THE WAGEWORKER.
rUBUSHED EVERT FRIDAY
BY WAGEWORKER PUBLISHING COMPANY.
WILL M. MAUPIN, Editor.
E. L. GRUBB, Buine Manager.
Entered as second -cUm matter April 21," 1904. at
the Doatorhce at Lincoln. Neb., under the Act of
Congress of March 3rd, 1879.
LABOR DAY.
LuUor's great holiday is again at
l n 1. From its annual observance or
. nized' labor should garner many a
' a m for good. It is not enough that
. ganized labor should parade upon this
.y; 'nor is tt enough that the day be
upput wholly in sports and merrymak
ing. It should be observed with a view
to 'impressing upon the general public
the princ':pk' upon which organized
labor is founded, and educating the
public to a knowledge of what organ
ized labir is doing for the uplift of
the workicg masses. Whatever of
benefit that accrues to labor in the
way of shorter hours, bettor wages
better conditions and more .hopeful out
look, must of necessity result from the
activity of the trades unionists of the
country. Capital will not confer bene
fits without coercion. The unorganized
masses have no means of making an
influence felt, even if it had an iuflu
cnte to eieert. It remains for the or
jtiinizd workers, through co operation
and mutual sacrifice, to bring that pres
sure to bear which shall result in the
betterment of all workers, the organ
ized and the unorganized. Labor Day
will have been spent iu vain if the or
gunized workers who observe it fail to
fit themselves ito properly lay before
the .public the objects and aims o
trales unionism.
The union man who feels that shorter
hours and higher wages are the sum
total of unionism is a detriment to the
cau-e of organized labor. The men who
work hardest and sacrifice most to ad
vance it he interests of unionism are men
who would lay down the burden to
morrow if wages and hours were the
only ends to a-chieve. Better industrial
conditions, like human liberty, must be
fought for every dav if thev are to
be retained. Liberty, like manna, inns'
be rwipwed every day, else it mildew
and decay. The industrial movement
must ever go forward, else it mint in
evitaibly go back. It can not stand
atill.
Hack of the parades and the paraders
mut be the grim determination to
struggle onward and upward; to for
ever fight for a better tomorrow; to
heep hammering iaway, educating, agi
ting, that when tho9j of us active
lay shall 'have 'laid down the burden
i may leave to our children a better
lustrial .' heritage than came to us
...m : ithe pioneers of the industrial
movement. That, union man as false
t himself and false to .his fellows who
neglects or refuses to educate himself
m as to bo able to -stand forth Any
where, at any time, and give reasons
fir the union faith that is within him.
We may well ibe proud of what we
have achieved in the comparatively few
y -ars of organized effort that lay be
hind us. Hut whit has been done is
but a small part of what must be done
if labor is to come, into its own.
To the ranks of organized labor "every
where, whather undr the Stars ami
stripes of our own United States,
whether under the Red Cross of t.
Owge, the Lilies of France, the Kagles
of lrniBtiy or whatever banner it
may be this -humble little labor news
piper extends ilts fraternal greetings
arid its best wishes. May the ra.nks
(niw longer and more solid everv day
until at least every day shall be labor's
d ly ilaltor's day in which the laborer
may receive th full fruits of his toil
and wtand forth under the (blue dame
a free man free in fact as well as in
name.
Vor the spody eoiivina of that crUA
day let us 11 work a,nd pray.
LABOR AND CAPITAL.
I.et us have an ond to all this twad
dle aibout labor and capital being equal,
xml therefore oirt'rtled to equal treat
ment. ils the created equal to the
creator! Is the tiling made lequal t
the man who made itf We have had
the twadd'e of equality so long and so
ljud that even the courts have come to
hold thttt the man-made corporation is
I'igRer than ithe God-made man who
created the corporation.
Not until dhe dollar is equal to the
man; not until the thing created is
equal iin nil its parts to its creator; not
vntil the man whom God has made is
equal to the God who made him, will
cipifal be the eqnail of labor. .Without
.bor capital could never have existed,
ipital is the creation of labor, there
in should be entitled to secondary
nsiderat ion. Too long have we prat
ed of "property rights," forgetful of
human nights.
Let every dollar of capital ba wiped
oivt of existence tomorrow, and the
clanging anvil, the glowing forge, the
whirringwhecls, would immediately be
gin anew the creation .of more capital.
Hut lot every avenus of human pro
ductivity lie closed tomorrow, let labor
be wiped from -the face of tha earth,
a.nd 'immediately capital ceaso-s to exist.
Why, then, continue the palaver afoout
the "equality of capital and labor?"
Such talk is treason to mankind. It
exalts the dollar too much and recog
nise the man too little.
Destroy the railroads of the world to
morrow, and .before sunrise the next
day labor would be -making new rail
roads. Destroy labor tomorrow, and
nothing could be more useless or more
worthless than the railroads. Sink
every minted dollar into the depths of
the sea tomorrow, and ere sunriaj of
the next day labor would be minting
its muscle and its brain lin.to more dol
lars. But paralyze the arm of labor
and minted dollars would be worthless
as ice at the poles.
High time, workers of the world,
that you began realizingthe power that
lies in your trained eyes and hands and
brains. High time you awoke to a
realization of the responsibility that
rests upon you, the strength that is
yours to weild for yourselves or for
others.
Labor and capital equal! Capital is
not to be mentioned in the same breath
without insulting the power that alone
creates capital. Let us stand forth and
be men, insisting that the creator be
given consideration always and at all
times before the created.
institutions, and the number is increas
ing every day. There ought to be fact
ory 'inspection laws worthy .of the name
upon the statue (books, and the mach
inery provided to maka the inspection
practical .and productive of good re
sults for the workers.
This is the seventh time The Wage
worker has appeared in Labor Day
This is the seventh time The Wage
worker lias appeared in Labor Day
garb thanks to the loyal support of
its friends and the advertising of its
OUR ADVERTISERS.
We .bespeak for the advertisers in
the Wageworker the patronage of all
who are interested in the cause of or
ganization. The merchants who adver
tise in the Wageworker do so because
they want the patronage of union men
and women and are therefore extending
them nn invitation. The merchant
who refuses to advertise in the Wage
worker can only put forth one roa?oii
he doe- not care for the patronage of
those whose interests The Wageworker
tries honestly to advance. He cannot re
fuse on the grounds of rates or lack of
renders before whom his advertising
might be laid.
The Wageworkor's advertisers are
inviting yon to patronize them. Just
as you would scorn to attend a select
social function to which you were not
invited, ro should yoa scorn to patronize
a merchant who thought fo little of
your patronage that he did not ask
you for it. v
This .newspaper uses every effort to
protect its union readers against un
fair goods. It has never knowingly ad
vertised unfair products. It has re
fused time and again, .to carry udver
vertisemiMit.s of certain lines of goods,
knowing them to be unfair to organized
labor, although it could have "gotten
away with it" easy enough. A case
in point: During the recent strike of
the 'boot and shoe workers against the
W. L. Douglas Shoe Co. that company
tried to secure a contract for space an
The Wageworker. The offer was turned
down cold, although many other labor
papers took advantage of a technicality
and Accepted the advertising. Another
case: Hy misrepresentation down
right lying, in fact a Chicago concern
secured a contract for space on The
Wageworker. Before the contract was
half expired it. came to our knowledge
that the house was seeking to, impos?
upon union men and women by foist
ing unfair goods upon them. The con
tract was immediately cancelled, at
considerable financial loss to this jwiper.
At all time and under all circumstances
The Wageworker has tried to protect
the interests of union men and women,
and at the same time tried to boost for
the fair home merchant. And there are
many such in Lincoln. For an almost
complete list of these friendly business
concerns wie commend to your careful
consideration ithe advertisers, not only
in this issue, but in the Tegular issues
of the Wageworker. We wish them all
well. May their business increase, and
may the ties of friendship grow strong
er sis the days go by.
There will be no ' ' Mary Jane ' ' over
alls or aprons in the Labor Day
parade. Tlwre will be .no juvenile
bands in the name of. God and morality
and in violation of the child labor laws
of the state. There will be no under
paid women whose toil affords an op
portunity for ostentatious display of
philanthropy and piety.
Some of thesj days ithe American
worker will learn that measured by his
product he is among the poorest paid
workers in the civilized world. When
he does learn it 6be graft worked under
the guise of "protecting American
labor" will come to a sudden end.
THE EXCELSIOR is the MACHINE
iThe Wageworker will support no can
didate for the legislature, for state of
fice or for congress who does not satis
factorily answer the questions that will
shortly be propounded by the legisla
tive -committee of the Nebraska State
Federation of Labor.
Organized labor will get from the
next legislature only what it can com
pel the legislature to give. The legis
lature will not .hand organized labor
anything worth while on a silver platter.
It is easier to march than it is tts
tell why you inarch but it should not
be. Kdueate, agitate, propagate.
Now 'if we'd onjy vote as solidly on
election day as we march on labor
day! But what's the use?
The God-made man is entitled to con
siderable more consideration than the
man-made dollar.
Mr. Aldrich says he favors compul
sory arbitration. All xinion men who
believe in trusting their cause to a
board created' by the same power that
controls the courts f-hould vote for Mr.
Aldrich.
Watch the answers .that the condi
dates make to the questions that will
shortly be propounded to them by the
State Federation of Labor. And as
they answer, act accordinglly.
W. I. Davis and
wife of Colo. Springs,
on June 8th completed
one of the most re
markable motor trips
ever undertaken, rid
ing from Colo. Springs
to Chicago over a route
of 1,400 miles in 13
day?.
As in Every Test, in Pleasure or Utility, The Excelsior Made Good.
GIRARD CYCLE CO.
140 NO. 14TH ST.
5
The wag'? earner who believes that
the protective tariff addsia single penny
to his daily wage ought to consult a
specialist in mental disorders.
With the Stars and Stripes at the
head of the column, and with union
banners overhead, let 's all get in line
on Labor Day.
Brer Post will not pa.rade especially
on this day. Organized labor is making
him walk Spanish nearly every day.
Get in line and show your colors!
O, FOB MORE!
Welcome Women With Hearts Who
Feel for the Helpers.
During the recent strike of the
Shirtwaist AVorkers, the press carried
word to the effect that Miss Anna
Morgan, daughter of J. Pierpont Mor
gan, was and did give valuable aid,
both in a monetary and moral way, to
those striving for better conditions.
Regrettable as it may appear, in one
or two of those papers which reach our
desk, it was said that she was "the
pirate's daughter." God bless her, for
being a daughter. By her acts she also
demonstrated that she had a heart!
Yes, even if that heart had been
brought to maturity in an atmosphere
far removed from those whom she
sought to assist. Whatever we think
of Mr. Morgan, as a man, we will give
due credit to the little daughter who
felt the appeal of humanity and had
a heart large enough to heed the call.
Would there were a few more in all
the cities of this broad land like her.
If so, the lot of the woman toilers
would speedily improve. Cincinnati
Chronicle.
A ONCE STRONG UNION.
Nebraska has upwards of 30,000 men
and women working in manufacturing
Only Ii'-.bor Organization Ever Char
tered by Congress is Dead.
A once strong union, the Machinists'
and Blacksmiths' Union of North Am
erica, was founded in 1859, and was
incorporated by congress in 1859: the
only union which, so far as I know,
ever received a charter from the United
States government. This body was
composed of smiths and machine mak
ers at first, but afterward, boilermakers
and patternmakers were added, and in
1877 it took the name of Mechanical
Engineers of the United States of
America. Its membership amounted to
18,000 in 1872, but had fallen to 5,000
in 1878; and if it still exists, it must
lead a very quiet life. Bichard T.
Ely, "The Labor Movement in America."
ALL BANK BOT.
Uncle Sam can appoint receivers to
put a busted business back n a pay
ing basis for the stockholders, but
he can't appoint anybody wh. can
run a business in the interest of the
whole people, because that requires
"individual initiative," you know.
Fancy sane workingmea swallowing
that sort of bunk! St. Paul Union Advocate.
The Oklahoma Unit says that the agi
tation for state-owned railroads ds brac
ing up the service of the Rock Island
lines.
F
RUDENT
EOPLE
ROCURE
ROPER
ROTECTION
BY INSURING IN THE
UNION FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY
OF LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
INCORPORATED 1886 STATEMENT OF 1909
TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL STATEMENT
OF THE "
UNION FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY
RESOURCES
Gross Premiums on Unexpired Policies . $823,407.32
Deposit Notes and Cash $312,067.11
Bills Receivable and Due from Agents. 1,600.83
Furniture and Fixtures 1,341.81
Miscellaneous ..74.96
Losses Paid Since Organization ,....$505,015.60
THE UNION FIRE INSURANCE COMPANY
is incorporated under the laws of 1873, which is the only mutual insurance law
. that absolutely limits the liability of the assured to the amount
st-ted in the premium contract. ,
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
G. P. WATSON, Pres. E. H. MARSHALL, Sec'y T. J. BROWNFIELD, Gen. Mgr.
J. F. DONOVAN CYRUS KELLOGG W. A. WAY
I
THE WRONG OF THE WORKER.
Cruel Injustice Heaped on Him in Guise
of Law.
John Mitchell, a steel worker, in
charge of one of the soaking pits
in the West Penn plant in the Pitts
burg district, called to a fellow work-,
man last week to perform some regu
lar task. The news dispatch continues:
"The man pulled the wrong
lever, opening a great door at
the feet of Mitchell, who fell
forward into the seething pit
and upon a white steel ingot which
he had just placed there. In two
minutes not a trace of his body
remained."
Shock ing. but the most sliockiug
thing is yet to be told. That is that
it was fortunate that the body of this
steel worker was utterly consumed.
Had there been any funeral expenses
to pay, the family of that man under
the common law, and under the law
as it stands in most states including
we believe, Penusylvalia would have
been compelled to defray the expenses
out of its own pocket. Any aid it
would have received would have come
from the good will of the employer,
not of right.
The fact of the matter is that John
Mitchell had unwittingly committed
something like a crime. That crime
was in having a co-worker who made
a mistake, who pulled the wrong lever.
You can read all about the mistake
in those volumes of English and Ameri
can, particularly American, court re
ports which treat of the "fellow serv
ant's rule."
Once an English butcher had two
employes a helper and a wagon driver,
and the latter injured the former. The
court decided that the butcher should
not pay damages because the man was
injured through the negligence of a
fellow servant. .The decision was just
in that particular case, but it became
a mockery when its principle was ex
tended to cover the complicated rela
tions of modern industry in the danger
ous callings where there are so many
men to make mistakes and so many
ways to make them, and where any
way may be fatal.
That "fellow servant's rule" is one
of the three granite milestones in
the road of social injustice, which
every American factory ' or foundry
worker must tread. The other two
are called "contributory negligence"
and "assumption of risk." The up
shot of all three is that the law makes
the widow of the average victim of
our industry the present of a lawsuit,
when what she needs, and what justice
dictates she should have, is money to
bury him, money to keep herself and
children alive until she can get board
ers, or scrubwork or housework, or
until work can be found for the chil
dren. The New York legislature made a
little step in the right direction this
year, and we uess there would be
compensation promptly forthcoming
should a steel worker here meet with
an end like that of the Pittsburg oper
ative. But iu a host of other less
hazardous callings the old injustice
persists. N. Y. Evening Mail.
AUGUSTUS A. HYERS.
Sergeant-at-Arms of the State Federa
tion of Labor.
Ladies and gentlemen: I have the
honor and the pleasure of introducing
to you Hon. Augustus A. Ilyers, ser-geant-at-arnis
of the Nebraska State
Federation of Labor, union machinist
and postmaster of Havelock.
"Gus" Hyers was born in Nebraska
along with the grasshoppers of 1874,
appearing first on a farm near Weeping
Water. Later he took his parents to
Plattsmouth and attended the public
schools of that city. In 1885 he once
more took his parents by the hands
and led them to Yankee Hill precinct,
Lancaster county, and made his father
warden of the Nebraska State Prison.
He attended the public schools in Lin
coln for a time, and then attended
business college in Plattsmouth. In
1892 he began as a machinist appren
tice at the Havelock shops, working
eight hours a day, four days a week,
at 7'-2 cents an hour. After working
in all departments of the craft he made
a specialty of brass finishing and con
tinued to work for the Burlington till
1905, when he grabbed off the Have
lock postoffice, which he has since held
down. Incidentally he represents the
Lancaster Land Co., and does it to
the satisfaction of that concern. 'Gus'
has never dropped his union card, and
continues to take an active interest
in union affairs. ' He assisted in or
ganizing the State Federation of Labor
at Lincoln, and represented his local
at the Federation meeting in South
Omaha last January. With the the
t t' T o " i 1 - T t
veterans ra. -. ojiutu auu dames ionas
he grabbed otf the 1911 convention
for Havelock.
HOW THEY LIE.
Labor Gets the Worst of It From Daily
Press.
According to the headlines of all
the Chicago papers the strikers were
rioting and shooting in South Bend
yesterday. There were calls for the
troops. There were wild scenes of vio
lence in the headlines.
When the story was finally dug out
of the mass of falsification and exag
geration it was discovered that A
PINKERTON THUG HAD SHOT A
CAR REPAIRER IN THE BACK.
no riotous strikers. ahere was no
killing by strikers. No shots were
fired by strikers.
Do you think the writing of those
headlines was an accident Do you
imagine that the carefully framed-up
story which so artfully concealed the
truth and so craftily suggested the
falsehoods, was the result of blunder
ing incompetency t .
That story and those headlines were
prepared in the manner most suited to
throw discredit upon the strikers, turn
public opinion against . them and af
ford an excuse for the introduction of
the militia and the regular army.
AND WORKING-MEN BUY AT$B
SUPPORT THESE PAPERS. Chicago
Daily Socialist. '