making proficient ih't
sicians, and will lay a definite plan
ol action. A majority of the mem
bers are not professional musicians,
their music being only incidental to
their livelihood. These feel the need
of instruction, and to that end ths
union will organize a school of in
struction, employ a competent teacher
and proceed to give the non-professionals
the best possible instruction
This is a splendid plan, and the mu
sicians are enterprising enough and
earnest enough to make it a success
This will result in better bands and
orchestras in Lincoln, and make pos
sible the organization of a "Music t
Union Band" that will make Lincoln
famous during the coming campaign,
when thousands of political visitors
will journey to Lincoln.
The trouble at the Elite was thor
oughly explained at the meeting last
Sunday. The union musicians at that
.imusement resort were discharged,
bf cause they objected to working with
tv non-unionist. The secretary was in
structed to notify every union in the
city of the facts in the case. The
management of this resort is also in
terested In similar resorts in other
cities, and the locals in those cities
will also be given the facts. Other
facts will be presented to different
authorities. Of course it - would be
illegal to boycott the Elite, and no
law-abiding unionist wo-ilj be guilty
of infraction of the law. But th
fact remains that union money should
be spent with friends of organized
labor.
Several matters of importance to
the members were thoroughly dis
cussed at the meeting, but no official
action was taken. It was deemed suf
ficient that the facts be plainly stated
and investigated.
President Pinney appointed a com
mittee to prepare a plan of procedure
iii the matter of the school of instruc
tion. THE TRAINMEN DANCE.
Brotherhood's Annual Ball Thoroughly
Enjoyed by Large Crowd.
The annual ball of Capital Lodge
No. 170, Brotherhood of Railway
Trainmen, held at Fraternity hall last
Monday evening, was thoroughly en
joyed by the large crowd present
The hall was tastefully decorated with
the red, white and green signal flags
used In the train service, and the
programs were ornamented with
scenes typical of the work of the
members of the brotherhood. Quick's
oi chest ra furnished the music, and
the merry dancers enjoyed themselves
until long after the "Owl cars" went
into service.
A tasty and ample luncheon was
served, consisting of sandwiches,
pickles, coffee, ice cream and cake,
and the supper tables were hand
somely decorated with cut flowers.
The service was beyond criticism.
The grand niach was led by Mr. and
Mrs. J. D. Andrews and was partici
pated in by . 102 couples. It was a
jolly march and wound up in a perfect
gale of laughter. One or two of the
men found "nails in the running
boards" and went down, owing to the
speed of the gait set by the master
of ceremonies. It was just 9:10
when the first strains of the grand
march announced the formal opening
of the ball.
The following commutes had charge
of the event, and to them is duo
great credit for the succe3 of the
entertainment:
Arrangements W. H. Hall, D. F.
Began, T. F. Lang, W. A. Brayant,
j. A. Andrews, A. Vesley, D. J. Cooper.
Floor Committee Ed. Pierce, W. A.
Brajant, D. J. Cooper, C. A. Thomp
son, J. H. Brooks, W. F. Houser.
Reception Mr. and Mrs. .1. D. An
drews, Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Robinson,
Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Houser, Mr. and
Mrs. C. C. Hazelbaker, Mr. and Mrs.
C. A. Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. T. F.
Lang.
CENTRAL LABOR UNION.
Will Meet Next Tuesday Evening and
Transact Important Business.
The Central Labor Union will meet
at Bruse's hall Tuesday evening. Sec
rotary Kates has prepared a roster
of every union and brotherhood in the
city, and from now on every union
will be notified of the absence of its
delegates. Those that have no dele
gates -will be reached through their
headquarters and the American Fed
eration of Labor. '
President Rudy has "been rounding
i:p his committees and insisting that
they come to every meeting prepared
t-; report something done that is
worth while.
THE CIGAR MAKERS.
An Item or Two About the Men Who
Roll the Clean Smokes.
There ought to be twice as many
union cigarmakers in Lincoln as there
are. There would be twice as many
li all union men would do their duty
by the union cigarmakers, and if all
"home patronage" shouters woul'l
.spend their money as "square" as they
do their superheated atmosphere. If
two-thirds of the cigars smoked daily
U; Lincoln were made in Lincoln, there
v.ould be a hundred cigarmakers mak
ing wages in Lincoln instead of about
twenty-five.
After April 1, 1908, the manufac
ture of cigars in the Michigan peni
tentiary located at Marquarette, will
be abolished. A five-year contract for
convict labor to be used In the manu
facture of cigars expired on the first
day of January and the board of cou
tiol have decided not to renew it bu
will allow the firm four months' grace.
Go into any drug store in Lincoln
and note how carefully the Lincoln
made cigars are kept out of sight
If you insist on a Liacoln-made cigar
the druggist will dig up a box, but
you'll have to insist. Why? Because
the sweat shop and tenement house
cigars, and the cigars rolled by under
paid boys and girls in the tobacco
trust's shops, offer a wider margin
of profit. "T'ell with the workingman
who wants decent wages and fair
working conditions. .
The saloons of Lincoln handle mo-.
union-made cigars than all other
cigar dealers combined. Closing the
saloons will throw two-thirds of Lic
et ln's cigarmakers out of employment.
THE CARPENTERS.
Seme Interesting Facts About One of
the Big Unions.
The United Brotherhood of Carpen
ters and Joiners of America was
ft unded in the convention at Chicago
August 12, 1881. At first it had only
twelve local unions and 2,042 mem
bers. Now, it has grown to number
1 703 local unions in 1,275 cities, and
has over 161,200 taxpaying members.
It is organized to protect the carpen
ters' tra-Je from the . evils of low
prices and botch work; its aim is
to encourage a higher standard of
bkill and better wages; to re-establish
an apprentice system, and to aid and
assist the members by mutual protec
tion and benevolent means. It pays
a wife funeral benefit of from $25
to $50; member's funeral benefit, $100
to $200, and disability benefit, $100
to $400. In these general benefits,
$316,840.85 has been expended the past
two years, and $1,132,371.76 since 1SS4,
while $1,683,000 was spent in that pe
riod for sick benefits by the local
unions, and $486,190.47 donated local.
t.y g?ne'-al office for strike purposes.
Tlii is over three and one-half mil
lions of dollars expended for benevo
ieat and charity purposes. Such an
organisation i3 worth the attention of
every carpenter. The Brotherhood is
also a protective society. It has raised
the wages annually in the pockets of
the carpenters in those cities. It re
duced the hours to eight a day in 480
cities, and nine hours a day in 791
cities, not to speak of many cities
which have established the eight and
nine-hour system on -Saturdays. By
this means 30,000 more men have
gained employment. This is the re
sult of thorough organization. And
yet very few strikes have occurred,
and very little money has been spent
ok strikes by the society.
Lincoln local No. 1055 is preparing
for something out of the ordinary in
the way of a social entertainment.
The committee in charge is hustling
at a lively rate, and! while declining
to give full details, promises "big
doings" at the social. It will be pulled
t fi early in April.
Arthur Coswill, a contractor and
builder of Washington, D. C, who
has been affiliated with the Employers
association and conducting the open
shop in his works, recently summoned
the non-union workmen to his office,
paid them off and, dismissed them
from his service. All union men were
hired. .
Secretary Chase, whose duty it is to
provide speakers for the "educational
sessions" is framing up a good one.
He has a promise from, William J.
Bryan that at some time-in the near
future he will meet with the union and
give them a talk on industrial aritf
economic topics. We can see the walls
O: the hall bulging out on that even
ing by reason of the big attendance.
Work is opening up in good shape.
A lot of repair work is under way
and several good jobs have been
started. The outlook is unusually
gcod.;.
THE LABOR DIRECTORY.
Wageworker Asks Co-operation of
Unions in Keeping it Correct.
This week The Wageworker presents
its Labor Directory, as nearly correct
as it h.as been possible to get it Sev
eral unions are not represented be
cause they bold elections this month.
When-these are held the directory will
te extended.
The Wageworker knows there are
several woman's auxiliaries to various
Tsilroad brotherhoods, and would like
to include them in the directory. Will
the secretaries please forward the
name j of officers, name of local and
number and time and place of meet
ing. This directory can be made to
serve" a very useful purpose if the
unions will interest themselves in the
matter to the extent of keeping it
corrected to date. We ask the co
operation of all secretaries in this
work.
THE PRESSMEN.
Items of Interest to Men Who Make
the Good Impressions.
The officers of the United Typoth
etae of America will appeal from the
decision of Judge Thompson of the
United States circuit court at Cincin
nati, setting aside the injunction re
straining the International Printing
Pressmen's and Assistants' union o"
its officers from engaging in strikes
or boycotts againt the Typothetae or
it members. . It won't , be hard to
guess what the pressmen will get
from the upper court. j
The Cleveland Citizen says: "The
St. Louis muddle has been cleared up.
The international officers restored the
charters to the two locals that had
been expelled. The employers agreed
tn abide by the decision of this year's
convention on the eight-hour ques
tion. Galoskowsky also gave up con
t:ol of the American Pressman."
. WTalter Brown has begun jthe erec
tion of his double house on F street.
The old house has been moved by the
contractor atd the work of excavation
Is well under way. Moet of the mi
terial Is now on the ground. It will
be. a union-made house.
THE BRICKLAYERS.
The following amendment in aid of
sick and disabled brothers has been
adopted by No. 2, Pittsburg, Pa.:
"This union shall, for the benefit
c: its sick and disabled members, levy
an assessment of fifty cents per year
on each member, and the amount of
such assessment be paid over to the
Saturday and Sunday Hospital assocla
tion. Assessment shall be paid as fol
lows: Twenty-five cents on Januarv
card and twenty-five cents on July
card." -
TO THE SPRINGS.
Dorothy Maupln, the 7-year-old
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. M.
Maupin, left Friday afternoon for
Sycamore Springs in company with
Mrs. 'F. H. Wilmeth and daughter,
Esther. Dorothy is suffering from an
organic trouble which it is hoped the
spring.-' water will cure.
Supreme Court arid
The Trades Unions
.Five, recent decisions of the courts
of the United States have caused great
excitement and discussion among
members of labor unions. They should
cause excitement and discussion
among business men who prefer peace
rather than war, and tfeey are worthy
of far more attention than has been
given to them by the newspapers.
They are decisions that hark back
more than a century, and are seming
ly based upon the assumption that la
boring men have no rights, industrial
or political, that, either courts or em
ployers are bound to respect. Such de
cisions cannot stand. They have been
compared or some of them have been
compared with the Dred-Scott deci
sion, for which Taney and other mem
bers -of the supreme court have been
so much abused. '
A fair-minded man who reads the
Tjred-Scott decision must admit that
it was strictly in accordance with 'law,
with morality of which the court had
nothing to do. But the recent deci
sions, striking at the very heart of
the labor movement, are decisions that
either upset laws of Congress, or with
out warrant of law abolish rights
guaranteed by the constitution or
twist a law of congress, enacted to
prevent oppression of the people by
monopolies, so as to make it apply to
labor unions.
There may or may not be signifi
cance in the fact, that these deadly de
cisions have been rendered in a period
of industrial depression, when almost
nine per cent of the union laborers of
the country are out of employment on
account of conditions that they had no
part in bringing about, and when such
decisions - corue " with more crushing
force than if they had been rendered
during a time of industrial activity.
The five decisions have been thus
tersely stated by Henry George, Jr., in
a series of articles entitled "Five Dead
ly Blows at Labor: Government By
the Courts: "
"First in sequence of effect was the
annulment of the employers' liability
act, known as the Act of July 11, 1906.
The decision was rendered January 6,
and only three of the nine justices
composing the United States Supreme
Court dissented.
"Second, on January 27, the Erdman
act, prohibiting employers engaged in
interstate commerce from' dismissing
union men, was declared by the Su
preme Court to be unconstitutional;
six judges affirming, two dissenting,
and one, Mr. Justice Moody, not par
ticpitating. '
' "Third, February 3, in the Loewe or
Danbury hatter . case, a unanimous
court declared the boycott a conspir
acy in restraint of trade, subjecting
the boycotters to action for threefold
the damages sustained by the boycot
ted, and also to punishment under the
criminal features of the Sherman anti
trust act, the maximum penalty of
.which is a fine of $5,000 and imprison
ment for one year.
. "Fourth in sequence of effect, but
earlier than any of the others in date
occurring December 17 last was an
order by Mr. Justice Gould in the Su
preme Court of the District of Colum
bia, in the Buck's stove case, defining
a boycott as a conspiracy and tempor
arily enjoining President Gompers and
many others named and unnamed,
from naming the Buck Stove company
in print 'or in any other manner,' in
connection with a boycott.
"Fifth in this order, but first In date
occurring November 267 1907 was
an injunction issued In the' United
States Circuit Court for the Northern
District of West Virginia by Mr. Jus
tice Dayton; in response to an ex parte
statement and petition by the Hitch
man Coal and Coke company. The or
der enjoined John Mitchell, of the
United Mine Workers of America, and
a multitude of other named and un
named persons from interfering 'in any
manner whatsoever, either by threats,
violence, intimidation, persuasion or
entreaty, with any person
who has contracted with and
is In the actual services of the Hitch
man Coal and Coke company."
It is not strange that these deci
sions have made a tremendous sensa
tion in labor-union circles. It would
be strange if they had not. For if
they stand as the "supreme law of the
land" enacted by the courts but
not by Congress the treasuries of la
bor unions are at all times subject to
raids by the' predatory interests, and
union labor . must henceforth wear -muzzles
and gags.
It 'is to be noted that while the Su
preme Court of the United States de
clares that a boycott of. labor union
men against an employer is a crime,
it legalizes a boycott of employers
against labor union men!
President Gompers of the American
Federation of . Labor, deserves great
praite for the manly and law-abiding
position he has taken in regard to
these decisions, especially in the Hat
ters' case and in the injunction- case
against' himself. He protests against
their injustice, as he should protest,
but he says labor union men must
abide by and accept them until "the
supreme law of the land" as made by
the federal courts is changed. '"-
The' American ' Federationist for
March "contains a symposium on the
Hatters', case, written by twenty-five
men, twenty-three of whom, are offi
cers of labor unions, the Other two
writers being ex-United States Sena
tor Henry W. Blair and Professor John
Bascom. ''''-.
, It is worthy of note that not one of .'
the - contributions to; this symposium
is of an "incendiary' character. There
are no threats of revolution, no talk of .
overturnfng the government, no asser
tions that "we will do as we damn
please,' 'no. charges that -the federal
courts are corrupt. The decisions are
treated with all the courtesy they de-.
serve.;.-., '''. , '-rV ":.'r- 7,"
These decisions remind us forcibly
of Jefferson's declaration that "the
federal courts are the sappers and
miners of the constitution." They re
mind us of the wisdom of the constitu
tional convention in refusing to place
in the constitution a provision permit
ting the supreme court to nullify a law
of Congress; . and they remind us of
the unwisdom of congress in not put
tingting "a stop to that business when a
law of congress was first nullified by
the court. . - " '
The most striking "thing about the
symposium in the American Federa
tionist is the one thing overlooked by
all the writers. ' They discuss means
by which labor unions may be rescued
from the trap in which the 'Federal
courts have placed them but not one
mentions the one thing that the pre
datory interests and the enemies of
labor unions most fear, the initiative
and referendum. ; ,
Labor union leaders and members
propose to combat these adverse deci
sions in a decent, orderly and law
abiding manner; and it is to their
credit that ' they take that position.
They propose to have. Congress enact,
laws for the protection , of laboring
men.- .'-' - ,; : ' .
Congress should do that. But what
guaranty is there that after the new
legislation has been enacted the feder
al courts will not set it aside as "un
constitutional?" , There is no guaran
ty, and it is a. mere guess what the
courts will hold in regard to a par
ticular law. A case might arise in
which a president, conscious and con-'
vinced of the injustice and wholly
strained nature of a decision, might
say : "The court has rendered its de
cision, now let the court enforce its -own
decision without the aid of the
executive." . ' - i.
To use that power would establish a
dangerous precedent; ' and we have
had more than enough , dangerous '
precedents set by presidents. In the
case of the Taff-Vale decision in Eng
land, similar to the Loewe decision in
the supreme court, the labor unions
went into politics, elected their own
members of parliament, and thus had
enacted a' law overturning the deci
sion. . -
But in England no court can over
turn a law of parliament: , There the
law of parliament is the supreme law
of the land;, here the decision of the
supreme court is the "supreme law of
the land,' 'even though our constitu
tion does not give to any court the
power of legislation;
The Star believes that labor unions
should "go into politics" for the initia- .
tive and referendum, not for offices.
The holding of offices will not cut the
claws of the predatory interests; but
their claws can be cut and their teeth
pulled when the people have the ini
tiative and referendum. San Francis
co Star.
y