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About The Wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-???? | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1910)
ME YOU A HEN OR A DUCK? n "TT A duck which stuck faithfully to busi ness during the Summer and laid JU several dozens of large fawn-colored eggs, complained that she wasn't appreciated. "See that Hen over there? " said the Duck. "She hasn't laid as many eggs as I have, nor as big, but she has books written about her and verses composed in her honor, while nobody is saying a word about me." TT"The trouble with you is," said the I wise old Rooster standing near, " that jj you don't tell the public what you have done. You lay an egg and waddle off without saying a word, but that sister of mine never lays one without letting everyone in the neighborhood know about it. If you want to cut any ice in the com munity, you must leam to Advertise." H Get wise, Mr. Business Man, and do your cackling in THE WAGEWORKER 1705 O Street Auto Phone 2748 The Bargain Centre of the West When you see the surprisingly low prices asked for goods in our store you will understand why we are doing a larger volume of business than any other simi lar institution in the city. We want you to see for yourselves. ' Extra Specials Each Day Mens 89c Night Shirts at 69c One large lot of Boys' Shoes, a pair $1.10 One Large lot of Men's Overalls, a pair 39c Millinery Sale Now On. Flowers, bunch 10c Ladies' Ready-to-Wear Apparel Wool Skirts, made with plaits and silk bands, Panamas and Voiles, at $2.49 H. S. Corsets, long hips, new form, with supporters, each... 49c Darning Cotton, 3 for 5c Good Sewing Cotton all dressmakers use it, 2 for 5c Grand Dry 10 th and The Wagework Publishing Does Fine Commercial Printing 1705 O St Goods Co. P Streets er Auto 2748 Go LABOR'SM FIGHT Victory It Strives For Comes Slow, but Sure. UNION ARMY MARCHES ON. Opposed by Mighty Forces, It Ap proaches the Goal of Justice and Hu man Rights Shameful. Position of the Nonunionist. . It takes courage and pluck to fight, and never more so than In an uphill battle. Labor leaders and followers everywhere recognize that fact; also they realize that the victory they strive for cannot be taken by storm In one grand assault, but must come by tantalizingly (so it seems at times at least) slow degrees. It required more than a mere flesh wound to bring labor to the fighting stage. It will take more than that to make it stop fighting until the battle Is won. No regiment ever faced the fire of a strong enemy that did not at times falter. Many have retreated when things became too warm for them. - Certain portions of the vast army of organized labor have at times faltered, some have even retreated, but in the main the army has steadily improved in fighting courage and in strength until today it is nearer the goal of vic tory than ever it was. And this not withstanding the efforts of the Manu facturers' association, the United States Steel corporation and other fair wage, short hour haters, who have called into play unlimited capital, the highest courts in the land, the militia, politics and what not to stay its on ward march. No tactics were too un scrupulous to employ against organ ized labor, no amount of money too great to throw into the fight. Nothing that could be done has not apparently been done to hold back the oncoming army. And yet it marches on not se renely at all times, but onward never theless. Each and every member of a labor union is a soldier in this great fight. Each and every soldier has to suffer his share of the hardships of war. It requires courage to fight, and the real test comes in time of strike, when mayhap the pocket is lisht. the stom ach empty and the larder devoid of the necessaries of life. It is when the bombs of doubt and misrepresentation regarding the union leaders are fired into camp by the en emy that the soldier displays his cour age or his cowardice. A strong man will, nearly always fight back.. The courage of a man weakened by the doubt and worry of perhaps months of striking is more susceptible to blows of misapprehension. In days gone by men our ancestors gave up their homes, their families and in countless cases their lives for their country and considered that they were but doing their duty. Approximately 2,000,000 men are now fighting for their rights. Are not the rights of the millions of working people men. women and even children worthy of some sacrifices? How can men stand by and see others fighting their battle for them? For shame on those who have not manhood enough in them to come out and give a hand in the battle against oppression! For shame on those stay at homes who dare not carry a union card for fear of offending those they call master! - The sweatshop, child labor, the twelve and the ten hour day, insani tary workshops, unsafe, poorly In spected mines, wage reducing and price raising corporations, corrupt pol itics these and more is it not a man's battle to fight these institutions? Is a -man worthy of the name who. having to earn his dally bread by the sweat of his brow, will benefit directly or in directly if they be removed and does not come out and enlist himself? Every man who Joins the union ranks depletes that of the enemy by one. It is not. right to term capital the enemy, you say? Perhaps not In the accepted sense of that word. But if capital as a whole has ever done anything for labor that would entitle it to be termed a friend I have yet to learn of It. Individual employers there are who are most fair to their employees now. We read today of model factories, etc., here and there. Was any thought ever given to the welfare of the working man until the advent of organized la bor? Were there any "To Let" signs starlhg the visitor at the former sweat shop In the face? Were there any laws for the regulation of the employ ment of child labor? Or. if there were any of the latter, were they ever en forced? Were such institutions as the eight hour day dreamed of a few years ago? What assurance had what as surance has the individual nonunion workingman that the wages of today may not be cut in twain tomorrow? The law of supply and demand, you say? Yes, but is there a position for every man in the world today? If so, what of the thousands of strong, able bodied men who walk the streets of our great cities, sometimes even In summer, when work should be most easily procured? Ah, what a great fight organized la bor has had! What a stupendous bat tle still has to fight! And what a vas rmy of courageous, whole souled, thi .ng men it has to fight with! i h member of the vast army of ur i workingmen can do his part. C. Xi. Baine in Shoe, Workers' Journal. Many Fatal Accidents. The United States bureau of labor states that the fatal accidents to wage earners In the United States are be tween 30.000 and 35.000 a year MENACE OF UNIONISM. It Opposes Only the Foes of Education and Progress. Enemies of the union movement con tinually characterize it as a menace, but do not explain themselves, for the very good reason that in nearly every such case the person who enters such denunciatory remarks is either en gaged in some work or business in which his personal desires are for the moment at least thwarted by the ex istence of unions or he is a pleader for some friends or clients with such interests. It makes a big difference whose ox is being gored. Many employers of labor will broad ly approve of labor unions when there are no questions in controversy within their own establishment, only to round ly denounce the unions at the first sign of dissatisfaction in any department of their business. Take Van Cleave, for instance. He always proclaimed that he believed in labor unions "of the right kind." but his conduct showed he did not wish to have any in his establishment, and at that point he began to talk about the "menace" of unions. Kirby, being president of a union fighting association of employees, calls unionism a menace. So do Post and Parry. Eliot talks glibly about alleged de fects or dangers in unionism, of which he knows nothing by practical experi ence and can only represent the preju diced views of employing interests with whom he Is friendly or upon whom he depends. There are other broader minded men, some of whom are employers, who rec ognize that unions are a necessity to the workers: that without unions the workers would be crushed out of exist ence; that wages would be so low if fixed by the unchecked desires of the meanest of the employers that home life would be destroyed, education de nied to children, proper nourishment denied to the workers and the future existence of the workers made impos sible. They recognize the unions as stand ing for the home, the family, educa- tion, progress, civilization and poster ity a menace to all foes of these and to nothing else. The unions may well be proud of the enemies they have made. Shoe Wort ers' Journal. RAILROAD MEN WIN. Employees' of New Haven System Get Substantial Advance. Every demand of the brotherhoods of trainmen, conductors and yardmen of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad has been granted by the road-. A liberal wage increase and a short ening of the hours of work have been agreed upon. Practically every em ployee of the New Haven system Is affected by the increase. The wage schedule includes the pay ment of the conductors and trainmen on the basis of miles Instead of hours, as formerly. The old minimum wage for conductors was raised from $3.60 to $4.20, and 100 miles was declared to constitute the basis of a day's work, Overtime work will be paid for at the rate of 42 cents an hour. For electric conductors an increase from $2.70 to $4.20 daily was granted. Steam ticket collectors' were granted a raise from $2.40 to $3.35 and electric ticket collectors the same. Baggage men received a raise from $2.40 to $2.75 and brakemen from $2.20 to $2.55. Overtime pay for ticket collectors was placed at 33 cents an hour and that of baggagemen at 27 cents an hour. Flagmen and brakemen received an overtime wage of 25 cents an hour. In the case of freight trains with a run under 100 miles daily the hours of work for the crew were lowered from eleven to ten hours as the maximum. The Increases will mean an addition al expense to the road of about $500, 000 a year. 1 Child Labor In New Jersey. In the published report of the New Jersey department of labor 'for the year 1909 Commissioner Lewis T. Bry ant expresses the opinion that ' the child labor situation and general fac tory conditions were never better in that state and adds: "The laws con trolling the operation of the depart ment of labor are, as a whole, very satisfactory, but it is, of course, a fre quent criticism that no legislation is provided prohibiting the employment at night of minors under sixteen years of age. the absence of any regulation of the working hours of women and the fact that the prohibition of the employment of minors under fourteen years of age is confined to factories.' LABOR BRIEFS. Wages to be paid to journeymen car penters In Davenport. Ia., from May 1, 1910. until May 1. 1911. will be 45 cents per hour. The total income of the Cigarmak ers' International union for the last year was $828,498.87. The benefits pai1 for the year were $553,832.34. The legislature of California has passed a law making the unauthorized wearing of a union button or display of a union card a criminal offense. The Chicago Federation of Labor has placed a boycott on the Cleveland American baseball team because the ball park at Cleveland was built by nonunion labor. Statistics issued by the bureau of labor show that at this time there are COOO.OOO wage earning women In the United States and that they are not only working for less wages in the same industries, but are required to work more hours than the men. HIS REVENGE. A Man Was First Ruined, Jhen Made Rich In a Peculiar Way. By WILLARD BLAKEMAN. Copyright, 1910, by American Press Asso ciation. W 7 V. UrnDlnt. ., .1 .1 I ,i .... I.-,. nua. II Willi 11111111 J 11 11 VI . CIC1 I'Vgg VV.7 two young men in the wool business in London. Kinsley was a tine, open hearted man. who preferred to do business on generous principles, while Fogg was a shaver. Emsley, being of a speculative turn of mind, took risks, lost and got him self involved financially. He had done his partner many favors. Indeed. Fogg was indebted to him for all he was. Euisley therefore looked to Fogg to help him out. He owed Fogg a thou sand pounds, but looked to bim not only to give him time on the amount, but lend him money to tide hiin over with his other creditors. . Fogg pot only declined to lend, but forced Ems ley into bankruptcy on bis own claim. A"week after Emsley had been ruined there was a change in the wool mar ket that would have made him rich. Emsjpy went to Australia, where he endeavored to recoup, but luck was against bim, and nothing that be touched brought him money. He sank lower and lower in worldly goods till at last, being discouraged and having a fancy for the water, he turned fisher man. He never forgot Fogg's ingratitude, constantly brooding over the many substantial favors be bad done Fogg and the fact that when' the turning point of his own life came and a little assistance was needed the man he had made unmade him. He lived in a cab in by himself on one of the points that inclose Sydney, harbor. He would be out all day on the water and while waiting for fish to take his hook would think bow delightful it would be could he be revenged on Fogg not that he ever seriously considered such revenge as possible; it was a sort fit monomania with him. One night after going to sleep, his mind given over to these desires for revenge, be -dreamed that he was out on the bay and was pulling, in a large fish. He had much trouble landing it, but when he did so and cut it open he found within its belly an enormous diamond. He was familiar with the XiOOKnro T7P FROM HIS DESK, HE SAW HIS OliD PARTNER. size of the famous diamonds of the world and knew that this one of his dream was worth a great fortune. "I will sell it," he said, "go to Lon don and use it to revenge myself on Fogg." . He awoke with the disappointment usual to persons who have bad delight ful dreams that have turned out to be dreams only. Going out on the water as usual during the day, a shark swal lowed the bait on one of his lines. He killed the shark and was about to cut his line that the fish might drift away when be remembered his dream. Yielding to an impulse, he towed the shark ashore and cut him open. In his - stomach he found a London newspa per. Taking it into his cabin, he dried it and that night before going to bed opened its sheets to read the news from home. On the first page he saw in large letters the words: v "War declared between France and Germany." - . There was then no cable to Austra lia, and this shark had brought the news faster than the steamer carrying the mail that would doubtless soon arrive. Where had the shark swal lowed the paper? That the shark it self only knew. Possibly it had been thrown overboard from a ship that had received it at a port where it had been sent by rail. . It did not require a long time for Emsley to see in this news that he alone possessed the diamond of his dream. When the next steamer arriv ed with it the price of wool would take an enormous jump. Emsley went to a wealthy wool dealer whom he knew and told him the story of the shark, withholding the news found in the paper, but asserting its impor tance. "When the next steamer arrives," he said, "the price of wool will unr dergo an important change for the bet ter or worse. Agree to buy or sell as 1 direct and pay me 75 per cent of your profits and 1 will produce my newspaper." The merchant stood for better terms, but Emsley threatened to take the matter to another, and an attorney was called In who wrote a contract between the two men. Then Emsley produced his paper, and the . merchant bought up the season's clip, averaging 9 pence per pound. The very next day a steamer arrived with the news of war between France and Germany. Wool jumped in price and continued to rise till it reached 3 shil lings, when the wool purchased under the contrac was sold. The transac tion cleared- for Emsley 3.000,000. A few months later Mr. Fogg was sitting in his office in London. . He had sold out his wool business which he had formerly owned in partnership with Emsley for a handsome sum and had become what is commonly called a scalper on -the stock exchange, buy ing odd lots of stock and selling them for a very small profit. Looking up .from his desk; be saw his old partner Emsley looking at him. Fogg was an older man than Ems ley. and since their parting his hair, had whitened. There had been no quart-el between the two men. Indeed, Emsley had never uttered a word of reproach to his partner. Fogg stretch ed out his hand, and Emsley took it, though he did not grasp it heartily. "I've come back," he said, "with a few pounds to make a new start." Fogg, who had always regretted his action in precipitating his partner's failure, offered him what little assist ance was in his power and asked bim to come to his house and renew his acquaintance with his family. "Is your little daughter Gladys there?" asked Emsley. "Little! Gladys is a woman, nine teen years old." "Oh, I forgot!" replied Emsley. "I remember ber as a child who used to sit on my lap with her arms about my neck." Emsley had imposed a condition of secrecy on the wool dealer in Austra lia as to his connection with the trans action that had made them both rich and was known to his friends in Lon don as a poor man. He was still thirsting for revenge upon bis former partner. One day he remarked to Fogg that stock of the Excelsior Gold Min ing company of Australia that was selling at a very high figure on the exchange was worthless. Emsley said that be had lived in the region of the mine and there was . no gold there. Fogg, seeing a chance to make money when the bubble should burst, sold a large number of shares to be delivered in the future, intending to buy them when they were selling for a song and make the difference in price. " The shares of the Excelsior Mining company, notwithstanding the tip giv en Mr. . Fogg by his former partner, continued to advance. Emsley advised his partner to sell more. "The higher the price the greater will be the fall," be said. And so Fogg continued to sell while the price continued to rise. The speculator began to grow nneasy. It was rumored that there was no Excel sior stock for sale.- Fogg had agreed to deliver his shares on a certain date, and if he could not bay them to de liver be would have to go into bank ruptcy. He did ' not know that tb man he had ruined had them all lock ed up in his vault. . Emsley had shrunk from visiting the family of the man be proposed to ruin. He had put off his appearance at Fogg's home until Fogg showed that he noticed his virtual refusal of hospi tality, then made the call. Crimes have been committed for love, but many a hand has been stay ed by the same cause. Indeed, by love the world has been drawn from bar barism. Emsley was received by Gladys Fogg. When be saw her ad vancing toward him with outstretched hand, a smile on her lips, a warm wel come in her eyes, his scheme of venge ance tumbled like castles in the air. Gladys was the only being from whom before leaving England he had re ceived any evidence of affection. The difference of many years then be tween them had melted away now that she was a young woman, he a middle aged man. In the soul that came out to him through the smile and the eye he saw something to make life worth living. One day there was an exciting scene on the exchange. The price of Ex celsior gold mining stock was going up ten or twenty points with every bid. Fogg had contracted to deliver the shares he bad sold the next morning. To pay the market price for them would ruin him. When the exchange -IHi Knn lill for ttiA Btrwlr nnrt none offered Fogg went home kr w ing that he would not be able to keep his agreement. In other words, be was a ruined man. The next morning Emsley appeared at Fogg's office. Fogg looked up at him, then bent bis eyes again to the floor. . . , "You would like . some Excelsior stock, I suppose?" Emsley remarked unconcernedly. Fogg looked at him again, but did not speak. "How many shares have yon sold?" asked Emsley. T7- HAmni4 4-l.A nv.mV.nw A ulin ... r ugg uaiucu luc uuiuirei vi out en. Emsley took a fat envelope from bis pocket and threw it on Fogg's desk. Fogg opened it, took out a number of etock certificates, looked at several of them, then turned his eyes Inquiringly on Emsley.' -' "Use what you need of them," said Emsley. "to make your deliveries to day; tomorrow the bubble will burst" Fogg met his contracts with the stock lent him and when the col lapse came the next day purchased what he had sold, clearing a hand some profit. When Emsley appeared under his true colors as a multimillionaire Fogg called on him to speak his gratitude for what he could not understand. "Your thanks are not due to me," said Emsley, "but to the little girl whom we both love."