The Wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, April 29, 1910, Image 5

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    i Good Summer Goods at Right Prices i
" : I
jSg Gurney Refrigerator Not cheapest to buy but cheapest to use and
j longest to wear $7.65 up
I The A. B. New Idea Gas Range f
4 ' i
B Is a real gas saver. The most convenient stove to use we have ever sold. si
Come in and see the new models $20.75 to $40
Gasoline Stoves $2.75 up Lawn Mowers, good values, $3 to $17.50
Garbage Pails and Cans, $1 to $5 Guaranteed Hose, 9c to 18c pr. ft.
W Trellis, Heavy Galvanized Wire, 15c pr. ft. 33
I. . ' I
Use Sherman-Williams Paint
i f
I H AI T RROS TO 1517 OStreet I
5E AX Xl
THE ELECTRICAL WORKERS.
Demand for Joint Convention Com
ing From Both Sides Now.
The Denver agreement in the Elec-
trical Workers' controversy provel ;
to be abortive. The Toronto agree- i
ment seems as distant from a solu
tion of the vexed question as the Den
ver agreement. As long as there is
a dollar to be spent or a per capita
tax to collect, we are of the opinion
that the arbitration committee ap
pointed at Toronto will be powerless
to make a settement. The McNulty
Collins faction has already sought the
cover of the courts, claiming that the
Reld-Murphy faction has ' not toted
fair. We are still of the opinion that
the Reld-Murphy faction has been in
the right, but it is now time that the
rank and file got into the game and
forced a settlement.
Now comes the McNulty-Collins
Underwood
Standard
Typewriter
A LEADER
The principle of construction in the Underwood
was round first in the Underwood, and every
typewriter seeking business in the same field
with the Underwood which has been put on'
the market since the advent of the Underwood,
has been an imitation of, and in general appear
ance like, the Underwood.
The last "Blind" advocates of importance have
now fallen into line, and there is not today a
single "blind-writing" typewriter actively on the
market. . Recall all the arguments you have
heard in past years by Underwood opposition,
and you will realize what an advance agent of
progress the Underwood has been; then bear
in mind that the Underwood was the first fully
"visible," has had that to develope and improve,
and is today the most perfect typewriter made.
"The Machine You will Eventually Buy"
Underwood Typewriter Go.
OMAHA BRANCH,
wr.
lecal at Kansas City with a demand
for a joint convention. It wants both
factions to call conventions at Spring
fit Id Ills., on June 27, trusting to th"
good sense of tne delegates to devise
some plan of bringing the two con-
vonuons togetner in joint convention,
settling the disastrous warfare and
stop the dissipation of the thousands
of 'dollars collected in per capita and
assessments from the rank and file.
That proposition listens good to us.
Reid and Murphy have both told us
that they favored the convention plan.
McNulty and Collins may object and
doubtless will, for it would probably
pry them loose, but the rank and file
In the McNulty-Collins faction are
just as anxious to have the matter
settled as the rank and file of tht
Reld-Murphy faction.
Every affilated union In North
America is anxious to see the fight
stopped. It is working a grave in
jury to the whole body or organized
(INCORPORATED)
1621 Farnam Street
oncoin, rNeo. g
labor, and destroying the Electrical
Workers' Union.
By all means get together, gentle
men. The welfare of the membership
at large is of vastly more importance
to all of us than the welfare of any
set of officers.
HERE'S A HOT ONE.
John Mitchell at the Civic Federa
tion's recent convention in Washing
ton said apropos of manual labor.
"The man who boasts that he works
with his head instead of his hands
might be reminded that the wood
pecker does the same and is the big
gest bore in the business."
BEAR IT IN MIND.
Mr. Union Man, bear this fact ever
in your mind: A labor law isn't
worth the paper it is printed on un
less union men enforce it. : Labor
laws will never be enforced by tha
employers.
Omaha, Neb.
TYPOGRAPHICAL TIPS
Lincoln Typographical Union held
a special meeting last Sunday after
noon for the purpose of considering
some matters touching on and apper
taining to the strike of the Printing
Pressmen and Assistants. It was
current rumor that members of Typo
graphical Union were "ratting" on
the 'striking pressmen by making
ready on presses, and in one or two
ir stances actually doing feeding. Or
ganizer Crowley of the Pressmen was
invited to address the meeting anl
told in detail the event leading up
to the present strike. He also urged
the printers to lend their moral aid
and influence to the pressmen. After
considerable parliamentary fireworks
a resolution was adopted warning
members of Typographical Union to
refrain absolutely from touching tho
presses. If the warning Is unheeded
severe measures will be adopted. This
applies to proprietor members as well
as other members. It might , just as
Uwell be understood right here that the
"inner circle ' of the "Franklinites
is engaged in an effort to drive the
allied printing trades label - out of
Lincoln, and it is up to the printers
to get on the firing line.
Here's a little matter we want to
know about. The International Book
binder charges that the I. T. U. is
giving the label to shops that do not
recognize the Bookbinders; that the
I. T. U. refuses to allow the Bookbind
ers' label on books that contain an.
printed matter, but compels the Book
binders' to let the allied label go on
books bound by "rat" bookbinders;
President Glocking says it's tho
truth. The International Bookbinder
also tells a little story about a recent
happening in San Francisco. H
says:
"We will say to the bookbinders of
Richmond and all other places where
the same conditions exist, that the
Allied Printing Trades Council of Sai
Francisco caught the I. T. IT. red
handed at this game a few months
ago and expelled from the presidency
of the Council, George A. Tracy, first
vice-president of the I. T. U., and for
our union stand the Joint Conference
board rewarded the council by dis
solving the Council; that is, in othct
words, if the I. T. U. cannot rule the
other printing trades, it would ruin
them."
, Tlie charge is direct the San Fran
cisco Typographical Union was
caught, forcing the allied label on
books bound by the non-union . Book
binders, and as a result George A.
Tracy, president of the Allied Print
ing Trades Council and vf-president
of , the International Typographical
. Union, was expelled from the presi
dency of the council. The I. T. U.
executive board immediately broke up
the council. If the International
Bookbinders' charge is true, it's high
time the printers were made acquaint
ed with the facts. George A. Tracy
is a candidate for election to first
vice-presidency of the I. T. U., he is
now holding that office by virtue bl
appointment at the hands of Presi
dent Lynch. If . the International
Bookbinder speaks facts, is Tracy tho
man for the vice-presidency? Of
course Lynch will be re-elected presi
dent. No chance of defeating hl.n
with Reilly and we wouldn't if ws
could. And Lynch majrbe trusted to
pull through with him te ' men he
can control. With Tracy and Hugo
Miller as vice-presidents and Johnnie
Hayes as secretary-treasurer, James
M. Lynch will be the executive coun
cil. But there is at least a chance to
make a little gain. By electing Sam
DeNedry of Washington and Charley
Fear of Joplin as delegates to the A.
F. of L., it will be possible to have
something more than, a "me too"
delegation at the Federation conven
tions. DeNedry and Fear have back
bone enough to stand alone, brains
enough to think for themselves, and
courage enough to speak their con
victions. That would help a whoij
lot.
' The election of international offi
cers will be held in . May. It will bj
as quiet as a bunch of non-union
workingmen when the boss, is looking
around. Lynch will be re-elected
president by an overwhelming major
ity. Reilly of Texas will be left at
the post, where he belongs. Tracy
of San Francisco will be elected vice
president, although Govan of New
York is by far the better man and
ought to win hands down. Hays will
be elected secretary-treasurer. Hugo
Miller will come back as the vice
president from the German Typo
grapha. That will make it the same
old machine nothing but James M
Lynch. Some of these days, maybe,
we'll have a change, and then we'll
be able to learn just how much of
that four and a half million was spent
in winning the eight-hour day for
some of us, and just how much was
spent in covering up defeat in other
directions. No, sir; we don't believe
a dollar was misappropriated. But we
do believe the membership is not
fully acquainted with the details .ot
the expenditure of that immense
sum. .
"Is this William Reilly
They speak, of so highly?
Is this William Reilly of whom
I've heard tell?
Who followed Jim's capers
And muzzled trade papers
If it's the same Reilly he can
go plumb to thunder.
Eevery local that endorsed Charley
Fear for delegate may count itself as
on the "bad book" of tne executive
council. Fear has been in bad with
the machine ever since the last Colo
rado Springs convention.
Wilson P. Hogard of The Wage
worker chapel, has announced his
candidacy for delegate to the Minne
apolis convention. Next!
Fred Brenner, who held a card in
No. 209 for more than twenty-thres
years, and who spent twenty of those
years in the Journal job rooms, hasi
gone to Sheridan, Wyo., and set up
fci the job printing business for him
self. They don't make any better
union men than Fred Brenner, nor do
they turn out any better job printers
these days. And by the same token
they don't turn out any more genial
clever and companionable gentlemen
than this splendid German-American
printer who has left a host of well
wishing friends behind him' in Liu
coin. If Fred has as much success
as The Wageworker wishes him he''l
soon be sending his money to the bank
on a hayrack. , :
It's a fact. One of 209's proprietor
members undertook to "rat" on the
striking pressmen in his own shop.
He mounted the footboard of the two
revolution cylinder and started to
feed costly book paper into the ma
chine. , After about 200 revolutions
.he threw off the power, peered around
to the delivery and askecr:
"Where are these sheets supposed
to come out at?" '
A little investigation disclosed about
75 sheets wrapped around the rollers
and plastered over the ink table.
CLARENCE ORSON PRATT.
Hampton's Magazine Writes Fairly ot
the Noted Labor Leader.
The current number of Hampton's
Maagzine contains the portrait of the
general organizer of the Amalgamat
ed Association of Street and" Electric
Railway Employes. Mr. Pratt has vis
ited Lincoln and is well known to
local union men.
During the street railway strike in
Philadelphia the daily papers con
tainet long accounts of rioting,
bloodshed and all that sort of thinr,,
taking precious good care not to re
veal the fact that the bloodshed a
due to the constabulary and when the
strike was settled those same paper
made bare announcement of tne ract,
taking good care not to mention the
fact that the strikers won practically'
every point at issue. Pratt managed
that strike, and Hampton's story will
perhaps explain how the strike was
won. The story is as follows:
Back in the nineties a mild-mannered,
energetic young man of twenty
seven was ringing up fares in a Cleve
land street car. A striSe was called
and the young man went into it with
so much enthusiasm that the strik
ers' committee made him a walking
delegate or ' business" agent. The
strike was long and obstinate, and
ended, as strikes frequently do, in a
compromise. The company agreed to
take back tho men, tut" they drew
the line at reinstating the walking
delegate. "That fellow, that Pratt
not for us' they declared. "He's
wasting his talents in Cleveland. He'd
better go somewhere else to live."
' The strikers would probably have
held out in their comrade's defense,
but he yielded gracefully to the ver
dict. "It's all right, boys," he said.
"If I were a street car company IM
feel the same way about it."
Thus did a traction company, seek
ing to defend itself from a superior
foe, let loose on all the other traction
companies in the United States Orson
Pratt, whose official title in his union,
the National Association of Elevated
and Street Railway Employes, is Na
tional Organizer. But the world
knows him as Pratt the strike lead
er. Recently he has been managing
the strike of car men in Philadelphia.
Sometimes Pratt manages strikes
which were made by other people, but
he is not especially fond of doing so.
nor is he especially lucky with other
people's labor wars. He wins some
times and loses sometimes. When
Pratt makes a strike all by himself
he never loses. He is possessed ot
a personal honesty which has never
been impeached. He is the son of a
minister and among his ancestry
numbers several other preachers of
the old school. It is said that his
chosen calling is a manifestation of
inherited evangelism. A bribe of
$5,000 was once offered Pratt by th
alleged agent of a traction companv.
He accepted the money with eight of
his friends looking on through holes
bored invthe walls. Then he deposit
ed the money in a Cleveland bank to
the credit of the union. Through the.
newspapers Pratt offered to give th
money back to the street car com
pany any time they called for it, bub
the company, declared it did not be
long to them. No one has attempted!
to bribe Pratt or to buy off his strikes
since that incident.
. Honesty may not carry fcx In thla
world, but when it is combined with
a genius for diplomacy it wins. Prate
organizes a strike as carefully as old
Von Moltke planned a battle. He
goes into a town and looks the whole
municipal association over. : He find.'
out who the bosses are, and he learns
as much as he can of local issues.
Then he meets the men. He finds out
if any of them have been soldiers, and
if so, these men are set to drilling
others in marching. . Pratt believe-
in marching, and the more soldierly
the parades are, he declares, the
more public approval the strikers
meet. He finds out the men - who
drink, and has committees appointed
to keep them away from the saloons.
He seeks out the men of family an.i .
tells them to carry their children !a
their, arms as they march. He is
well aware of the appeal home an0
children carry, as many of the ban
ners displayed by the strikers tes
tify. ' V .
The most diplomatic thing , Pratt
does,, the method he takes to nonplus
the companies, is to forbid violence
on the part of his men. And they
obey him, too. ,Much as the compan
ies would like to see tneir property
destroyed by Pratt's striken! tliey aro
denied that sight. To be sure, tho
hoodlum element, always present dur
ing labor troubles, men and Boys
mostly boys -who never bad anything
to do with the union, furnishes
enough trouble to give the newspa- .
ers "riot" copy., ;
Pratt's orders to his men are sim
ple. During the ' cessation of work
do not enter a saloon, and try to dis
suade your friends from all drinking.
Avoid all acts of violence or unlaw
ful acts of any kind. A silent and
orderly protest succeeds where vio
lence fails.
Personally Pratt Is a gentle, lovable
sort of an individual. The reporters,
and the policemen all like him, and:
his men look upon him as soldiers of
ten regard a great general, with lov-i
and reverence. Forty-two years old,
in perfect health, energetic, vivacious,
eloquent, persuasive, ' this describes
Pratt the Strike Leader. To Mm tne ;
labor union is the symbol of justice
and peace. He believes in industrial
justice for the good not only of the
workingman, but of the community.
"This country needs union condi
tions," he declares. "For its good II
needs them. Take motormen, for In-'
stance. They are not the same un
skilled men the companies used to
employ to drive horse cars. Any kind
of a truckman served then. Now a
motorman on a city line needs to bo
almost as highly skilled as a locomo
tive engineer."
The union and living wages for
workingmen is as far as Pratt's phil
osophy reaches, as yet. - He fs'not a
Socialist, he has no dream of form
ing a labor party, or even of occupy
ing a high office in the American Fed
eration of Labor. He wants to orga
nize and he wants to get better con- ,
ditions for street car employees. "Ns
town In the country is safe from ,
me," he has said, "unless the car
men are paid twenty-five cents an .
hour for a nine-hour day." The aver
age wage today is considerably less,
than twenty cents an hour. ,
THE BARBERS.
Unique Plan Adopted to Point to Un
fair San Francisco Shops.
A small herd of donkeys has been
hired by the Barbers' Union, of San
Francisco, Cal., to be used for boy
cotting purposes. Each of the little
animals will be intrusted with the.
task of carrying a union barher cal
culated to arrest public attention to
the unfair establishments. The don
keys ' will be used only on Saturdays
and Sundays against shops that vio
late the union rules dealing with
the hour of closing on these days.
A movement is on foot in Illinois
to secure the repeal of the law pro
viding for a board of examiners and'
the licensing of journeymen barbers.
It is backed by the opponents of the
shorter day and Sunday closing.
COLORED MEN ORGANIZE.
One hundred' colored men in Okla
homa City have organized a federal"
union, chartered by the A. F. of L.
The preident Is an ex-slave and an
enthusiastic unionist.