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VOL. 5
LiINCOLiN, NEBRASKA, JULY 11, 1908
IfO. 15
wwY
OJ I T OJ:'. '
UU
THE ISSUES
ARE MADE
The Issues of the campaign have
been pretty clearly drawn, and the
man who is deceived by the clap trap
of politicians or deluded by a blind
partisianship has only himself to
blame. It is a hopeful sign of the per
petuity of the republic that men are
rapidly becoming less partisian and
more patriotic; are coming to look at
men and principles, not at party and
politicians. Once a man schools him
self to political Independence the bet
ter he feels.
The Wageworker in this campaign
Intends to support to the best of its
ability the candidacy of William Jen
nings Bryan. Not because Kir. Bryan
believes in tariff revision; not because
he favors publicity of campaign contri
butions; not because he favors popu
lar election of senators not because
of these things though they are aT im
portant and worth having but because
he has demonstrated by tongue, pen
and action that he believes in the
righteousness of the contentions of or
ganized labor and is. heart and soul in
favor of the triumph of labor's cause.
This little newspaper needs no "anti
injunction" plank In any platform It
supports if Mr. Bryan is the chief can
didate upon that platform. The editor
of this little paper knows where Mr.
Bryan stands on the labor question.
He not only believes in the eight hour
day, but he practices itby giving it to
the sixty or seventy people In his em
ploy. He not only believes in paying
good wages, but he pays them. He not
only believes in the Saturday half-holiday,
but he gives It to his employes,
He believes that a trades union differs
from a trust In that it is formed for
the benefit of human souls. He opposes
government by injunction oecause he
sees In the continued abuse of the in
junction writ the enslavement of the
industrial masses. He believes with
Abraham Lincoln that labor is prior
to and above capital and entitled to
more consideration;. -
For all that is righteous and good in
trades unionism Mr. Bryan stands as
firmly as any trades unionist in the
land. He is opposed to the vicious prac
tice of trial without jury in contempt
cases, and opposed to the un-American
idea of making the injunction a wea
pon in the hands of organized capital
for the enslavement of organized la
bor. No better friend of organized labor
ever presented himself for the suf
frages of men who carry union cards,
This is not a campaign of the usual
kind.' Upon its outcome rests the very
future of organized labor. Step by
step the Ights of the workingmen to or
ganize in their own Interests and act
for their own interests have been
taken from them. But one more step
remains to be taken. The supreme
court has already decided that it is a
violation of the anti-trust and Inter
state commerce laws for union men to
advise one another that the patronage
of an unfair firm is Injurious to the
whole body of unionism. The next
step, and the supreme court will de
cide that men are criminals if they
strike against intolerable conditions in
an industry doing an inter-state busi
ness. When that decision is rendered
labor's enslavement Is absolute.
The election of William Howard
Taft whose injunction decisions form
the precedent upon which the later
progressive injunctions have been
based will be taken as evidence that
organized labor endorses the injunc
tion as used in labor disputes. The
election of a republican congress will
be taken to mean that organized labor
does not care whether we have ade
quate employer's liability la w.stian
quate employer's liability laws, anti-injunction
laws and other laws of Inter
est to organized labor. It will be no
tic to the supreme court that the
workers of the nation endorse its deci
sion in the Danbury hatters' case.
The election of Bryan will be notice
that organised labor to no longer the
dope of designing politicians nor the
plaything of party politics. It will
mean that organized labor purposes re
versing the Danbury hatter's decision,
by peaceful means, to be sure, but re
versal just the same. And they are de
termined a poo this because Abraham
Lincoln said It was their right and
their duty to do just that very thing in
that very way.
The Wageworker la not worrying
over the tariff, the currency, the elec
tion of senators, and all that sort of
thing. Ita editor has decided views
upon all those things, but they are his
personal views and of no particular
interest here. But The Wageworker
is worrying over the future of organ
ized labor, and believing that the best
interests of organized labor demand
the election of a friend of labor and an
enemy of the injunction as used in in
dustrial disputes by conscienceless
capital through subservient Judge. The
Wageworker is going to support to the
full limit of its ability Nebraska's dis
tinguished son, William Jennings Bry
an. TOO KIT BACK.
Burlington Restores Wages of Section
Men Under Duress.
Recently the Burlington manage
ment notified the section men that
their wages would be reduced from
fifteen to twelve cents an hour. It
was thought that because the section
men were unorganized they would ac
cept the big reduction with nothing
more than a fe winward curses.
But the section men fooled 'em. It
so happens that while things are as
dead as Julius Caesar in the east so
far as business is concerned it is fair
ly well up in the west. So the section
men merely quit work and went into
the harvest fields. Pretty soon the
Burlington found itself without sec
tion hands, so it had to restore the
wages' to the' old standard, and even
now it is finding it difficult to find the
men.
Some of these days the Burlington
section men will get wise and join the
Trackmen's Union.
PRINTERS VISIT BRYAN.
Lincoln Typographical Union Jour
neyed Out to Fairview.
- Lincoln Typographical Union No. 209
chartered a special car last Sunday
afternoon and made a pilgrimage to
Parrview along with the rest of the
"big guns." The union met in regular
session and decided to rush business
through with a whoop so as to start to
Fairview at 4 o'clock. This was done
and at 4 o'clock it was really a little
later sixty-five union printers boarded
a car and made the trip.
There were hundreds of visitors at
Fairview, but Mr. Bryan immediately
gave an audience to the printers. Not
only that, but he broke over a rule just
a little bit and made a short address
to the boys. He said he was doubly
glad to meet the union printers of
Lincoln, because he had sustained only
the most pleasant relations with them,
in a business as well as a neighborly
way, and because he appreciated the
visit as a compliment. Then he invited
the visitors to help themselves to the
buttermilk. The printers grouped them
selves on the lawn and had a picture
taken, Mr. and Mrs. Bryan occupying
a central position.
Typographical .Union No. 209 is
proud of the fact that it was the first
trades union to visit Mr. Bryan in a
body, and this fact was made much of
by the daily press.
Before the start was made Bion Cole,
the designer and manufacturer of the
official badge, presented each printer
with a little cane bearing a pennant in
scribed "Our Pennant Winner," to
gether with the familiar picture of Mr.
Bryan appearing above a couple of
ears of Nebraska corn. Mr. Cole has
the thanks of the union for his thought
ful kindness.
On the way back to town the print
ers sang "America, and in deference
to Mr. Bryan's well known views re
frained from cheering. But they waved
their pennants enthusiastically and
cheered under their breaths.
One new member was obligated at
the Sunday meeting. A committee was
appointed to revise the constitution
and by-laws.
With three feet of water in the
boiler room the gas plant 'went dead
on Monday noon and with -every mill
tn town dark the getting ont of papers
was Indeed a problem. Plumbers'
torches, gasoline flares and alcohol
lamps were quickly rigged up and the
regular editions came out with bnt
slight delay.
One of the moat important item of
business transacted was to adopt a res
olutionor rather an amendment to
the constitution setting aside five per
cent of the gross receipts of the anion
JOHN MITCHELL,
The Distinguished President at the Miners Union of America.
'f1
fig ff I a-. iMlpNis
nil
iPitf "mwf.,
! UlVeewnaUssnhan' Jk - U
for the purpose of establishing a "mon
ument fund." . This fund will be al
lowed to accumulate until it reaches
the sum of $1,000. ' The officers-elect
were installed and immediately as
sumed their duties. President Ingra
ham wielded the gavel like a veteran.
and his decisions -came quickly and
were direct to the point.
Several items of business were put
off a month on account of the Fairview
trip. Among them was the matter of
a committee for Labor Day. But the
Typographical Union can be counted
on to do its part and a little more
to make a Labor Day celebration suc
cessful. THE PRESSMEN.
Next Annual Convention Will Be Held
In Omaha.
Fred M. Youngs returned from the
pressmen's convention in Mobile on
Tuesday and is spending the week
visiting old friends. He has been kept
on the go all week and he and Mrs.
Youngs and son, Marcus, who have
been visiting their daughter, Mrs. Mc-
Kenzle, will return to Portland," Ore.,
Sunday evening. Mr. Youngs modest
ly admits the part he played at the
convention in bringing peace and har
mony to what pomised to be a very
damaging row in the union. When the
Mobile convention adjourned President
Berry had a very different organization
than he had at any time since the hour
of his election. The pressmen's union
is stronger today than at any time in
its history, and the work of at Mobile
made it stronger. The peace and har
mony settlements are not the fake
kind. This is proven by the talk de
livered at Theodore F. Galoskowskya
home after his return to St. Louis,
where he gave a pleasant reception to
the visiting delegates. He declared
Copyright 1907 by C.
that he was sincerely glar harmony
had been restored and said Fred
Youngs was entitled to great credit for
the Omaha convention of the I. P. P.
and A. U. next year will be the great
est in Its history. Omaha Western La
borer.
CENTRAL LABOR UNION.
Will Meet Tuesday Evening and Start
Labor Day Doings.
The Central Labor Union will meet
at Bruse's Hall Tuesday evening and
the most Important item of business to
come up will be the preliminary prep
arations for a celebration of Labor
Day. The Wageworker's inquiries lead
it to announce that there is. every evi
dence that the union men of Lincoln
are determined to make Labor Day,
1908, something to read about in the
years to come. The central body will
initiate the movement and then leave
it to the locals to do their best. Every
delegate is expected to be preswn
when President Rudy lets the gavel
fall Tuesday evening.
The central body will be unofficially
represented at Denver, and its un
official representative is going to make
a desperate effort to induce some of
the big labor leaders to stop off in Lin
coln as they journey back east. If the
effort is successful duo-notice will be
given.
RIGHT.
A union wage scale Is but a mini
mum or backstop to the rear of
which an employer cannot go. bat
there is nothing to prevent a super
ior workman from demanding and re
ceiving a wage commensurate to his
exceptional ability. Toledo Union
Leader.
The death is announced of Vice-
Admiral Charles Regnautt de Premes-
nlL
GOVERNMENT
BY INJUNCTION
Opposition to It Not An Assault Upon
the Judiciary.
All these efforts' to make it appear
that opposition to government by in
jnnction is an assault upon legitimate
functions are childish. They cannot
deceive many people at all, nor any
very long. There are three principal
points involved in the issue. One re
lates to the injunctive function. Legi
timate injunctions are solely for the
protection of rights in property. But
they have been preverted by the courts
to thepurpose of regulating personal
conduct with reference to bargaining
for the hiring of workers. Inasmuch
as there has been no legal property
right In workers in this country since
the Thirteenth Amendment, there can
be no basis for injunctions of that
kind. Personal rights can neither be
protected nor invaded by injunction
without substituting judge-made law
for the law of the land. A second point
raised by this judicial novelty called
government by injunction," is the
question of legislation.. It is for the
legislature, not for the courts, to pre
scribe what shal lbe lawful and what
not. Yet labor injunctions elaborate
ly define offenses unrecognized by the
statutes, actions that no legislature
would dare to prohibit in statutory
form, and forbid tnem under penalty
of punishment for contempt of court.
THAT INJUNCTION PLANK.'
It Took a Long Time to Get Out One
That Don't Fit.
Of all the planks adopted at the Chi
cago convention, none required so
much fitting and refitting as that relat
ing to anti-injunction. This question
had been thoroughly threshed out in
the Congress which has just been ad
journed and it was there that the an
ti-injunction idea was coldly turned
down by the republican majority, not
withstanding it had the ardent support
Of the " president." -The '-'Chicago con
vention, urged , by the president, and
by the presidential nominee, finally in
serted a milk and water anti-injunc
tion plank in the platform. But plat
forms do not legislate and there is a
long and dusty road between the tepid
utterance of the Chicago convention
and the cold enactment of a law chang
ing the long established procedure of
the federal courts. An effort to limit
the power of the courts in relation to
injunctions would lead to almost end
less debate in congress. There is nat-
uralyl much excitement on the part of
capital and labor with regard to this
anti- injunction plank. But tn the eyes
of the republican party managers there
are matters to be attended to long be
fore congress can even look at this
subject. A president is to be elected.
The tariff is to be revised. By the
time congress has wrestled with the
tariff question to a finish, the injunc
tion question may be made a very cold
subject. It is notorious that planks in
platforms are not treated seriously by
politicians who have stood on them.
Iowa Unionist.
A PLEA FOR INDEPENDENCE.
Big Eastern Daily Predicts That Bryan
Will Get the Labor Vote.
Labor leaders everywhere through
out the union are pleading for inde
pendence at the ballot box. From all
quarters comes the same slogan. ?Yote
for principles, not for party or man."
We doubt not that this plea will be
effective to a large extent throughout
the United States, so far as the labor
vote is concerned, in the forthcoming
national campaign. Moreover, we be
lieve Mr. Bryan is the maa of an the
candidates who is fated to get that
vote in by by far the largest measure.
Mr. Bryan seems to please the labor
ing continbent as none of his probable
opponents do. Among the anions and
the various organizations fat which la
bor Is interested Mr. Bryan's same is
one to conjure with. Nothing has ever
served to snake labor's faith ha the Ne-
braskan. He ia looked snow fat am
circles as one maa is whom depend
ence may be pot eves into the atter-
most.
The great Democratic leader, how
ever, will get com parativef y few labor
votes simply becaoae he chooses to
call himself a Democrat. Party ties
sit aoae too heovfly om amy hwihiari
these swiftly aetrrlag days. The craefe
of partisiaa whips does not i inwi
moch as the Batter eC aa eyelash
among many of those oace awe sot
The third point relates to the method
and the effect of the proceedings for
violation of labor injunctions. Evi
dence of guilt is upon affidavits pre
pared and sworn to in the offices of the, '
lawyers for the party obtaining the in-
junction. There is no opportunity ac- ,
cordeM the pesons poecuted to con
front or cross-examine the witnesses '
as matter of right. The hearing is be
fore a judge without a jury. The pen
alty is in the discretion of the judge,
victlon, however, unjust, is no bar to
a criminal prosecution.: Nor does the
penalty, however, harsh, prevent the
imposition of a second penalty for the
same offense upon a criminal convic
tion. The question of notice of hearing
is indeed important. Injunctions with
out notice are not only prejudgments,
but in labor cases they are practically
conclusive in their effect. Yet. the
question of notice is comparatively a
minor one. The real questions raised .
by labor injunctions are those noted
above. All the safeguards of the law
for the protection of innocence with '
reference to accusations of crime are
violated; the judiciary not only ad
judicates but legislates; and the em-
ergent process of injunction is extend
ed from the protection of property
rights to the regulation of personal
rights. Louis F. Post in Chicago Pub
lic. ly attentive to the same. Labor espe- ,
cially since it has fully awakened to
the great possibilities latent within
itself, seems determined to find men
for office who will pass laws and pre
scribe rules along the lines- labor
foeli Mj'.nbreblantnmtwsw
wants, regardless of whether such men
be Democrats, Republicans, or what
not. Labor wants certain specific prin
ciples npheld and embodied in our plan
of government, and labor isn't fretting
its soul and isn't going to fret it
striving to differentiate between the .
political parties' white-seeking to reach -
the goal of its ambition.
If labor would keep itself absolute
ly independent, it would easily swing
the balance of power in the United
States and politicians would heed its
righteous calls with abundant grace.
It could be the master, and it may
come to be although it probably
should not want to be just exactly that.
It is, however, a significant sign of the
times that labor leaders are pleading;
now with the rank and file for inde
in balloting as it never pleaded be
fore, and this agitation may result in
a congress next time that wfl surprise
some of those not now even so much
cognizant of the rumbling afar off.
Washington, D. Daily Herald.
LOCAL. MENTION.
Brief
Bits About the Movements of
Our Own People
Mrs. W. M. Maopin and children re
turned home Sunday evening- after a
two weeks' visit with Mrs. Manpia's
parents in North Bend. Nebr.
Charles B. Righter pried himself
loose from his linotype shop Monday
and hiked ont for Denver to have a re
union with the old bunch. Toons; Doe
is in charge.
W. M. Manpfat left Monday- for Den
ver to attend the democratic conven
tion, r
Local pressmen are rejoiced to know
that the 190 convention al the craft
will be held in Omaha. Lincoln wtB
help make it a hugh success.
The Dairymaa print shop ia now ha
charge of J. El Edgertoav and It
been sqnared with the printers
The Journal received the? Srst of two-
big news presses it ordered, aad the?
work of installing ft is aader way. The
other one- win he shipped ha a short
tfme.
Central Labor tTafost eats Taasday
evening. Be there aad kefs set ths
Labor Day cafebrattas) started eC rbjftf.
O- JL Fnae, of raw Tjiwji suhli mf
Union, fa reatiratiaa; tm that nanny.
Ira Sorvean wHX mmtmr mass m paeV
ttrfsac He cast sot iTsrTesiif h tha
l wires.
i A somber of -prints'" who spent fa
ronrtk ont of tows were Ms (a re-
: Serssoar waa enfy lee sty torn asQea
I away hot ceald aot get hs mmXSX Wed-aesday.
John W. Riddle, tho Aaterfeaa ass
bat steady ptoai tja Coward recovery.
1