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About The Wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-???? | View Entire Issue (March 19, 1910)
WAGEWORKER By MAuriN & Hogard WILL M MAVPIN . Editor W. P. HOGARD ... . . Manager ttuiertnl mh second-class matter April 21, 1904, at the postofflce at Lincoln, Neb., under the Act of Congress ot Mnrch SrJ. 1S79. WHAT ARE THE FACTS? Do the people of Lincoln really un derstand this Traction company mat ter? ' The whole thing is a bit involved purposely involved by astute busi ness gentlemen who prefer involved financial questions when dealing with masses, and simple business proposi tions when dealing with themselves. The Lincoln . Traction company is a I'on.sollduiion of the Lincoln Traction company and the Citizens Railway company. Before this consolidation tho Traction company was a reorgani sation nt another traction company that had Tailed and caused several losfes to individuals. The Citizens Railway company was founded upon the remains of the old Home Street Hallway company. ' The Lincoln Traction company ns It now stands has stocks, bonds and mortgages outstanding to the total amount of about 13,500,000. Its high at claim to tangible property that Is actual physical property is $2,100,000. Hut it is assessed on a basis of $1,- 400,000 physical valuation. A million and a half of the outstanding stock of the Lincoln Traction company is pure and unadulterated water. It repre sents not a dollar Invested in the physical effects of the company; .not a dollar in the treasury; not a dollar Invested. It was pumped in by the financial experts who organized the Citizens Railway company for the pur- ' pose of securing control of the Trac tion company and exploiting it. This purpose of exploitation was carefully concealed until the consolidation was effected, although It was hinted at by a party known to be interested. The preferred stock of the Lincoln Traction company Is guaranteed 6 per cent. The first mortgage bonds bear 5 per cent. This preferred stock and the mortgage bonds represent the ac tual money Invested in the Lincoln Traction company $1,100,000 in pre ferred stock and perhaps $760,000 of mortgage bonds. Keep those rates of interest well In mind! Now comes the IJncoin Traction company and asks that the slx-for-a-quarter lare and the 5 per cent occu pation tax be knocked out, basing its demand on the ground that it they are continued the company will be un able to make betterments and exten Hionn or to Increase the wages of its employes. But at the same time that it makes this demand and assigns these reasons. It has the nerve to ask tho railway commission to allow it to pay 8 per cent on the million and half of watered stock issued by the com pany to tho preferred stockholders and bondholders. There's high finance for you! Eight per cent Interest on $1,500,000 i $120,000 a year. There are perhaps 00 employes of the Lincoln Traction company. If that $120,000 which it is proposed to give to men who never ac tually invested a cent of the amount the dividend Is to be based upon, were divided among the 600 underpaid em ployes, it would raise the wage ot each man Just $16.75 a month. The Amal gamated Association of Street and Klectric Railway Employes never, in its wildest moments, asked for an in crease ot wage amounting to one-half of that sum. The Lincoln Traction company avers that It can not pay Increased wages on account of the six-tor -a-quarter fare and the 5 per cent occupation tax. Perhaps not If it persists In pay Ing $200,000 a year In dividends on the $1,500,000 of water In its stocks. County Attorney Tyrrell is trying to have that million and a half of water syphoned out of the Lincoln Traction company, and he should be backed up in his efforts by every honest citizen of Lincoln. Especially should he be backed by every wage earner in the city. Lincoln, In a small way, Is follow , Ing in exactly the same path that has led Philadelphia to the unenviable plight that city is now in. Right now Is the time to about face movement for a Saturday halt-holiday. That is all right as far as it goes. But a Saturday half-holiday at tne expense, wholly, of the wage earners, will not do. Any wage earner who wants to can take a Saturday half-holi day now, providing he is willing to lose tho wage for that half-day. But should the wage earner who wants to njoy a ball game, or a ramble through the woodB, or a bit of fishing or hunting, be compelled to lose one twelfth of his week's income in order to enjoy the pleasure? That is what a lot of people insist on his doing. They would compel him to work either six full days and refrain from amuse ment on Sunday, or else work five and a half days and lose a half-day's wage in order to have a few hours for amusement. Good Mr. Sunday Observer, this will not do! The lawyer may close down his desk for a day and his client lose nothing thereby. The bricklayer who lays aside his trowel for a day loses one- sixth of his income. The business man who observes Sunday in his own way going to church in the morning and automobiling in the afternoon- ought not to Insist upon the carpenter losing a half-day's wage if he would have a little relaxation from the dem- nition grind. The Wageworker would like to see the Saturday half-holiday In force, with no loss of income to the wage earner. If that were existing now The Wageworker would be opposed to Sunday baseball. But It is not in ex istence now, nor will it be for years to come. The Saturday half-holiday at the expense of the wage earner might be possible, but it will not suffice. For that reason The Wageworker is not opposing Sunday baseball. THE SATURDAY HALF-HOLIDAY. The demand for Sunday baseball has grown so Insistent that the" opponents thereof are now beginning to sit up and take some notice. They nre al ready talking about inaugurating The Associated Press and Scripps- McRae dispatches to the daily papers declare that during the A. R. U. strike of 1894 the strikers interfered with the United States mails. That is an exploded lie. The strikers never in terfered with the mails. They refused to haul Pullman cars, and the rail roads got hold of a federal judge who kindly decided that a Pullman car in a train containing a mail car became per se a mail car, and refusal to haul it an interference with the mails. That was really the beginning of the pres ent federal interference with wage earners who are seeking justic. Clinton R. Lee Is going to open a "tree labor" broom factory in Lincoln. Because he is going to reform on the matter of orison labor? Nit! Be cause he wants a club to hold over the head of the state board of public lands and buildings. Clinton R. Lee is sev eral degrees removed from a fool. The Traction company wants to pay dividend of $200,000 a year on a million and a half of water, but it can not afford to increase the wager of 400 men who work an average of twelve hours a day for an . average daily wage of $2.20. ft's hell to be a poor corporation. A lot of gentlemen who are just now wonderfully interested in the wel fare of the workingman have never of fered to put up" a cent to help the Labor Temple along. Speaking of "personal liberty," how about the personal liberty of the good wife who has to submit to the doings of a husband who insists upon prac-. ticing his "personal liberty" to the limit? 'My pastor," remarked the good housewife who was broiling herself and a yellow-legged pullet for the min isterial Sunday dinner, "Is opposed to Sunday baseball." We still insist that sympathetic strikes are often necessary, but we also insist that the best time to go on sympathetic strike is the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. We'll forgive Judge Wright of Washington, D. C, a whole lot if he will commit a few senators and con gressmen to jail for contempt of court. Wo never did tremble lest the fire men and enginemen go out on strike. The matter is now in exactly the posi tion we opined it would come to. Workingmen who failed to hear the "Temple Talks" last Sunday afternoon failed tn inform themselves on mighty Interesting subject. Dressing in good form and good taste does not mean that you must spend a lot of money or wear the extremes of fashionable attire. The important things to consider are: That your clothes fit well, that the color and pattern of the cloth are suited to you, and that the cut should be stylish and the right cut for your peculiar make-up; than the smaller things, such as the collar, cravat, shirt and hat must be of good quality and good taste. In selecting our spring stock we have considered all these things and have such an extensive showing that it is possible for every man who comes here to get the right clothes, the kind that will place him among the correctly dressed men, and you will find that no matter what you choose to pay, the styles and tailoring in every garment will be correct and that the quality is the best your .money can buy anywhere. Spring Suits and Q'coats $10.00 to $40.00 ' " 4 J0 J A r mstrong Clothing : Company GOOD CLOTHES MERCHANTS to Chicago to move United States mail. He sent troops to Chicago to move Pullman cars. Any other state ment is false. Gilbert M. Hitchcock, congressman from the Second Nebraska district and publisher of the Omaha World-Herald, has announced his candidacy for the senate as a democrat. Mr. Hitchcock has always been fair to organized la bor, and during the last twenty years has paid out not less than $2,000,000 to union men and women. The "National Labor Alliance," or ganized in a secret meeting at Wash ington, D. C, on March 3, will oppose the Influence of the American Federa tion of Labor in national and congres sional elections. The meeting was at tended by several members of con gress who have been opposed by the American Federation of Labor. Wage earners must either stand to gether at the polls or occupy separat' cells in the Jails if they demand their rights. Of course you are negotiating for the label in that new spring suit you contemplate purchasing. Wait and see how the cat hops in Havelock! C rover Cleveland never sent troops THE UNION MUSICIANS The Musicians' Union had a very queer situation to face this week. One of its members was caught "scabbing" on the striking electrical workers. The culprit's name is Oscar Mallet, a clerk in the employ of the Gas com pany. When the electrical workers went out Mallet at once volunteered to do electrical work, and his otter was accepted. He went over to the Lindell and went to work. . The elec trical workers' pickets spotted him im mediately and called the attention of the Musician's Union to the facts! Sec retary Thornburg immediately called a meeting of the directors -of the Musicians' Union and cited Mallet to appear. The hearing was held at the Temple at noon Tuesday, and Mallet found guilty after a very few minutes. He claimed he was working in the office, but the sight; of pliers, wire and other "flxin's" in his posses-' slon when the secretary of his own union met him seemed to be a refuta tion of his claim. Mallet was imme diately suspended from membership in the Musicians' Union and a fine of $5 plastered on him. "What about Sunday park con certs?"' That is the question the musi cians are asking these days. To date nothing has been done looking to wards park concerts. Capital Beach will, of course, have Sunday music, and that, will take care of a lot of musicians. But park concerts would help out a lot. The Musicians' Union will meet at the Temple hereafter. STREET RAILWAY MEN The Spots Don't Come Back Whn We Glean It Let Us Show ..You.. we are Right The union street railway men are still do'ng business, and some of hese days they'll surprise a few peo ple. There is an increasing interest in the affairs of the organization, and the attendance at the regular meet ings is growing. At the last meeting ipwards of fifty were in attendance, and considerable business of Impor- ance was transacted. Frr some time rumors of discrimi nation against members of the union have been rife, and a quiet investiga tion has been going on. A lot of evi lecce ha3 already been secured, but be time is not yet ripe for making Tip facts known and taking the neces fry steps. There are several em ployes ready to make affidavit that they were told that unless they prom ised to stay out of the union the com pany had no use for their services. Others are willing to testify that they know that men were refused work be cause they said they were union men, while later applicants were put on the roll after promising they would re main outside. Brer Worth had a thrilling experi ence on a Havelock car the other night. A "Havelocker" became ob streperous and tried to clean out the car, and Worth armed himself with the controller and went inside and finished what the passenger had started. The passenger who started the trouble managed to escape, but not until Worth got in a few good ones. Lincolm Cleaning and Dye Works 320 to 322 So. 11th. Both Phones Wagons Everywhere E. W. TRUMAN, Prop. LEO SOUKUP, Mgr. Green Gables The Dr. Benj. F. Baily Sanatorium i LINCOLN, NEBRASKA For non-contagious chronic diseases. Largest, best equipped, most beautifully furnished. Subscribe Now
