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About The Wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-???? | View Entire Issue (Oct. 2, 1909)
in LINCOJLN, OCTOBER 2, 1009 8 PAGES XO. 26 WW A QpWfnl TrJ) W7 o JUL. 1-V Justice Outraged Again in State That Gave Lincoln Last week Judge Tuthill of the cir-1 cult court of Cook county, 111., granted an Injunction restraining the state fac tory inspector, Edgar T. Davis, from enforcing the recently enacted law prohibiting the employment of women more than ten hours in any one day. The last legislature of the sjate passed an act limiting the hours of employment for women in factories and other industries to ten a day, and' prescribed severe penalties for viola- . lions of the law. The employers soon afterward began to busy themselves with plans to overthrow the law. W. C. Ritchie & Co., a box manufacturing concern, prayed the circuit court for an injunction against the enforcement of the statute, uniting in the petition as complaining parties two women who have Jseen in its employ for a long time, one of them , thirty-two years and the other sixteen. These women swore that they could not . make a living at the work they were doing unless they were allowed to continue it longer than ten hours a day. ' Judge Tuthill promptly acquiesced in the contentions of the petitioners and declared the law unconstitutional on the ground that it interfered with the right of women to make individ ual contracts and work as many hours as they please. In rendering his deci sion he said: "To deny this injunc tion would put woman back one hun dred years. The law as it now stands virtually relegates woman back to de pendence. It deprives her of the power to exercise the right of con tract, which ls-m her by the con stitution." The utter sophistry of the plea of the employes, and the utter disregard of common" sense, if not of judicial procedure on the part of Judge Tuthill, is eo much better explained by Louis F. Post in the Chicago Public than The Wageworker could hope to do it, ' that Mr. Post's words are here quoted In their entirety: "Upon urgent petitions Irom working women, the legislature of Illinois last winter enacted a law limiting the em ployment of women in factories to ten hours a day. As the law met opposi tion from the Illinois Manufactuerrs' Association, it was with great diffi culty that its enactment was secured; and in order to secure it the working women were obliged to modify the limitations they desired, from eight hours to ten. The Illinois Manuufac tuurers' Association is now checking the opeartion of this law as unconstl tuutional. It has applied for an in jnction to restrain the criminal courts from enforcing the penal provisions of the law aealnst the employers. This would have been to laugh a few years ago the bringing of a suit in chanc ery to restrain public prosecutuors and grand juries and criminal courts from enforcing a criminal statute! But since the Judicial innovation known as 'gov ernment by injunction,' such a proceed ing is no great novelty, and one of the judgea has granted the injunction. His expressed reasons are that the law prevents a woman from exercising her right of free contract. "A stupid reason that, for any really intelligent Judge to give. The law in question is essentially in the inter est of free contract; its nullification is in the interest of economic coercion. Mrs. Raymond Robins, president of the Women's Trade Union League, drives' this point home when she says: 'Everybody who knows what is going on in the world (except judges and lawyers) knows that f.reedom of contract can exist only between par ties ion an economic equality.' It is manifestly true, as Mrs. Robins im plies, that working women and their employers do not contract as economic equals. Jbe employers can wait; the workers wait at peril of starvation. The employers command working op portunities; the workers are cut off by privilege-fostering laws. And in asmuch as this economic inequality is intensified by long hours and modified by short hours, laws limiting hours are in the direction of freedom of la bor contracts, while injunctions against the enforcement of such laws are away from freedom of labor contracts. Under existing economic conditions the theory of free contract as applied in this ten-hour case, brings a mere phrase of industrial freedom to the aid of actual Industrial despotism. ; "Regardless however of that view of the matter, what is there severe enough to say of the hideous confes sion of the Illinois Manufacturers' As sociation in this case? Neither the Association nor its members could get into court technically without going through the form of appearing to make the court believe that its law suit is in behalf of working women. What it wants is an injunction that will give its members the power to exact long hours of their workers. But what it had to show, technically, was that the right of workers to work long hours was at stake. So a couple of1 workingwomen are induced to lend their names to the suit. And now, thoughtful folks, think of thi fact which this employers' association it self discloses through the affidavit! of those unfortunate workingwomen. Think of the hideous confession which it makes ! It proves by that that neither of the two faithful working women, mind you that neither of them, although one has worked faith fully at her trade for sixteen years and the other for thirty-two years, and given satisfaction yet that neither of them gets for ten hours a day of faithful work, enough wages to live upon! Isn't this confession of the Illinois Manufacturers' Associa tion hideous enough to , make baby farming and the 'white slave' traffic seem tolerable by comparison? "When women of long experience and expert and faithful at their work, are not paid enough wages to live upon for ten hours' work a day, there is something rotten in the industrial Denmark. When these -conditions ex 1st, workers must be at an economic disadvantage in selling their work; for no one would voluntarily contract to work ten hours a day for less than a bare living. When this is so, there is a higher duty for judges if they wish to be regarded as intelligent, or humane, or even as 'learned in the law' than driveling about 'free con tract,' and granting injunctions against the criminal clauses of labor limitation laws. And when manufac turers confess to paying to women who work for them faithfully and com petently, less than a living for a ten hour day, it behooves manufacturers' associations to do something better than whine about the despotism of ten hour laws. If there are' any decent men in the Illinois Manufacturers' As sociation, they should be glad to es cape the odium of this wretchedly hideous confession, by explaining why they do not pay better wages. And if it is because they cannot, then by trying honestly and fairly and with as much energy as they now expend in invoking 'government by injunction' against workers in duress, why it is that they can not? Is it because they are sordid and greedy? or is it be cause they also, as well as their hired people, are plundered?. There are open minds for explanations from them. ' But they deserve the severest censure for giving countenance to the gross inhumanity which' their own association attributes to them by Us hideous confession in this ten-hour case. , LABEL BACK IN DANBURY HATS. According to the terms of the tem porary agreement entered into be tween the hat manufacturers of Dan bury, Conn., and the union hatters three months ago, last Monday was the day on which the union labels were to be restored to the hats. Sev eral of the firms complied with the terms of the agreement at once, and it is thought that the label will be restored within a few days by all the manufacturers in that city. LABOR AGITATION COUNTS. Many Reputable Newspapers Refuse the Advertising of Crazy Men. Grape Nuts Post is the last man one would expect to acknowledge that union label agitation amounted to anything. But the constant de mand has pierced the thick skin of the Battle Creek union buster. He is now running a large advertise ment in any paper that will accept it, in which he charges all manner of crimes to the emblem of fair deal ing. Many newspapers are refusing to publish the screed. Every Toledo newspaper has declined his business which will amount to hundreds of dollars. Last Tuesday the Detroit News, in a leading editorial, questioned- Pest's sanity and refused space for the four columns of tirade. All of which should urge unionists to greater label activity. Attention is called at this time to the Teams More Daylight By THURDE N MY TEAVELS I have read with great interest the many articles appearing in the different newspapers: and other pub lications on the use of more daylight, and have been pleased to see that the press has not only been liberal in the space devoted to this subject but that the vast majority of the pub lications are favorable. However, quite a few fall into the common error of thinking that the same thing could be accomplished without complications by changing the hour' of work and that the advocates of securing more daylight by I changing the clocks during the summer time fool themselves'. They overlook the fact that suburban trains are run to-day in accord ance with the present schedule of hours in the commercial world. Mail trains are regulated to a large extent along the same lines and the office force as a rule time their arrival with the first mail. Therefore if the hours of beginning the day's work were advanced an , hour everything would be out of line. lf it became an established custom to advance the hands of the clock May 1 one hour, allowing them to remain until Octo ber 1, when they would be changed back to the present standard of time, it would not be necessary for theailroads to change their time tables and all schedules would be kept by tns clock, the same as to-day, and the change would be forgotten almost immediately. In the summer at least those sections of the country that hour by the establishing of standard time would have this time restored and every one given an additional" hour during ,the summer time to devote to rest or recreation, as. they may elect. It must not be overlooked that as this proposed reform contains no politics or religion Isind is not of profit it is everybody's business and therefore nobody's business. Yet it is unique, inasmuch as it injures no one and does not call for the expenditure of Uncle Sam's money. So every one should do what he can to ajd it. It affects every man, woman and child in the United States and it is a subject worthy of strenuous activity on the part of ppliticians, the press and all' who act for the good of humanity. " More-daylight associations should be formed in every section of the country, as it is only concerted action that changes which are not of profit can be brought about. Modern Public Desires Popular Melodies By EDWIN L. ARKINS ';, the modern songs could not comprehend the beauty and uplifting character of such as "Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes," Silver Threads Among the Gold" and "Mary 'of Argyle." In order to cater to the degraded tastes of the majority of the people of to-day the maudlin songs are composed. " , Nevertheless, those who have charge of these concerts should give to the public a serjes of numbers that have nothing of the itebasing charac ter in them, but which will have an elevating influence on the minds of those who appreciate them, regardless of the likes and dislikes of the rabble. ' . ., . What Is Use of Getting Married more dren By SIDNEY BELL lov them, watch over them, seek to make them happy, and teach them to ILre the home. They won't love home unless home is made attractive for tlem. Neither husband nor wife alone can make home happy and comfortable. - : If you will try to make your hora as happy and comfortable for the other inmates of it you will do a great 'leal toward making it happy and comfortable for yourself. Then if the ohers will do the same and you must got them to you will no longer jisk "What is the use of getting married t ters' label. Demand the button when Ordering your winter coal. Don't be satisfied with the "almost union" story. Insist on a union teamster. The proof is the button. Post's squeal is the best proof of the label's power. Toledo Union Leader It Affects Every Person in United States RAYLE BRUCE were robbed of a good portion of an A writer speaks of the low nature of many vocal solos rendered during bands concerts and asks if we lack composers of more inspiring songs. It is not so much the lack of composers' as it is of the people who appreciate higher class songs. The modern public desires melodies of this nature ; in fact, the ma jority would not understand any other. If the songs that were popular two score or more j'ears ago were produced to-day they would, no doubt, be jeered at and ridiculed. Surely the admirers of most of What is the use of getting married?" asks a correspondent. I'll tell you. It is to have a happy, comfortable home. ' That statement looks , selfish, too, doesn't it? But look farther. To have that kind of a home there must be love, and that takes unselfish regard for each other.! To make a home comfortable it must be comfortable for your husband or wife. That takes unselfishness on your part. Chil are the greatest blessings that can ome into a. home. They take still more unselfishness. You must care for them, Church and Labor; Have Work iri Common There may be many points of dif ference between the Church and Labor as to specific aims and meth ods, ,but there are enough points of agreement and a sufficient number d! fundamental principles , for 'whict both stand to; warrant Church ana Labor in uniting for the purpose of carrying out a common program. Church and Labor should be sym pathetic one toward the other, first, because of their common mistakes. Both organizations have been con trolled : by . men and. women who were Very human and therefore fai- llable. There are still occasions when a criticism on of the other is justi fiable. But this criticism should be sympathetic, because it will no doubt be discovered that the critic has been guilty of the same offense. - f' Church and Labor may co-operate because they tooth believe in the sal vation of society, although they may not agree in every particular as to how this salvation is to he accom plished. C No one can successfuly deny that the influence of the Church has extended infinitely beyond the comparatively narrow limits of its own institutions and organizations. A city without a Church would pre sent a hopeless situation. The un conscious influence of Christianity cannot be measured. The principles of the Church have so permeated so ciety, that the great mass :' of men have come to accept them as a mat ter of. course. ' But even more sig nificant is i the . positive influence of the Church upon society. ' Hoyever menective ; it may . be in some re spects, the Church may well be proud of its history in the matter of social reform.. The labor movement, - if it counts for anything at all, mustbe considered as a social 'movement. In a very important sense, the individu al is absolutely lost in it. There is no term that is more frequently employed to express the significance of the movement than "the solidar ity of the working-class." Church and Labor may co-operate because they both believe in the emancipation of the individual. They both demand that a man shall rise up and be counted as one. There was a time, when nothing was quite so cheap as human life. Kven today, many large "employers of labor con sider it cheaper to run the risk, of killing their " employes and paying the slight indemnity than to go to the expense of introducing safety ap pliances. Labor has long been 'fight ing for the recognition of the value of the individual human life.j- It has insisted that a man is of more value than a machine. The ancient philos ophers declared that a :J purchased slave is better than a hired one, and in accordance with ' this principle, they compelled half the world to live behind prison bars. They" insisted that the workingman had no soul. Then came Jesus Christ. He showed the world how highly God values the individual. And the Church has ever since advocated this 1 principle. Church and Labor may co-operate because they both believe in the care of the human body. ' It would not be very difficult to produce proof texts from scripture in order to indicate that the Bible teaches this doctrine, "Ye are the temples of the Holy Ghost" was the statement of the New Testament writer when , he argued for bodily cleanliness. Labor is try ing to secure higher wages and shorter hours in order that living con ditions may be improved. In such matters as sanitary reform in , tene ment houses and factories, in the securing of suitable social and rec reative centers for the people, and in ' every other particular that " in fluences the physical conditions of the masses, Church and Labor may present a united front. ' ' Church and Labor may co-operate because they are both aiming at the development of the human soul. One takes it for granted that the Church's work is soul development. It must not be assumed, however, that the Labor movement is simply a bread and-butter question. It is more than that, and always has been. The trades unions have not only raised the standard of living, they have not only ; improved the morals of the workers, but they have given them aspirations and ideals which are in-, fluencing the soul life of the massj , REV. CHAS. STELZLE. HAYS HAS OPPOSITION. Thos. P. Curtin, of Boston. Wishes to be Secretary of I. T. U. Thos. P. Curtin, , for many years secretary . of Boston Typographical ; Union No. 13, has formally an nounced that he is a candidate for the office of secretary-treasurer of the International .Typographical union. the place now held by John W. Hays. Mr. Curtin is ' a very active member of. Boston union, and, besides "being secretary of this powerful union, in which position he has shown .splen did executive ability, has twice rep resented Boston in the conventions of the 1. T. U., at Birmingham and Colorado Springs. Other positions of trust were membership on the board of ' trustees and chairman of the scale committee of No. 13, the first committee to secure a signed scale with Boston's employing printers,1 a splendid piece of work in itself, and one which readily gives Mr. .Curtin the reputation of being a diplomat. Curtin has .manv frlATin thrrkiiftimit the country, especially in the east and New England.- Minnesota Union Advocate. L 1 . IN AID OF WOMEN WORKERS. Meeting at Chicago Discusses ' Their ' Betterment.' ' Chicago, Sept. 27. The betterment of the condition of women workers, their children and their homes, both in this country and in Europe Is the central Mdea of the second bien nial convention of the national women's trade union -league, which began here today. A hundred dele gates from all parts of the United States are present, and two dele- -gates journeyed . from ; foreign coun tries to attend. f! ' Mrs.' Raymond Robins, president of the league; outlined the future work of the league,' recommending indus trial education, persistence in the fight to obtain shorter hours and the increase of the number of women factory inspectors . as most Import ant. She also urged the formation of a body composed of women to study the industrial condition of women and children, the body to he a branch of the goverment department of com merce and labor, with a woman at the head. The convention will be in session " for several days. TYPOGRAPHICAL UNION. October Meeting Will Be Held at ; - Fraternity Hall Sunday Afternoon. ' Lincoln Typographical Union No. 209 will hold ' Its October meeting Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock at the usual place of meeting. One or two" proposed amendments to the constitu tion are up for consideration. Aside from this there appears to be nothing much "on the hook." The referendum vote on matters submitted, by the St. Joseph convention will come up in the very near future, and the mem bership should be investigating. v 'Gene Lyman has gotten as far as Omaha on his way to. the Pacific coast. At this rate of progress he will land in Portland about July4i 1927.v f - " ine Jjauy NeDraskan nas again ap peared. It means more work for the pritnerman - and pressman during the winter. ; It is again issued . from the office of the Western Newspaper Union. ' ' :.l . ..-.... s President Conway ' of the Retail Clerks' Protective association is the only candidate for the position of secretary-treasurer of that organiza tion, made vacant Vy the death of Max Morris. Conway's home is ' in Chicago, but - se will move . to Den ver. ' - ft ' ' k.