.A
VOL. 5
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, DECEMBEE 12, 1908
NO. 37
VI
V
V
With Live Ones In
Good
The Plumbers' Union of Lincoln on
Wednesday evening of this week had
the honor and pleasure of entertaining
their general president, John R. Al
pine. President Alpine is also a vico
president of the American Federation
t Labor, having been elected to suc
ceed the late unlamented Daniel J.
Keefe.
The local union held a special meet
ing Wednesday evening and enjoyed
an address from President Alpine. He
was put next to the local situation
Jind stated that about the first of the
year he would have an organizer in
Lincoln and keep him here until a lot
of tangles were made straight. He
complimented tne faithful little band
pon their "stick-to-it-lveness."
Wednesday afternoon President Al
pine called at The Wageworker shop
In company with the Chipman boys
nd Mr. Keugel of the Omaha local,
and a pleasant hour's session was
held on things in general..
"Internationally imr organization is
in good shape," said President Alpine.
"We expect that during the business
depression we would at least stand
still, with chances of a decrease in
membership. But we actually gained
in membership and in business. We
' iiave increased our membership about
five thousand, and we have won over
sixty contests. We have lost prac
tically none, and have three or four
that may be classed as a stand-off,'
with all the prospects in our favor.
"We had a splendid convention in
Denver. One of the most gratifying
things to me is the splendid, change
for the better that is coming over all
of our big labor conventions of all
the crafts. They have become busi
ness meetings within the real defini
tion of that term. Level-headed, sober
and influential men have come to the
front In the labor movement, and it
it no longer possible to truthfully
charge ns with being a lot of 'boozers.'
That charge might have stuck years
ago. but it has no basis of truth now,
We had about 600 delegates at Denver,
and I believe that they measured up
in point of ability better than the
average convention of business or pro
fessional men.
"There has been a splendid bet
terment all along the line. I want
to say to you; and I'd like to say it
to all the world, that organized labor
is doing more practical temperance
work among its members than any
other force now at work. We've
learned that our business is a reai
business proposition, and that if it 's
done properly it must be done jy
sober men. That's why we have rele
gated the 'good fellow' to the rear
and picked out the level-headed,
thoughtful, men of our unions to do
business for us. I am speaking now
of all the crafts, not of any one par
ticular craft
"Every day we are realizing more
and more what wonderfully complex
business affairs our union organiza
tions are, and as we get them nearer
to the business basis the better the
results we obtain."
President Alpine told many amus
ing Incidents of his work in different
parts of the country, and related afti
necdotes of the big labor leaders he
has met He puts Andrew Fureseth
of the Seamen's Union among the top
notchers in the labor movement, and
says that President Lynch of the
printers' organization is getting bigger
every day as a level-headed labor
leader. Of course he puts the "old
man," Samuel Gompers, at the head
of the list Asked to express an opln
ion concerning Dan Keefe, the man
he supplanted as a vice-president of
the Federation, President Alpine said
"Excuse me, please. I recall in this
connection a remark made by John
J. Ingalls after he had been defeated
for the senate nd then roundly de
nounced by Mary Ellen Lease. Some
body asked him what he had to say
in reply to Mrs. Lease and he said:
'Nothing, only that there are but two
classes of people who mutilate the
dead, Indians and women.'"
During the afternoon President Al
pine, In company with an escort of
union plumbers, made a social call
on several ' of the "boss" plumbers
and carefully avoided any reference
to the local situation. The visit of
their international president has put
a lot of ginger into the members of
Old Lincoln
the Lincoln local, and they are get
ting ready to turn things over.
William D. Haywood, formerly head'
of the Western Federation of Miners,
and one of the principals in the fa
mous Idaho case, spoke at the audi
torium last Friday evening. Owing
to the shortness of the notice it was
not possible to advertise the meeting
extensively and as a result the audi
ence was small. Mr. Haywood told
the story of the Colorado outrages in
detail, but his principal, theme was
socialism.
The socialists of Lincoln met last
Sunday afternoon and adopted the
following resolutions and sent them
to Secretary of State Root:
' "Whereas, in the matter of the hear
ing before U. S. Commissioner Foots,
in the case of Christian An soft Rudo
witz, a Russian political refugee, Com
missioner Foote has ruled that said
Rudowitz shall he turned over to the
Russian authorities; and
"Whereas, We understand the case
now goes to the department of state
for action; therefore be it
"Resolved, That we affirm our be
lief that any offenses which may
have been committed by said Rudo
witz were matters of military neces
sity and under orders from a revolu
tionary organization, during a time of
Internal war, and were consequently
of a political nature. Be It further
"Resolved, That a nation which has
ever prided itself on being the refuge
of the oppressed of all the world, the.
nation that sheltered and honored
and was honored by Carl Schurz and
countless other political refugees of
all climes, should not prostitute itself
by violating its' glorious traditions of
freedom in surrending said Rudowitz
to the Russian authorities, and that
we . protest against allowing the de
portation of this Russian patriot,
Christian Ansoff Rudowitz, and ask
you not to allow his extradition."
At last Sunday's meeting of Lin
coln Typographical Union No. 209 the
following resolutions were adopted and
sent to Governor-elect Shallenberger:
"Whereas, Governor-elect Shallen
berger has appointed to the honorable
and responsible position of deputy
labor commissioner our fellow mem
ber. Will M. Maupin, therefore be it
, "Resolved, That Lincoln Typograph
ical Union No. 209 convey to Hon. A.
C. Shallenberger its thanks, assuring
him that this organization appreciates
the honor conferred upon it and upon
a member. But It further
"Resolved, That Lincoln Typo
graphical Union No. 209 assures the
governor-elect that it believes that
under all the surrounding circum
stances no better appointment than
that of Will M. Maupin could have
been made, he having for years been
prominently identified with the indus
trial movement and equipped by both
ability and training to successfully
conduct the affairs of a department
of the state that can, and should, ba
made of great service to the producers,
whether they, work In shop or upon
farm.
"Resolved, That this union tender
to Governor-eiecl Shallenberger and
lo Will M. Maupin assurance of hearty
co-operation in any and all efforts that
may be put forth to make the bureau
of labor and industrial statistics in
despenBible to the workers of the
state and a bureau of publicity that
will advertise to all the world what
we of Nebraska already know that in
all good things Nebraska is unquali
fiedly the best."
TYPOGRAPHICAL UNION.
A Short Session That Transacted a
Lot of Important Business.
.The printermen held their regular
monthly meeting last Sunday and
broke all records in length of session.
President Ingraham rushed the work
through and the session was the short
est in a half-dozen years.
The committee reports were all
satisfactory, the committee on revi
sion stating that it was getting along
fine, but could not report in detail.
Some of the work will have to lay
over until another important commit
tee has performed its functions.
A committee was appointed to take
charge of arrangements for the an-
nual ball, and Mr. Ford was made
chairman. ., i
A. resolution was adopted thanking
Governor-elect Shallenberger for ap
pointing W. M. Maupin, a member of
the locs.1 union, to the position of
deputy commissioner of labor. '
The union voted $5 towards paying
the expenses of thr. delegate sent by
the Ceiitral Labor Union to the Den
ver convention.
LISTENS LIKE THE TRUTH.
If. the wife of a union man were
asked to aid strikebreakers during a
strike in which her husband was in
volved, she would be highly incensed,
but she is doing things just as bad
when she spends union-earned money
for goods that do not bear the union
label, and she does it every day in the
year, too. Reading Advocate.
BUT THIS IS OUR ONLY FACE
few?
s 1 ' tin H i In.
WW
The above is' s more or less truth
ful likeness of Will M. Maupin, editor
of The Wageworker and recently ap
pointed deputy commissioner of the
Nebraska State Bureau of Labor and
Industrial Statistics. Incidentally it
might "be remarked that Governor
Shallenberger will be the commis
sioner. We don't print this portrait
because we are proud of the face,
but it is the only face we have. We
are not two-faced.. .That face was
born on us in 1863, and has been with
us in varying degrees of nudeness and
hairiness ever since. It was with us
when we started to learn the printers'
trade in 1879; it was with us during
several ne'er-to-be-forgotten tours, and
with us in more than one red-hot ses
sion of union men. We cheerfully
confess that it never won us anything.
It was only after a host of admiring
CAPITAL AUXILIARY.
Printers' Better Halves Elect Officers
For the Ensuing Year.
Capital Auxiliary No. 11 to Lincoln
Typographical Union No. 209 held its
first December meeting at the borne
of Mrs. George Freeman Wednesday
afternoon. The principal business
was the election of officers for the
ensuing term. The officers-elect are
as follows
President, Mrs. F. H. Hebbard.
Vice-President, Mrs. George Wathan.
Secretary, Mrs. Orville Young.
Treasurer, Mrs. Abe Compton.
Guide, Mrs. August Rodebach.
Chaplain, Mrs. George Freeman.
Trustees, Mrs. George Wathan, Mrs.
W. M. Maupin, Mrs. Thompson, Mrs.
George. Freeman
The following were appointed a com
mittee to assist the Typographical
Union in the management of the an
nual ball next February: Mesdames.
Maupin, Young, Hoffmeister, Righter
and Bustard:
Mrs. George Watlfen was appointed
chairman of a committee to arrange
for a proper celebration of the Aux
iliary's anniversary in January. , ".-
Mrs. Fred Mickel has been on the
sick list for several days, and was
compelled to absent herself from, the
last meeting. .
' I Mrs." IV C. Peate's little boy has
ijeen quite sick for several weeks.
Mrs. Floyd McKinney has been sick
for. some time and unable to attend
the' meetings.
The next meeting will be held on
January 13, at thefcome of Mrs. E. A.
King. 2135 Sduth Tenth:
The Auxiliary is about to lose one
of its charter members and most faith
ful workers, Mrs. Will Norton. Mr.
Norton will soon become editor and
publisher of a paper in Humboldt,
Neb.,, and the family will move there
shortly after the first of the year. .
Mrs. Bert Rood was taken In as a
' ki' . ' . i 1
X
5 , i.Jv?st
"k
1 ft"
i
i.
friends had bound and gagged ns that
we consented to smear a likeness of
it on the front page of this glorious
rag .of industrial freedom. Our nat
ural modesty revolted at the bare sug
gestion of such a thing, but what
could we do? You will notice upon
the lappel of the coat a button. That's
a Typographical Union button. If you
could see inside of the inside pocket
of the aforesaid coat you would see
a paid-up union card and the label of
the United Garment ' Workers. Also
a few .unreceipted ' bills and a bunch
of unanswered letters. That fancy
vest also bears a label, and perhaps a
union-made cigar or two. Copies of
the photograpn from which the above
half-tone was made will be furnished
suitably framed to all anxious and
admiring friends upon receipt of the
price $33 each, two for $57.50. Post
age stamps and farm produce accepted
member at the last meeting and was
given a warm welcome. .
, Mrs. Will Bustard is expected to
arrive in Lincoln soon, and she will
be heartily welcomed by every mem
ber.
The social committee reported on
the recent masquerade. The commit
tee turned over a neat little sum to
the treasurer.
Mrs. Righter read an interesting let
ter from Mrs. CJiarley Barngrover.
She is in Loveland, Colo., an4 ex
pects to put her card in the Denver
Auxiliary.
FOR A HOME.
Jacob Fischer, secretary of the Jour
neymen Barbers' International Union,
and Thomas L. Hughes, secretary of
the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters, visited the Union Printers'
Home at Colorado Springs last week.
The object of the visit was to secure
information in regard to the home for
dissemination among the members of
their respective organizations. Both
of these organizations are said to be
contemplating the erection of homes
in Colorado for their old and disabled
members. . .. . (
The Gospel and
The Industrial Worker
There is . in session .this week in
Philadelphia the greatest religious
convention ever held in the history, of
the Protestant church. Nearly four
hundred delegates, representing thirty
different denominations, eighteen mil
lion members and nearly fifty million
adherents, are to spend a week in
discussing the great social and moral
problems confronting the people of the
United States.
One of the great features in con
nection with the conference will be a
monster labor mass . meeting to be
held in the largest dowfi-town theatre
on Sunday afternoon, which it will be
my privilege to address, and which
not only has the endorsement of the
Central Labor Union of Philadelphia,
but large numbers of the local trades
unions are to march to the, meeting
place.
Also, on another day during ihe
convention, a special committee on
"The Church and Modern Industry''
will present a strong report relative
to this subject. Here is an advance
note taken from this report:
"Multitudes are deprived, by what
are called economic laws, of that op
portunity to which every man has a
right. When automatic movements
cause, injustice and disaster, the au
tonomy should be destroyed. That to
these, impersonal causes are added the
cruelties of greed, the heartlessness
of ambition and the cold indifference
of corporate selfishness, every friend
of his fellow must with grief and
bhame admit. The unemployed are
an 'army.' The 'accidents' of fac
tories and railroads crowd our insti
tutions and tenements with widows
and orphans. The stress of reckless
yttn oppressive burdens, levies upon
the frail strength, of womanhood and
turns sunny ehildhood into drudgery V
dwarfs our stature, saps our vitality,
crowds our prisons, vitiates our virtue
and darkens our old age. The 'homes'
of the wage-earners in -our great
cities are an indictment of our civil
ization. The meager income which is
easily reckoned sufficient by the for
tunate who are not forced to live upon
it, is without warrant of reason. The
helplessness of the individual worker,
the swift changes in location of in
dustrial centers, the constant intro
duction of labor-saving appliances, the
exactions of landlords, add uncertainty
to privation. The hazard of the mine,
the monotony of the shop, the poverty
of the home, the sickness of the fam
ily, the closing of the .doors of higher
opportunity react with dreadful pre
cision upon temperament and mar
character.
"That workingmen should organize
for social and industrial betterment
belongs to the natural order. The
effort of the world's toilers to secure
better conditions of work and larger
possession of themselves is welcome
evidence of a Divine call within them
to share in the higher experiences of
the intellectual and spiritual life.
It is their right as it is the right of
men everywhere, within., the law, to
combine for common ends. . Both
church and society should cease to
talk of 'conceding' this right ' It ex
ists in the nature of things. . We do
not confer it. But we welcome its
exercise. The , 'vast multitudes of
working people have a vital share in
re-shaping the moral standards of the
time. They are at heajt profoundly
moral in their ' ideas and desires.
Their demands are an influence upon
(he conscience of the nation. . Despite
the errors of individuals and groups,
the faults of spirit, the imperfection
of methods and, in some instances,
most deplorable results., organized
labor is to be regarded as an influ
ence not hostile to our institutions
but potent in beneficence. When
guided from within by men of far
sight and fair spirit, and guarded
irom without by restrictions of law
and of custom against the enthusiasms
which work injustice, the self-interest
which ignores the outsider, or the
practices which create industrial
havoc, trades unionism should be ac
cepted not as the ' church's enemy,
tut . as the church's ally." Rev.
Charles Stelzle.
CHURCH AND LABOR.
Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 6. Meetings
for workingmen. students and young
men of. the various social organlza-
tions in the churches were held mere
today under the direction of then fed-'
eral council of the churches of Christ -in
America. More than 2,00(j union t
men attended the workingmeh's meet- '
ing, which was presided over by Den-;
nis Hayes, fifth vice-president of the s
American Federation of Labor. "
WILL BECOME EDITOR.
Popular Lincoln Unionist Will Edit a
- Paper at Humboldt, Neb.
Will C. Norton, one 'of the most
popular unionists in Lincoln, has de
cided to go into business for himself,
and next week will assume the editor
ship and publication of the Humboldt
Standard. Mr. Norton has been fore- -man
of the Western Newspaper Union ;
composing room for the past year, -and
for several years has been work
ing in Lincoln printeries. He is also
a member of the Musicians' Union and
secretary of that organization. His
removal from Lincoln will be regretted
by a host of union men, but they will -be
rejoiced to know that he has got
a "gooS thing" in Humboldt.
When he goes to Humboldt he will
not be going among strangers, for he
got his schooling in the . schools of '
that busy little city, and he learned
the printer's trade in a Humboldt
newspaper office. As a printer ho
ranks with the best In the west, and
he is also a good newspaper man. . He
will give the people of Humboldt not
only a good paper from a news stand-
point, but he will give them one that '
in typographical appearance will be
one of the best advertisements any '
city ever had. , , . , , . . ')
, If "Billy" Norton wins all the suc
cess that The Wageworker and a hoat '
of other friends wish for him, he will
have to charter a hay wagon to haul
his money , to the , bank 7 7 7 7
A LIVE DELEGATE.
Lincoln Bartenders Select One to Rep
resent Them at Minneapolis.
The Bartenders' International Union
will hold it's annual convention in
Minneapolis, Minn., next year, meet
ing in May. At the last meeting of
the Lincoln League it was decided to
send a live delegate and the League
proceeded at once to elect Charley
Benson to the position. This means
that the local League will ( have a
"real live one" on the Job. f Mr. Ben
son has been an active worker in the
ranks for a number of years, and he
is wise to all the kinks of the union
game. He may make up his mind to
bring the next annual convention to ,
Lincoln.
The Bartenders League is always
at the front when money is needed to
boost the union cause. The local was
the first to come-across with a con
tribution to the fund for a delegate to
the Denver convention.
LABOR TEMPLE DIRECTORS.
Board 'Held Short Meeting and Starts
Things Moving Again, , . '
The board of directors of the Labor
Temple Association held a short
meeting Monday evening. ' In the ab
sence ' of President Dickson, Vice
President Chaplain presided with dig
nity. ' The secretary was Instructed
to 'have the books balanced up and
ready for submission at the meeting
next Monday evening. The stock al
ready subscribed and paid for will be.
issued at once, and immediate steps
will be taken to invest the money now
on hand in a building site. . A gener
ous offer of a substantial loan has '
been submitted to the board, and the
matter will be acted upon soon.
Every director Is notified that
regular meetings have been resumed
and that all are expected to be prompt
in attendance from now on. The rule
concerning absentees will be rigidly,
enforced. t The board will meet next
Monday evening at Chaplain Sc. Ryan's
shop, 137 North Twelfth.
GLASS CUTTERS AND WORKERS.
At a conference held in Pititsburg of
representatives of the Window Glass'
Cutters and Flatterners' Association
and the National Window Glass Work-
ere' Union an agreement was reached
by which both organizations will work
in harmony. , Cutters and flatterners '
have about 2,000 members and the
rational union over 6,000.