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•. ,-••) Vol.11. No. 46. HOES UNIONS IIETIIIID SjfA' ft SUBSCRIPTION: $1.00 A YEAR, IN ADVANCE. OF Opinion of Hugh O'Neill in Organ of the National Association of Employers. Story of Destruction of Trade Unionism in Australia and Political Events. It WHS Malcolm McEcfearn. ship owner and capitalist who delivered the commonwealth, of Australia to the So cialists. He is the one conservative on the continent that the Socialists fight without notice. They are un der a debt of gratitude, to the ship ping millionaire, and the bitterest of fense he suffers is the occasional re minder of the fact. Of course McEacliarn didn't want Socialism. He only wanted to bre?k the power of the trades unions. He thought that their exactions had be come intolerable and that there was some justification for that view'. Strikes were common and frequently the cause of the quarrel was trivial. Bui the strikers were always succes ful because the country was beiug flooded with British money, and the voice of the boomster was abroad in the land. The union leaders were ig norant of the economic laws, and they mistook the existing condition for one of natural prosperity. (That's where they made their mistake.) McEaehern knew better than that. He knew that the burst would come sooner or later, and he prepared to attack labor on a falling market. He figured to smash the unions and re move the heel of the aggressive dem ocracy from the throat of capital. A partial victory was not what he want ed. He was after the whole hog. He got it. (That's where he made his mis take.) The unionists were lions led by asses. EMcElacharn knew that. Time after time the shipping union made demands upon the company time after time he granted these demands with smiling readiness. But day after day he went on building to gether the units of a force to fight trade unionism and that was destined to sweep organized Ta bor out of existence. The plan was collosal but the stolid patience with which in the meantime he bore the galling exactions of the trades was quite as great. And then one day he loosed his thunders and struck hard and straight and true. He chose .the time of battle, tne cause of battle and the place ol battle. The union chotee nothing. They were arrogisnt .with JICIMM.. of the coasting v,iassefli"xfrdr tile charms of the stewardess. The captain to set tle the difficulty—as he thought, poor man—discharged the sailor. 'The union demanded his reinstatement. McEach arn, knowing what the reply would be, offered to put him on another ship. The union demanded reinstatement on the same ship. McEarcharn in very courteous terms pointed out that it was impossible. Then the asses that Jed the lions told him that unless the re instatement was effected within twen ty-four hours they would call off all his ships and order a general strike. Then, like a flash McEacharn un masked his guns. Back went the reply that the unions might strike and be damned. The strike was ordered and then there followed a battle grim and great. Union after union was called out, ship after ship was laid up, state after state was involved in the quarrel, until the whole continent stood under arms. In less than four weeks the fires of near ly every coasting steamer were drawn. The trade of Australia was paralyzed. Four hundred thousand unionists were idle, and every man of them was drawing half pay. Also every unem ployed man who looked like becoming a free laborer was paid a weekly al lowance from the general fund, to pre vent remanning the ships. But the ship owners' union that Mc "tyicharn had organized didn't even try to remann the ships. The land "boom had reached its limit, trade was declining, very large coal reserves had been laid up, the funds and member ship of the unions were known to a dollar and a man. The Shipowners simply sat down on their hunkers and waited. The trades leaders organized pickets, but there wns nothing for them to do. The problem was a new one. Thej couldn't solve it. The owners were not aparently trying to run their ships at all. Patterson, who owned one fleet wrote to a strike committee and in a vein of powky Scotch humoc* offered to sell them his shins. Then it dawned upon the union that the strike had become a lockout. The besiegers were besieged. The weapon of capital was not free labor but star vatlon. Starvation won easjly. Ten weeks after the first shot the union capitu lated to the grim foe hunger that be fore then had bowed the neck of many a proud city. McEacharn had meant to break the unions. And they were broken all right. Funds gone, membership decimated, courage wilted, the once great trade unions of Australia were counted otit. The capitulation wns announced in the biggest public hall the labor lead ers could get. John Hancock, ,big bodied and big hearted—the finest plat form man in Australia—rose in that hall of silent hundreds to tell the men that they must return to work on the best terms they could get. It was the shortest and most pregnant speech he ever made in his life. "Friends, he said, "men of Aurtralia, he have jiot been beaten we have been starved Into submission. Unionism is dead, but anything can happen in a demo cracy, and from the ashes of the fun »ral pyre that the shipowners have 1 '"n vw.i* V- THE lighted will rise the phOenix of our lib erties." Nobody knew what he meant. It is doubtful whether he knew himself, but it sounded large and fine, and some thing with that sort of sound was just what those depressed people wanted that night. But one year later John Hancock took his seat in parliament—the tir»t labor member sent in by the first political party in Australia. Vanquished in the industrial war, the members of the battered trades unions had recognized their forces on a political basis and sought to win by the ballot the privileges capital had denied them. Someone discovered that where all men have votes and the bulk of men are wage earners they only have to decide an^ong themselves what they want from the state to get1 it. That was only ten years ago. And now they have gotten nearly all they wanted. Think of it. Eleven years ago the unions were battered, dead, done for. Today their direct lineal suc cessor owns the whole blessed com monwealth of Australia. They atacked municipal councils first and enforced the minimum wage and eight hour days on all of them. They attacked the state parliaments next and gained factory legislation and old age pensions and compulsory arbitra tion. No factory in the country can now employ child labor, or work Us people more than eight hours per day. or pay less than the minimum wage fixed by the wages board. In two of the six states the labor party are the government in office, in two others they hold the balance of power and in two others they are the direct op position. But it is their success in the com monwealth parliament—the national assembly that marks out Australia as a Socialistic nation. In the senate half the members are pledged Socialists—definite servants of the labor party. In the representatives the direct opposition are pledged So cialists also—members of the same party. Compulsory arbitration in la bor disputes that extends from one state to another. McEacharn, the lord mayor of Mel bourne, the man who smashed union ism was defeated last year by a la bor candidate in the contest for elec tion of a member of the house of rep resentatives. Twelve years ago in Australia there were two parties, the freetraders and the protectionists. Today there is but one party—the labor party—and the draggled remnant of another that oc casionally totters helplessly before a tired public and tries to get itself tak en seriously as the anti-Socialist party. But it has now power. It never had a policy, and its friends are ashamed to recognize it in the daylight. Some day a man may arise. in Australia who will evolve a policy big enough to cover the as'•• tfie wrttir'-.IbioWii 'isn't sent word of his coming. And the gentle man who precipitated all this 6n the country has sought his country seat and the tiresome seclusion of a friend less man. The writer paints no moral. But he has heard the suggestion that Social ism was the coming force in American politics treated with derision, and he thinks that perhaps this story may be worth thinking over because manhood suffrage prevails in America, and the great big bulk of Americans are wage earners, too. ORGANIZED LABOR AND FARMERS. They Propose to Reduce the Price of Beef by Competing With the Trust. The consumers and the farmers are being ground between the upper and nether milstone by the trust and cor porations. This is especially true ot the consumers of beef and the cattle growers. Cattle were never lower than now and beef and other meat was never much higher. To overcome this dispar ity between the price of beef on the hoof and meat on the table, it is pro posed by William C. Wellman, presi dent of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butchers' association of America to secure cheap beef for the working men of New York city by combination with the farmers of the West, who are to establish slaughter houses and ship the dressed beef. Twrf million dollars has been pledged to build slaughter houses and establish 2,000 butchershops In New York and thus circumvent the beef trust. Although there is such a large mar gin between the price of cattle an* the price of beef trust charges flor meat, it will be found unprofitable for the proposed combination of farmers and butchers to compete with the trust until all can stand on the satne level at the stockyards and the sup ply of cars and railroad rates. There Is also the large profit the trust makes on the bye products, which would not be available to competitors that were not prepared to build ice houses or ice plants and to go into the canning business, the manufacture of fertilizer and other products. The beef trust is so protected by its alliance with the railroads and its control of stockyards and terminal facilities,' that the most powerful competitor would find it dif ficult to compete with the trust, which would undoubtedly cut prices below the cost of production, as long as com petition existed. Laws must be enforced and other more stringent ones enacted, before there can be competition with the trust, and the only sure way of ob taining state and national legislation to curb corporations and trusts is through the referendum system, so that the people can initiate legislation which their representatives have refused or neglected to pass. If the farmers and the butchers and other labor organizations will unite their forces for the initiative and re ferendum, they will soon be able to curb the trusts and obtain equal 'rights to all and special, privileges to none.' &•-*&£&fS ii-Zt&tib BRITISH LIBOR MED IMI MIT SEATS House of Commons Gives Rep resentatives of Union La bor Seats of Honor. Strong Speeches Made By New Members in Behalf of Wants of Workingmen. LONDON, ENG.,^ March 22:—The laborists have already established their position in the House. They have secured the two front benches below the gang way, and as prescrip tion is easily obtained in the House their right to these benches is not likely to be disputed, though on special occasions they will surren der them to the Irish members. They have however, done bettef than obtain a local habitation in the House. They have proved that they can speak with clearness, force and moderation. Though Mr. Keir Hardie is their leader he is by no means their best speaker. His voice is a little hard and monoton ous, and though sometimes he speaks with a certain emotional fervour, his style, is on the whole, rather dry. His speech on Monday suffered from contrast with the powerful speech of Mr. Redmond, which pre ceeded it, and the very brilliant one of Mr. Herbert Paul which followed it, but it was on the whole, a very clear statement of the views of his party. They are to give the Gov ernment a fair trial, but at the same time, he said they were to hold aloot from the ordinary struggles of party. He made a false step when he said that the pocket interests of all the three parties in the House were op posed to those of the working clas ses. For this he was rebuked the next night by Mr. Maddison, the Lib eral-Labor member for Burnley, who told him that he and his friends had no monopoly in the interests of the poor. Mr. Welsh, the Labor member for Ince, in his speech on Chinese labor showed a command of style which greatly charmed the House. He ar gued that 13,000 licenses mysterious ly issued in November should be cancelled. It might be a breach of contract, but he thought that the Government to do a great right should do a little wrong, and curb these cruel devils of their will. Mr. Jternes also made an excellent im-. was 6as&' digiiifled and forcible, and ,Jthe plea which he put in for old age pensions was heard with the keenest interest. Mr. Maddison, one of the Liberal-Labor members, also made an excellent speech, and had the good sense to tell his fellow workmen, that, after all, it was little that Par liaments and Governments could do for the people. Labor Leader's Expectations. Mr. Keir Hardie has been inter viewed on the subject of the Labor measures foreshadowed in the King's Speech. But the chairman of the new Labor party is a cautious Soot. "I hesitate* to express an opinion until I have seen the promised- bills in print," was Mr. Hardie's reply. "But may say that if the rumors we hear about them are true they are likely to be exceedingly satisfactory to us. This is especially true of the "Workmen's Compensation Bill. But the Trades Dispute Bill will also, I hear, be a good one. I am afraid I cannot say the same about the pros pects of the Unemployed Act Amend ment Bill. If what I hear is true, we shall be disappointed, in which case we shall use our most strenu ous efforts to amend it. Mr. Hardie, speaking for the Labor party, stated on Monday, in the dis cussion -on the Address, that the pro gramme of the Government on Labor questions was fairly gratifying. They would not prejudice the legislation of the Government, but he hoped that the measures they would brihg in would be thorough in their char acter. With regard-to the Trades Disputes Bill, he insisted that Trades Unions should be absolutely free from damages from any mistake commit ted by their officials. John In Gold Lace. The Royal command is imperative. Mr. Burnes objected to .appearing in in the picturesque garb affected by courtiers, but the King would not sanction any departure from Ihe ac customed rule, and at the levee at Buckingham Palace on Teusday the President of the local Government Board attended in gold lace uniform. The crowd who watched the arrival and departure of the distinguished personages awaited with special at tention for a sight of Mr. Burns. The President charmed his admirers with the ease and distinction with which he bore himself. "There's John Burns!" was the shout with which his emergence from the Pal ace was hailed. Mr. Burns smiled slightly when he heard the shout, and walked to wards the gate, glancing this way and that in search of a han som cab. Unfortunately there was no cab handy at the moment, and the crowd, seeing the delay, surged ex citedly across from one gate to the other to get nearer Mr. Burns. It was an awkward moment for the member for Battersea, but a police inspector came to his rescue, and pil oted him to his cab. He was driven off amid the loud cheers of the crowd. Democratic League. ri Several pembers of the. National V„* /-«. ^'•S% 1 DEVOTED TO THE INDUSTRIAL WELFARE OF HEAD OF THE LAKES. DULUTH AND SUPERIOR, SATURDAY, MARCH 24,1906. Democratic League, «a body which was founded some years ago, have seats in 'Parliament. One of them is Mr. John Ward, who. will be its representative in the House of Com mons. Mr. Ward has. placed an amendment on the paper in favor of payment of, members. Mr. Ward's amendmqpt is very simply In charact er, but Mr. Rutherford, the Conserva tive member for West Derby, who, curiously enough, is associated with the founder of the Democratic League in his amendment asks for the pay ment "of an adequate sum for mem bers of the House of Commons, and free traveling to and from their con stituencies." It is well known that some years ago Mr. Gladstone offered to make provision for the payment of members provided they declare that it was necessary to their support. They declined to place themselves in a position, which they regarded as in vidious, and it is now admitted that if there is to be payment for members It must be equally given to all. In the course of his election campiaign the Chancellor of the Exchequer stated that he had no money for this purpose. CONGRESS AND LABOR. The- Non-portlsnn Plan of Pledging Candidates for the Initiative and Referendum. Organised of Republicans feel secure in turning down the wishes of the labor unions. The American Federation of Labor being a non-partisan organization, it is helpless, as an association of vot ers to change these political conditions, but the Initiative and Referendum of fers a way out of the dilemma through the non-partisan lines recommended by the American Federation of Labor. There are being organized in nearly every state Referendum Leagues whose platforms declare and plans proposed, to question the candidates of all parties for congress and state legislatures and vote only for those candidates who pledge themselves to vote and work for the Referendum system. The plan has been endorsed by the three last national conventions of the American Federation of Labor and was fully presented by the executive committee J4nd '.the re common daftions appjroved by the Pittsburg convention of last year. That plan has also been approved by most of the state federations of labor, and was used with great suc cess in Ohio last fall, where the labor vote was massed for the candidates who replied favorably and a reform legislature was the" result. The plan adpoted there was to join tlie refer endum leagues and other organiza tions of citizens in questioning the can didates, thus combining business and professional men and farmers with the labor unions in the patriotic purpose of defeating the corruptionists and grafters. What was accomplished in Ohio can be duplicated elsewhere and only re quires the plan to be talked up in the unions and instruct the delegates to the next meeting of the State Federa tion to order the legislative committee, or a specials committee elected for that purpose, to question the candidates of all parties for congress and the legis lature in the manner above described. The conventions of the State Federa tions will soon be held, the date for [Pennsylvania being ,some time In March and other states following in due course, so the time is fast ap proaching for action. The Referendum system is the open system for. reform legislation. It is no more difficult to obtain than any other particular measure, for. the ad visory system requires but a majority vote and then by pledging the legis lature to abide by the will of the peo-« pie, the necessary petitions can be circulated calling for a Referendum on the proposition to amend the con stitution, which in most states requires a two-thirds vote of the legislature. In the mean time while awaiting the amending of the constitution, the ad visory initiative can be used to secure urgent legislation. But It is a majority of congress pledged to the Advisory system that is most important -lor organied labor to strive for, and by the systematic questioning of the candidates of all parties and publishing the replies, so that the members of the unions will know who, are pledged and who are not, they can ^thus mass their votes on the candidates who reply, irrespect ive of party. That is the non-partisan plan recommended by the' American •Federation of .TLAbor.' .,, They Labor Mult Inltliate the Sys tem Recommended by: the Amer ican Federation of Labor. The legislative committee of the ^American Federation of L«abor is again trying to induce congress to pass the eight^hour bill, the anti-injunction bill and other legislation that Organ ized labor stands for. For ten years the same effort has been made with out success as far as legislation is concerned, although occasionally through the earnest efforts of the" com mittee either the house or senate has passed one of the bills well knowing it would not come to a vote in the other branch of congress. This whip sawing is a political dodge to induce organized labor to believe tlfat the Republican party is its friend, and to lead it on just before a congressional election, to again stand by the Repub lican candidates. The legislative com mittee may urge., and 'present their views to the Judiciary committee, or the committee on labor, but it is' all "love's labor lost" to apeal to poli ticians who nearly all really favor the masters against the printers in their strike for an eight hour law and most, of whom secretly at least favor the open shop. If the political parties were more evenly balanced in congress there would be more, attention paid by the d^inant paxty to thte Petitions of the "«^h Jb a Smoke Piiradora^Cigar, Clear Hivana, Union Label and. Home Made,7-' ,tI|W i'r.'i SEN 1 Must Spend at Least Three onths Each Year in Getting Suitable Education. Carpenters' and Bricklayers' Un ions Compel Their Apprentices to Attend School. BY LUKE GRANT. Chicago, 111., March 22.—When the secretary of a labor union a few days ago went to one of Chicago's pub lic schools and lectured teh pupils on their unruly conduct and threatened to have them expelled from the union if they did not obey their teachers, the incident called attention to one phase of trades unionism in Chi cago about which little is known. Few persons outside of the partic ular unions know that there is an appreticeship system in force in both the carpenters' and the bricklayers' unions which compels apprentices to attend school three months in each year. In order to perfect tliis sys tem it is necessary for the board of education, the employers and the labor union to co-operate and do so in a manner that completely refutes the arguments of the opponents of unions who contend that organiza tions of labor deprive the American boy of the opportunity to learn a trade. As the school season for the ap prentices in both trades mentioned begin January 1, the matter has been under discussion several times dur ing the last three weeks and heroic measures have been adopted to com pel observance of the rules. This is due largely to the fact that trade is brisk at this time, and the boys, who range in age from 17 to 21 years, are more anxious to work than go to school, although their employers are compelled to pay them the mini mum scale of wages each week dur ing the second period. When the joint arbitration board of the Carpenters' and Builders' as sociation and Carpenters' union met January 4 to consider the enforce ment of the apprentice rules more than 60 youths asked permits to al low them to work instead of attend ing school. Two of the boys who showed that they were married were given permits, while two or three cases where the apprentices showed that they were ttte support of aged ^ce^rjF peinmits were given:" with the stipulation, however, that the boys should attend night school and produce a certificate from the principal to that effect before they would be given their next quar terly working card. Prefer to Work. Many subterfuges were tried by the boys themselves, as well as by some of the smaller contractors to evade the rules. The reason for this is ap parent. The minimum scale of wag es for carpenter apprentices runs from $5 a week for the first year and $8 the last year of the four year term. While at work some of the boys got 30 cents an hour and even as much as 40 cents. As soon as they go to school the contractors us ually cuts -them down to the mini mum scale provided in the agree ment. This makes most of them pre fer to remain at work if they can do so. Makes Pitiful Plea. "Do you think fm going to school and/ let the children starve?" said one of the boys before the arbitration board a few days ago. "How many children are in the family?" asked one of the* contrac tors. He was told there were eight, and that the aprentice was the means of their suppofrt. An investi gation was ordered which showed that that the youngest of the family was 17 years of age, while the oldest was 30. The permit was not issued. The apprentice, who is 19 years of age had to attend school on pain of being refused his next working card. In spite of all the precautions tak en, both by the large contractors and the union, a number of indetured ap prentices escape going to school. In the Carpenter's union there are 240 indetured apprentices, while the rec ords show that only about 190 are attending school so far this season. Notices have been sent by the sec retary of the Carpenters' Executive council to all the iocal unions in Cook county requesting them to furnish the names and addresses of apprentices in their respective localities and to see that no working cards are, issued to them next April unless they can show a principal's certificate with an average of 90 per cent for attendance and deportment. Forced to Complain. The schools which the apprentice boys attend are located at Twenty sixth street and Wabash avenue and at Cass and Illinois streets.* Princi pal Bogan, who has charge of the schools had to complain of the boys a short time ago and the matter was taken up by the joint arbitration board. The following resolution was adopted and printed in large type and hung up in the class rooms: Any apprentice absenting himself from school without a satisfactory ex cuse, or whose conduct while at school is ungentlemanly, or who does not obey his teacher, will be reported to this union*' and by order of the above board his 'April working card will be withheld arid in aggreviated cases tW apprentice wil be excluded from this uniop. Fololwing the adoption of the res olutton, J. J. 3rittin,. secretary of the Carpenters' Executive Council, went r" fejSj 'o-"" to the school on the South Side and lectured the boys. "If there are any more complaints about your conduct, boys," he said, "you wil be thrown out of the union. You wil be treated just the same as a journeyman would be if he brought his organization' into discredit. We don't propose to stand for any of this sort of business." F«ar Union Discipline. Two days later Principal Bogan said it was remarkable what a change had come over the pupils. They did not fear the discipline of the school teach ers, but they did fear being disciplined by their union. The system of apprenticeship in force in the unions of carpenters and bricklayers followed the building trades lockout in 1900. The author of the plan is A. Landquist, a large build ing contractor, and it may be said to be the result of years of study. The contractors originated the scheme, but they found the unions ready to fall in with the Idea and to do all in theit power to make it a success. After three years' trial greater efforts are being put forth this year to make the system more successful than ever be fore. The boys attend cshool six hours a day and are taught drawing, lang uages, algebra, and geometry. "We want to have our apprentices able to spell 'carpenter' by the time they become one," said John Metz, president of the Carpenters' union. "After persistent efforts of three years we have realy created a genuine inter est in our apprenticeship system, which undoubtedly is the best in the coun try." Means Better Workmen. Records that the apprentice car penters from Chicago Heights and Materson, 111., atend school, and while the effects of the system are not yet dlscernable in the trade to any great extent because-few of the boys have had time to graduate in journey men, the officers of the union and the contractors agree that under the sys tem a better class of workmen will be produced. A suggestion made to introduce manual training in the schools for the aprentices did not meet with the ap proval of either the union officials or the contractors. They were agreed that nine months' actual experience on buildings was Sufficient for the-boys, and that the school period should be devoted to other branches of educa tion. Most of the practical mechan ics hold the training school in some contempt, as. they say a workman can never become proficient In his trade unles he actually works at it. Under the system of apprenticeship described a limitation is placed on the number of apprentices which one con tractor may hire. This limitation, which exists in practically all skilled trades, is ofted severely condemned and in some instancies not without reason. But a study of the question will show that some limitation is abso lutely necessary if the boy is to be Piroteoted'. REVISION OF THE) TEN COMMAND MENTS. The old time honored "Ten Com-, mandments" as handed down to Moses on the Table of Stone have been warped and twisted until they read something like this: I. Thou shalt have no other Boss but me. II. Thou shalt not take to thyself any comfort or the likeness of- any thing to thine own interest, either on earth above or in the pit below. Thou shalt bow down to me, for I am thy Boss, and a zealous Boss, and I will show^thee no mercy, but endeavor to make thee keep my commandments. III. Thou shalt not take the name of they Boss in vain, lest I discharge thee in short order from the time of so doing. IV. Remembers thou shalt work from "7 in the morning until 6 in the evening, 6 six days in a week with all thy might and strength, and to do all I asked of thee. And on the Sab bath thou shalt stay at home and do no manner of work, but shalt do all thou canst to i*est and recruit thy strength for my service for Monday. V. Honor thy Boss that thy days may be short and few, for I shall not want thee when thou art old, and have to spend thy days in the poorhouse. VI. Thou shalt not belong to any union or labor organization, whether it be for social purposes or not, for it is aigaints my will. VII. Thou shalt always speak well of me, although I oppose thee and cut thy wages. Thou shalt be content if I only find thee work and pay thee $1 per day, and advise thee to save half of it. vni. Thou shalt go naked and starve with thy family, if it is to mine in terest thou shalt earn money to pay my salary, and furnish my house with costly furniture, and my stables with sleek horses. IX. Thy shalt hold no meetings to consider thine own interest, or pro test against a reduction of wages Thou shalt not have union papers, or Socialist papers in the house, for they speak the truth and are not afraid to say that my belly is filled with choice roast beef and plum pudding while the poor are lucky to get the offal of my pantry. Tliou shalt not read anything, as I wish to keep thee in ignorance all days of thy life. X. Thou shalt not convert thy mas ter's money, or his comforts, or his luxuries, anything -that is his, nor ob ject to him when he shall tyranize over thee, and keep thee in bondage all the days of thy life.—H. H. Meyer, San dusky, Ohio. UNION GIVES *824.55. Forth Worth Typographical union No.198, with a membership of about eighty, has sent to national headquart ers at Indianapolis in aid of the fight for the. eight hour day and the closed shop for the five weeks of January last the sum of $824.55. The contribution is for the general benefit of the unions which have direct fights on their hands, but, of course it is also to ad vance the general principle involved in the controversy from the Typogra phical union's side of the difference. •ONLY LABOR PAPER IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA. FIVE CENTS. MCHDISHOP KEME 01LMBRIIIHIS The Noted Prelate Misrepisent ed in a False Dispatch Sent Out Recently. He Did Not Call the Trade Union a'' School of Jf Thievery." Editor Labor World: Will you kindly permit me, through your col umns, to call the attention of the read ers of your valuable paper to an As sociated Press, which appeared recently in the p'rinoipail papers throughout the country. It is in justice to the speak er, who was hiisrepresented. and thus put in a false light before trade union ists, and in jiustice to the members of the union themselves, that I wish to place before ttiem the truth to this mat ter. Here is the dispatch as it ap peared: "Archbishop Keane, metropolitan of the Dubuque afrchdiocese, in a sermon at St. Raphaells cathedral, at Dubuque, Iowa, denouocefd the trade un/ion as a 'school for thiievery.' When the archbishop's attention was called to it lie lost no time in repudiat ing it in tljie most emphatic manner. A presidents of labor union in Kansas City wrote to him asking him if he had bi-ande(l labor unions as a "school for thievryf." This inquiry drew from Archbishop. Keane the following letter, which cle/arly defines his position on the labor question: "I think you might have done me the justiice to take it for granted that I had beei)4 misrepresented by that en terprising reporter. The only cor rect part of the report is that part which says: 'The employer who does not pay his emloyes the amount of his hire is a\ thief. The employe who does not give to his employer the labor he is paid foij, is also a thief.' Throughout I laid (flown principles as to existing facts I did not pretend to say what they ane, but said, conditionally, that any organization, either of labor or capital, which ignored the foundament-, al principles, of justice and good willl, was wrong. I have always been a stanch and outspoken friend of organ ized labor. It is as its friend that 1 .would warn it against ignonine of principles." "The United Mine Workers' Journal, from which the above letter is taken, in comment/ing in the way in which Archbishop Keane was misrepsented." says the Associated Press and the daily papers, which gave such prominence .toy* the denunciation accredited to.-Arch bishop Kearie should correct the false statements, /but of course, it will not be" done. Unfortunately what the Journal says is true. The lie with its seven league bhots has got the start of the truth and it will be!hard for the latter to catch up with ilti. It is even to the interest of membefrs of organized labor to be on the alert for false statements of tlie kind refeirred to. The enemies of or ganized llabor are always on the watch for everrf opportunity to do injury to the cauBfe of trade unionists and many of them are not particular what means they se«k so as to accomplish their 1 desired result. Let us always have the truth. No man fears the truth. Th» He must be nailed at its infancy for as it travels along it grows to larger proportions and then it is a mighty ob stacle to overcome. There is no doubt but that the archbishop will be quoted by our enemies for years to come on the false statement attributed to him- It is as a tirade unionists, who has the in terest of the cause at heart and as one who does not fear the truth and de- s sires it at all times that I have called your attention to the above. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty and, thanking you Mr. Editor for giving publicity to the above. I am, yours respectfully, AUGUSTI2KE MURPHY, Sec. Treas Duluth Typographical Union. PERMANENT REFORM NEEDED. Secretary Taft in his letter to the re publican club of Cincinnati, March 13th, said: The truth is that the victory will be worse than fruitless unless som* means are devised to make its effects permanent. It is idle to hope that people may be aroused at every politic al contest to defeat machine slates unless there are counter organisations made up of young men actuated by patriotic desire to select only good candidates. The proposed remedy is to continue in the party organization the sovereign power and to organize one machine to fight another machine. This Is machine politics. The up-to-date sys tem is that the sovereign power shaTt not be lodged in any machine but in the people themselves, through a right to demand a direct vote through the. initiative and the referendum. This direct power of the people in combina tion with action through representa tives is Guarded Representative Gov ernment, while the other system is Party Government, the dominant polit ical party is the government and it is also the sovereign power. 1 The whipping post for wife beaters in the District of Columbia was ridi- ^1* culed out of congress. That was rather a course joke of Langwarth's that he was too near matrimony to consider such a measure but Stanley, the Ken-^ff tucky congressman, did the worst wh$n he 'said he would not interfere If a* man were beatltig his wife, if she h*a« red hair. He is trying to explain that he meant red-headed women had so much. «rit he would, be afraid, hut it won't go. Kentucky., women iri politics other than the red-haired, are taking it up and Mr. Stanley wisheg he hadn't tried ,to be funny -'v.