Patronize oat . Ad
vertisers and Boost!
Established I go 3
and Still Growing
VOL,. G
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA,! DECEMBER 11, 1909
8 PAGES
NO. 36
Some Curt Comment on
Things in General
Councilman Bauer's suggestion that
the city establish a market house on
what has so long been known as
"Hayniarket Square" sounds good.
Any old thing that might be done to
"Haymarket Square" would improve
it, tor it is about the' mat unsightly
thing within a thousand miles of Lin
coln. Dilapidated wagons, piles of old
Junk, scattered hay, offal everything
to displease the eye and offend the
nostrils may be found on "Haymarket
Square." Until something is done to
cure existing conditions there all talk
of making Lincoln a "city beautiful"
will be bosh. And the market house
proposition strikes us as a good one.
Establish it, then let the market gar
deners confine their energies to the
market place and not be continually
annoying housewives by their back
door perlgrinations. If Councilman
Bauer will push his scheme to a suc
cessful conclusion, future generations
if Liucolniteg will rise up and call
him blessed.
The American Federation of Labor
has its Jurisdiction divided up into dis
tricts. "District No. o Northwest
ern," comprises the states of Minne
sota, lowh- orth Dakota, South Da
kota, Nebraska and Manitoba. That
is quite a sizeable territory, and con
tains thousands of organized wage
earners. But district No. 5 has no or
ganizer, and has not had since the
memory of man runneth not to the
contrary. Other districts of less area
but not of greater union population
have from two to four organizers, but
despite every effort the workers of
. District No. 5 have never been able to
secure an organizer. The union men
cf District No. 5 ought to begin mak
ing a "holler," and keep it. up until it
receives just and proper recognition
from the Executive Council of the
American Federation of Labor.
wrapped up in the success of the Reid-
Murphy Electrical Workers' faction.
To me that was the most important
thing about the convention not even
excepting well, excepting nothing at
all. The only thing I . regret about
the whole thing is that I didn't know
from the start that it was Frey
John P. Frey instead of "a man
named Fry from New Jersey," who.
had been selected by Uncle Sam. I
repeat it, I know John P. Frey, and
I'm glad of It. To know his is a pleas
ure; to commune with him is a source
of profit. To listen to him is a liberal
education in trades unionism. Is this
explanation enough? Am I absolved
from the charge of being a dad-binged
ignoramus? I repeat it I know Frey,
John P. Frey. But does anybody know
"a man named Fry of New Jersey"?
But, say! Did you notice that they
didn't throw the Reld-Murphy fellows
over the transom like a lot of would
be leaders said they were going to do?
Under all thp circumstances, don't
I you think we fellows from the wild
and woolly west cut some ice down
there in old Toronto? Do we know
John P. Frey! ! Say, we may not look
it, but, honest Injun, we do know a
thing or two.
It is with a feeling of humbleness
and contrition that we publish the
following from the Worsecter, Mass.,
Labor News, but we print it more for
the purpose of using it as a basis for
explanation than as a basis for apol
ogy:
To Will M. Maupin, Editor of The
.Lincoln Wageworker: Is It possible
that you don't know that man Frey,
that you refer to as having been ap
pointed as a member of the committee
to settle the Electrical Workers' con'
troversyT Have you never seen a
copy of the Iron Molders' Journal, one
of the neatest and ablest edited inter
national publications in the country.
and which is edited by that man Frey?
And didn't you know that Frey was
the fraternal delegate elected, by the
Denver convention of the A. F. of L,
to this year's British Trades and La
bor Congress?
Your lack of acquaintance with men
of such prominence is surprising to us
up here in Massachusetts, who know
and regard John P. Frey, editor of the
Iron Molders' Journal, as one of the
ablest trade unionists in the country,
Where were you, Mr. Maupin, when
Mr. Frey delivered his excellent re
port on the proceedings of the Eng
lish Trades Union Congress? Is it pos
sible that your interest In the Reid
faction of the Electrical Workers was
so strong as to put every thing else
connected with the convention in the
background?
You say you don't know Frey. If
ever you have occasion to go to Cin
cinnati make him a call and get ac
quainted. We are certain you will es
teem him as much, as we who know
him.
The sooner the managers of the
Lincoln Y. M. C. A. Dack away from
that "Plumbing School" proposition
the better it will be for the Y. M. C
A. We absolve President Sefleck and
Secretary Mayne from any intent to
Injure the cause of organized labor in
framing up that deal with J. E. Mur
ray, but we rather incline to the be
lief that they might have exercised a
little more caution, especially in the
matter of looking up Murray's record
as a manager of "plumbing schools."
their best recruiting grounds are the
alleged trade schools operated by men
like Moler, Coyne, Murray and others.
Secretary Mayne knows that a compe
tent Y. M. C. A. secretary can not be
made out of raw material in six
months' time. Why, then, should he
be so easily duped into believing that
a "competent journeyman plumber"
can be fashioned out of raw material
in six months by J. E. Murray?
Mr. Selleck, who is at the head of
the Y. M. C. A. organization, knows
that he couldn't for the life of him
in jthe city is the employer. And it j
must provide that after the charter is
enacted by the legislature the voters
of ,the city may have ah opportunity
to jsay whether or not they want it.
Failure to provide that is what killed
the proposed charter last winter. We
don't care a continental what others
say defeated the charter we happen
to ; know that if the proposed charter
had contained a submission clause it
would have passed the legislature. And
tiniess the charter now under way
provides lor it there will be enough
opposition to it to at least make the
f
The Young Men's Christian Associa
tion announces a new feature of their
educational work. At a recent meet
ing of the educational work, of which
Mr. - W. A. Selleck is chairman, it was
decided to start a class in practical
plumbing and heating. The committee
feels that it is very fortunate in se
curing J. E. Murray as a . teacher as
well as a plumber. The course will
embrace all the fundamentals as well
as sanitary engineering, estimating
and draughting. Practice work will
constitute a great portion of the in
struction. The shop in which the work
will be done is so arranged that it will
be possible to put in the plumbing for
a four-story house. The "time re
quired to complete the course will be
about six months and the tuition will
be $100. Every man who completes
the course will be a competent
journeyman plumber. Lincoln Daily
Journal. ,
CHRISTMAS
SHOPPING
...
Christmas is almost here bud the postman reminds
ycu of it every trip when he leaves at your door an al
luring catalogue from the Mail Order House. The best
use to which a mail order catalogue can be put is to
kindle the breakfast fire.
The mail order catalogue presents to you hand
some pictures of attractive looking Christmas presents
quoted at fabulouly low prices. You are invited to send
your money quick. You send -it. and are STUNG. But
you don't get your money back. -
. Now is the time to take a look in the splendidly
i
decorated windows of Lincoln's progressive stores.
There you see goods not pictures. You can go inside
and feel of them; turn them over; examine them and
get the salesman's guarantee that they are just as rep
resented or your money is refunded. You can't get
stung nere. - j
Chasing the Ambulance
Wagon in Lincoln
1
Of course I know John P. Frey.
Perhaps you will recall that I said
that "a man named Fry from New
Jeisey" had been appointed by Presi
dent Gompers. I wrote my conven
tion story before the names of the ar
biters had been officially announced,
and ray informant said that "a man
named Fry, from New Jersey," had
been determined upon by Uncle Sam.
Had my informant said "Frey of Ohio,"
I would have instantly recognized the
man. I said "Fry," not "Frey." Dod
gast It., can t you see where I was
misled? Frey of Ohio! Editor of the
Iron Molders' oJurnal! Why, gosh
hang It, Mr. Labor News Man, I've
know him for years, and when I
learned that he was the Frey, not the
Fry, appointed by Uncle Sam, my
heart was full of rejoicing. Urlck
Duffy and Frey that makes a bully
board of arbitration and conciliation,
Couldn't be better. Sure thing, I was
Just consider that for a minute or
two. Rigging up a plumbing shop in
the Y. M. C. A. and guaranteeing to
turn out competent journeymen plumb
ers in six months at $100 per head!
Messrs. Selleck and Mayne may have
believed that the school would be a
good thing, but it is hard to believe
that men of their common sense could
be duped into endorsing a scheme to
turn , out "competent journeymen
plumbers" in ix months. And if the
Lincoln Y. M. C. A, is going into the
business of manufacturing mechanics
by rote, why not secure the services
of Mr. Moler and start a school to turn
out "competent journeymen barbers"
in thirty days? Moler says he can do
it, and he can come as near it as Mur
ray can to turning out competent jour
neymen plumbers in six months. And
If plumbers and barbers, why not
write to Coyne of St. Louis, and get
him to start a school to teach the
trade of bricklaying in sixty days?
Coyne says he can make a competent
Journeyman bricklayer in sixty days.
And if Murray to teach plumbing in
six months, and Moler to teach bar-
bering in thirty days, and Coyne to
teach bricklaying in sixty days, why
not get some employer of "rat" print
ers who has a shirt-tail full of type
and an old army press to open a typo
graphical school and turn out compe
tent journeymen printers in thirty
sixty or ninety days? The field that
the Y. M. CV A. purposes cultivating,
according to its arrangements with
Murray, offers unlimited possibilities
We know a lot of people who will
gladly donate Jiandsome sums to help
the Y. M. C. A. push that sort of
"schooling." They are not philan
thropists, however. They are men
who are always looking for strike
breaking material, and they know that
i
You owe it to your hom merchant to spend your
money with him. He gives j you value received full
weight full measure. He helps to make your town what
it is, he spends much of his money for your as well as
his own benefit. He keeps it all in 'circulation where
you can reach it again. The mail order house don't.
Patronize Wageworker advertisers. They are your
friends; they don't deceive you. They support the town
which supports you. They have proved their friendship
by their ads. They show that they want your trade by
asking you for it through the columns of the. paper that
is trying to help you fight your battles.
take a man who had no knowledge of
business methods and in the short
space of six months make him compe
tent to manage the affairs of the West
ern Supply Co. Why, then, should he
be so easily led to believe that J. E.
Murray can take the raw material and
make a skilled mechanic in six
months? The idea is absurd, but there
will be a lot of dupes who will give
up their little old hundred dollars un
der the impression that they can learn
the plumbing trade in a "school" in
side of six months, although it takes
from three to five years under shop
conditions to make a skilled mechanic
in that trade. Messrs. Selleck and
Mayne, and any others who may have
been associated with them in the deal
with J .E, Murray, owe it to them
selves and to the journeymen plumb
ers of Lincoln to back up from that
proposition and back up quick.
legislators hesitate about enacting it
into law.
The gentlemen who are framing up
the commission charter should not
take too much for granted. There are
others than politicians ' and business
men who are interested in the matter.
A whole lot of idealistic rot is not
what the workers of the city want in
that charter. They want something
practical. They want the eliminative
process of selecting the officials pro
vided for by the charter. In other
words, they want it so fixed that any
body who can get a reasonable num
ber of petitioners may be a candidate
for any office, and then proceed to
eliminate the low men until only two
are left. In other words, every man
elected must be elected by a majority
vote. The charter must provide for
the initiative and referendum, and for
the recall. It must provide adequate
provisions for a park and boulevard
system. It must provide for an eight
hour day on all municipal work, and it
must provide that the "union scale of
wage" shall prevail in all cases where
in making up the list of business
men who had generously aided the
unionists to secure the Labor .Temple
property, it was not strange that there
should have been some omissions. The
directors who hustled the money were
worked to a frazzle, the editor among
them, and the result was that in the
haste to make speedy recognition of
kindly assistance some were over
looked not intentionally, but because
of too much rush. We therefore
hasten to acknowleSge the following
additional stock subscriptions:
FRED SCMIDT & BRO ....$100
JACOB NORTH & CO ... 100
H. K. BURKETT 15
And we further apologize to these
good friends for the oversight.
Mrs. Harriet Pitt man alleges that
she has been made the victim of what
is known in big industrial centers as
the ambulance chaser." In other
words, while she was overwhelmed
with grief at the death of her hus
band, who was killed in a street car
accident, she was deluded into sign
ing a release of all claims for dam
ages, thinking when she signed the
paper that she was merely signing a
receipt for a paltry $200 "on account."
Mrs. Pittman's story is told in plain
and simple language, and if she can
substantiate her claims there should
be some remedy at law.
According to Mrs. Pittman, she was
duped by General Manager Humpe
into signing a release of the Traction
company. She says that while still ;
racked with anguish over the bereave
ment, Humpe appeared at the stricken
home and told her of the close friend
ship that had existed between himself
and her dead husband, and of his
anxiety to "do something" for the
widow of his deceased friend. She
asserts without equivocation that at
no time did Humpe tell her she was
being offered a release, but on the con
trary had every reason to believe from
his line of conversation that his ac
tion was prompted by sympathy and
friendship. She continues by alleging
that the $200 was tucked under her
pillow, and she was asked to sign
what she thought was merely a re
ceipt for that amount of money. It
was her understanding that at a later
date she could take up the matter of
adequate damages with the Traction
company officials. . When she recov
ered somewhat from the shock of her
bereavement she went to the Traction
company- office and started to submit
her case. Immediately her "release"
was flashed upon her and she was
told that the company was under no
legal obligations to her. She then of
fered to return the $200, in exchange
for the "release," but the offer was
refused.
Mrs.1 Pittman has instituted suit in
district court for damages, and in an
swer to the Traction company's claim
that it has a release of damages she
files the above explanation of how the
company secured it. -
Whether or not Mrs. Pittman's con
tention is well founded in this partic
ular case,, it is a well known fact that
transportation . corporations . have . a
habit of working just that kind of a
deal. Let an accident occur which
results fatally and the company be
convinced that it is to blame, and im
mediately it has its most wily agents
set-to work to secure a "release" of
damages. Especially easy is this lit
tle scheme when women are dealt
with. What woman is able to trans
act business when her husband , lies
cold in death in . the room, the victim
of an accident, and she is left deso
late,, unprovided for and with no cer
tainty of future support for herself
and little ones? It is at such a time
that the wily, unctuous "friend of the
family" appears and says he wants to
help. , He represents the corporation,
it is true, but he was such a close
friend of the dead man, and he is will
ing to strain a point-in this case and
help the stricken wife. "Here is a lit
tle bit of money to tide you over un
til you can get settled down a little
bit. Just sign this receipt for it, my
jured, though none fatally. It was
four hours before the passengers were r
taken from the scene of the wreck,
but it wasn't two hours ere the road's
"claim agent" was on the ground try
ing to "fix things" without delay. He
had a wad of one and two dollar bills,
and the sight of a roll of that money
was very convincing. He secured sev- -eral
"releases" on the spot, and for
sums that were, ridiculously small.
His line of argument was that a little
money now without legal trouble was
better than a larger sum after a long
legal fight, with the very great possi
bility that the road would win in the
courts. Perhaps you can imagine
what condition a woman would be in
to talkbusiness at such a time if she '
saw her dead husband pinned under a
burning car, or sat by his side in a
hospital, hundreds of miles from home
and possibly without funds. That's
the time that the "smooth man" of the
claims department gets in his work.
They always promise to see ' that
the company "does the right thing."
but Just at the present they want to
prove their friendship by doing some
thing at -once. "Just take this little
piece of money and sign the receipt.
Later e'll take it up with the com
pany and get- an adjustment." But
with a signed waiver of all claims for
damages in his pocket, the representa
tive of the corporation hurries back
to the office, chuckling to himself.
If there is any way to stop this sort
of ghoulish enterprise it is high time
it was put into operation.
CAPITAL AUXILIARY.
iirs. Will C. Norton, of Humboldt,
Neb., was visiting with friends in Lin
coln the first of the week.
Beginning next Monday The Wage
worker's business office will be in the
Labor Temple, and there will be some
one there every afternoon to receive
subscriptions, news items, advertising,
etc. It will be a cosy little office, and
trades unionists and their wives will
be just as welcome as the flowers in
spring or the union teamster with a
load of coal this winter.
Brief News Notes of the Busy Help
mates of the Printermen.
At Wednesday afternoon's meeting
of Capital Auxiliary No. 11 the follow
ing officers were elected: .
President, Mrs. C. B. Righter. ,
Vice President, Mrs. G. N. Wathan.
Secretary -Treasurer, Mrs. Will Bustard.-"
.." . . v
Chaplain, Mrs. Geo. Freeman.
Mr. and Mrs. C. H. Turner, formerly
of Lincoln, are rejoicing over a fine
baby boy at their home in Springfield,
111. -
Mrs. G. H. Freeman, who has been
visiting friends, and relatives in I1J
nois for the past six weeks has re
turned.
Mrs. W S. Bustard's 'phone num
ber has been changed to 6249.
Mrs. O. F. Young was the victim of
a badly scalded hand last week. Be
sides being very painful, It was a
great hindrance to her household du
ties. Mrs. C. B. Righter, chairman of the
auxiliary apron committee, is now
ready to receive orders for all kinds
of aprons, clothes pin bags, etc. This
also includes men's work aprons. .
. The Labor Temple committee has
asked the ladies of Capital Auxiliary
to furnish a room in the new Labor
Temple. What do the ladies think of
it? Be prepared to answer at the next
meeting. . - ,
,Mrs. W. C. Norton of Humboldt, for
merly of Lincoln, came up to shop
and say hello to friends the first of
the week. .
Capital Auxiliary met with Mrs. F.
W. Mickel on Wednesday.
GIVEN APPEAL.
good woman. It will help pay funeral
expenses. Really I have no right to Supreme Court Grants Plea of Con
do this, and the company would be) v,cted Labor Leader8
justly indignant if it knew I did it; but j The supreme court of the United
I was such a friend to your husband ; States on December 6 granted the pe-
A UNION MADE CHURCH.
The Rev. James S. Meyers of Kan
sas City, Kan., who is so well and
favorably known to the trades union
ists of this city, asks every workman
employed on the construction of his
new church if he is a union man. He
states that when the structure is com
pleted he hopes to make it a church
where union men can attend and know
that the work they see about them
was all done by members of organized
labor. Kansas City Labor Herald.
and I want to help you in your great
trouble."
Nine times out of ten the grief
stricken and almost crazed widow will
grasp at the assistance so kindly of
fered, sign a "receipt" for it and then
find, when too late, that she has
signed a release in full of all damages;
that for a paltry $100 or $200 she has
given up all legal claim for what
should be rightfully hers, two or three
thousand dollars.
This sort of a shell game is being
worked every hour in the day in this
land of the free. Im Mrs. Pittman's
charges are true, and we have no rea
son to doubt her, a, little investiga
tion would doubtless disclose that she
is not the first one in Lincoln to be
duped into signing away her rights.
The "ambulance chaser" exists in Lin
coln just the same as elsewhere.
A little more than a year ago the
editor of The Wageworker was in a
railroad wreck near St. Louis. The
engineer of the train was killed, and
a number of the passengers were In-
tition for a writ of certiorari in the
contempt cases of Samuel- Gompers,
Frank Morrison and John Mitchell, of
ficers of the American Federation of
Labor. The effect of the decision will
be to bring the entire record in the.
Buck Stove & Range company case.
against these men to the supreme
court for review. ,
Messrs. Gompers, Morrison and
Mitchell were present when Chief Jus
tice Fuller indicated the willingness
of the court to review their case.
They did not at first seem to' en
tirely comprehend the annouoncement,
but when explained- to them their
faces were wreathed in smiles.
SERIOUS INJURY.
Wednesday afternoon the aged
mother of Erstine King fell on an icy
walk and sustained fractures of an
arm and a leg. Mrs. King was imme
diately taken to a hospital and the
fractures reduced. Owing to her ad
vanced age it is feared that she will
not survive her injuries.
