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The columns of this paper afford an excellent advertising medium for all kinds of merchants. Printers Ink superior to that in any other publi aays that space a labor paper is cation, reaching the consuming class —and the rates are much lower. SHOPMEN STAND PAT: REFUSE TO ,7-n St«te Charge Passing Buck. "As to the merits of the demands •for higher wages, you say it's un necessary now to pass judgment as It. is in the hands of the government. The president's disposition is to act promptly if the men return to work, according to your statement. "You are passing the buck the same as the rest, for we think that it is necessary to pass on the merits of ojir demands promptly and effectively an^'then the men will return to —^rtvork, and only then, as we see it now. "You say that the president cannot ict without an organization to deal with and a decision can be reached lust as well with work proceeding as it can with work stopped. Indeed it 3an be reached far better because it will not be prejudiced by the irrita —Jon growing out of a strike. "Our reply is that the effect of this ftrike is in itself a positive proof that are have an organization open for the idministration to deal with at any ime. As regards settlement when working, we again say after trying Tor seven months without prejudice md in the absence of strike irrita ion there was nothing doing. "In the meantime the men now on itrike will act on this matter accord ng to the dictates of their own judg nent, based on full knowledge of the sase to the end that all labor and the mblic in general may be benefited hrough our courage and organiza lon to bring to their senses, if need to their knees, the profiteering imperors, now gnawing at the fun lamental principals of trade" union sm, in fact all our social, political .nd industrial welfare of the Amer can people." DEMAND FOOD SALE* WASHINGTON, Aug. 14. The ouse has adopted a resolution re uesting Secretary of War Baker to lace on sale without delay surplus ood products held by the war de artment and valued at $i20,0ft0,000. ""tg. c»n,p Head of Lakes Men Act Independent ,national Officers Send Delegates to Chicago Conference Where Strike Status Is Being Discussed-Decision Is Awaited. Striking railroad shopmen at the Head of the Lakes left their jobs On the railroads following a call from the district office at Chicago and they will not return to work until that office authorizes it. This seems to be the sentiment of all the shopmen in he middle west district. A conference is now in session at Chicago consisting of representa tives from all shop employes' unions in the district. Duluth, Superior, Proctor and Two Harbors are well represented at this meeting. The delegates were given no instructions. They are John P. Jensen, Duluth .William Granger, Proctor C. E. Woolsey, Two Harbors, and Frank Gaunders, Superior. The delegation left for Chicago Tuesday afternoon and it is not iexpected to return until late this week and possibly not until early next week. In the meantime the shopmen will sit tight and await develop ments. Few Are Returning to Work. Press reports early in the week stated that many shopmen were returning to work, but the union representatives claim to have informa tion that this is not true. They declare the men generally are standing ,pat and are paying no attention to President Wilson's appeal to them to return to work and have their case adjudicated after. "The government is to "blame," the union officers say. It has had feeven months to treat with us and it paid no attention to our appeals. |,The railroad administration made no attempt to increase our wages and the government made no effort to reduce the cost of living." I' Chairman Jensen, of the local committee, in a letter to the Herald 5n answer to an editorial appearing in that paper advising the men to return to work, roundly scores the international officers. He wrote in part as follows: "For your information as to our revolt against our national officers, they first revolted against us. They have ignored our constitution and practically lied to us for seven® months. ^shopmen Never Will. "The business policy of the Herald as far as the editorials are concerned might tolerate such conditions but the railroad shopmen never Avill. "You say the men have the presi dent's word for it. at the very moment when the rank and file was convinced of the bad faith of their own officers, projected a strike when those officers were working in their behalf. We say let the administration outline a com plete program. We will give it a hearing and due consideration. "The legal phase of this strike can be settled between the rank and file their grand officers. We under ~„and this thorourhly the Herald does not. "We say that this strike is the ver dict of 75 per cent of the men. This .verdict was dully conveyed to our representatives and to the administra tion at Washington. We say that the constitutional mandates of our niem bership must be obeyed by officers. "The Herald and the administra tion may make an effort to shield them. This to lis will be positive proof our suspicions were well founded. "In considering this question you eay we will remember that unionism is at stake and that we must guard "its principles religiously. We agre? on that, and that is exactly what we are doing—we fear not the jury's (public's) verdict. ASSEMBLY VOTES TO JOINPARADE Special Meeting Held Wednes day Evening Rescinds Atton of Regular Meeting. At a special meeting of the Feder ated Trades assembly held at Owls' hall Wednesday evening: the invita tion of the Home Coming committee to participate in the parade was ac cepted by a vote of 34 to 16. Ths action of the regular meeting was rescinded and every union in town is urged to join in the parade. The call for the special meeting contemplated the holding of a sep arate parade by organized labor to honor the soldiers, but: the majority declared that labor should forget at this time its prejudice against the Home Guard and Join with .other pa triotic organizations in doing honor to the returned soldiers. No delegate who'favored parading defended the Home Guard as an in stitution, but great praise was givei the Duluth companies of the guard and motor corps for the great work they did during the forest fire here last October. While the guard Itself was generally condemned few dele gates blamed the individual members who joined it during the war. They rather blamed Governor Burnquist for using the guard to crush the street railway strike in the Twin Cities. The executive committee of the assembly reported on the strike of waitresses at the Spalding hotel. A union has been organized and the assembly gave its indorsement and directed its executive committee to act for the assembly in attempting to affect a settlement. Resolutions were adopted calling upon the charter commission to sub mit an amendment to the city charter to the voters providing for an increase of three mills in the tax levy. An other resolution called upon the leg islature at its special session to enact a law giving municipalities the right and power to operate public groceries Henry Dworshak jr., secretary of the Consumers' league, explained the purpose of that organization and re quested the delegates to report to their unions ,that a mass meeting would be held at the Shrine audi torium next Wednesday evening for the purpose of discussing the high cost of living and organizing to take steps to reduce it. VICTIMIZE TELEPHONE OPERATORS IN TAGOMA TACOMA, Wish., Aug 14.— After winning their strike for higher wages and retroactive pay, telephone girls in this city and Seattle are being victimized. The company agreed that there would be no discrimination. The strike inifplved several thous and electrical workers and telephone operators, affiliated with the Brother hood of Electrical Workers,/ and ex tended through the Pacific coast states. PARTY MACHINE FAILS TO MOVE Trick of Reactionaries Subma rined by Forty Insurgent Members of Congress. WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 14.— One of the most significant events of the present congress occurred In the house when a group of 40 independ ents and progressive Republicans, in cluding the chairmen of two import ant committees, Porter of foreign af fairs and Esch of interstate com merce, submarined a trick partisan resolution conceived by the majority steering committee to discredit the administration and combined with the Democrats to put through an amend ment making it of practical value to the people of the United States. The occasion was the vote on a special house resolution demanding that the secretary of war make im mediately available to the public the huge stocks of surplus army food held by the war department. The resolu tion had been drawn after an investi gation showing terrible incompetency on the part of the war department with regard to the disposal of its sur plus food supplies, and very plainly Indicating that influence brought to bear by the packers and the canners is primarily responsible for letting this food rot in storage rather than place it on the domestic market. Nevertheless the resolution con ceived, by the the Republican steering committee, a body with ideals worthy lOf-the worst days of Cannonism, was a partisan measure and njthing more. It demanded that the secretary of war place the surplus food products: on salt "without delay"- carefully omit ttagHo' give M"r.~ Baker any .assistance, or authority to handle this gigantic task. It was clearly designed to focus public wrath on the administration by ordering Mr. Baker to immediately settle a problem which he had neither, money or men to solve. In spite of furious opposition from the majority leadership an amend ment to this resolution, offered by Clyde Kelly, independent Republican of Braddock, Pa., giving the resolu tion constructive value by instructing the war department to utilize the par cels post system in selling the food, was put through by a combination of 40 Republicans, lined up with the Democrats. Prominent among those who refused to be bludgeoned by their reactionary leaders were Representa tives Baer and Sinclair of North Da kota, and Representative Carrs of Minnesota. FORM ASSEMBLY ATTWOHARBORS Central Labor Body Organized With Eleven Unions-Three More to Join. Two Harbors has a trades and labor assembly. It was organized last Sun day and starts out with a charter membership of 11 unions, all repre senting men and women employed on the Duluth and Iron Range railroad. There are three other unions in town and these will be invited to join. J. F. Robins of the Machinists' union was elected president and Miss Susan Woodfill of the Railway Clerks' union was unanimously chosen secre tary. A committee consisting of one representative from each union was named to draft a constitution and by laws. N. A. Gray of the B. of L. E., was made chairman of the committee and Chas. MacMains of the Brother hood of Railway Carmen is secretary. The following unions were repre sented at the first meeting:—Machin ists, locomotive engineers, railway clerks, sheet metal workers, mainte nane of way, trainmen, conductors, firemen, boilermakers, railway car men and blacksmiths. The unions to come in at the next meting are the ore dock workers,- electrical workers and retail clerks. Representation was fixed at three delegates for each union. The new assembly will make appli cation for affiliation with the Ameri can Federation of Labor. WANT UNION SHOP. WIMINGTON, Del., Aug. 14.—The building trades council has declared for the union- shop. These workers insist that they make the condi tions and that every building em ploye must aid in the fight for bet ter conditions. The bosses favor the "open shop"—so open, as Dooley says, that a trade unionist coming in the front door will be kicked clear through 'the rear door. d. «f\Atfi*i"' FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, ECONOMIC REFORM AND POLITICAL PROGRESS.: VOL. 27. No. 1. DULUTH AND SUPERIOR,. AUGUST 16, 1919. FIVE CENTS DISEASE AND DEATH UNDER BOLSHEVISM 'jpHE Bolshevist "Ekondmiches kaia Zhizn" states that in the Moscow hospitals and homes the average" death-rate among .women in the maternity wards is 80 per cent, owing to underfeeding. The death-rate among the new-born infants is 90 per cent. All kinds of epidemics are rag ing, and spotted typhus carried away most victims. On April 1 the Moscow hospitals contained 8,486 spotted typhus patients, and cases are on the increase. In January I,there Were 6,820 cases, in February 9,829, and-in March 12,985. From Oct. 1 to April 1 5H per/cent of the medical staff attending typhus cases died. Besides spotted typhus there is a great deal of smallpox all over Russia. Owing to the use of horseflesh there have been cases of glanders among people, which are generally fatal. There are already signs of cholera* The percentage of nervous cases is far greater than during the war. Hospitals for nervous- diseases have long been overcrowded, and at present the soviet authorities are trying to fiiid new premises where lunatics can be' isolated. TRAINMENS* HEAD WARNSCONGRESS W. G. Lee Tells Railroad Admin istration Government Is Sitting on Powder Keg. WASHINGTON, Au^ 14.—Mem bers of congress wer^Hirarned by W. "G. Lee, president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, to call a halt on the execessive prices charged for the necessaries of life. He was ad dressing the members of the wage board of the railroad administration. Director General Hines was present and listened attentively. "I am not a red card man," said Lee, "but I am coming close to it if this profiteering keeps up. I am sorry to say I am forced with the tide, I am forced with the current, and the man who does not recognize it had better get hew glasses. "I will admit to you, gentlemen, that we are going the wrong way. I t4-nour law for women and permit admit to you that it is time to call a seven days' labor. The request was halt and I admit to you that unt.l we get together, until we commence together to stop this, there will be hell in this country—and it is nearer today than I ever knew it in my years of experience. "You can talk about stopping-thi *, and satisfying the working people, all you please you can talk about high rates all you care to but just let somebody drop a match today in this country of ours, and it will be a sorry day for all of us. I am not blaming the administration a particle for declining, as far as they can, to give additional increases. I think I know what it means. But unless my vision is most terribly obscured, then there is something coming to us pretty soon in this country that we had better prepare for. "Our lawmakers are to blame, in my opinion, for this, because the masses of the people would be behind them if they would attempt to cor rect it." LABOR GOT THIS Memphis Editor Sent to Jail for Contempt of Court, Escorted Dy Brass Band. MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 14.—Ed ward T. Leech, editor of the Meihphis Press, was escorted to jail where he will serve 10 days for contempt of court—by a brass band, an auto mobile and a delegation of promi nent citizens, who lustily demanded free press. The editor was charged with criticizing public officials when he discussed politics in a general way. The editor's friends point to the process by which the editor, 'was jailed—without jury trial and by the court that combines itself into judge, law maker and executioner. This evil has been combatted for 5 years by organized workers who have been jailed by the same methods used in Editor Leech'li case. Trade unionists are hopeful that the latest exhibition of4 injunction power will be remembered by prom inent citizens who have heretofore turned a deaf ear when the workers urged that American rights be main stained. Federal Trade Commission Are Revelations. Many reports have appeared in the press, and many complaints have been made by citizens that tetail shoe prices vary widely in different stores for the same grade of shoes. Recently a prominent Washington resident in formed a representative of this paper that he had found in Baltimore, Md., at 19, shoes of exactly the same type that a Washington dealer priced at $15. The Boston News Bureau has published several stories of the same nature. The finding of the federal trade commission that underlying economic conditions do not justify the present high shoe prices, and the discovery by the congressional committee in vestigating the conduct of the war that 350,000 pairs of army shoes had been sold in Belgium at very low prices, when reports were being sent abroad here that there would be a shoe shortage in the fall, have excited much comment. Another item of evi dence as to conditions in the shoe industry/ at present, is the following New York World editorial, entitled "Cheap Shoes—for Export," based upon an advertisement in a current shoe trade publication: "A day or two after the published threat of still another jump in th3 prices of shoes, an advertisement ap peared in the Journal of Commerce of 300,000 pairs of men's shoes, "Ready to ship at once direct from our own factories, for export, at prices that excite curiosity. "There were, for instance. ^,000 pairs of mien's Work shoes at $3, 'made two full soles, solid leather, insoles, and counter, solid lift heels.' Other work shoes are offered at $2.25, $2.35, $1.80 and $2.50. The highest prica quoted is $5.75 a pair foremen's gun metal calf highrgrkde shoes.' The fair sex is not forgotten two of the 12 items provide it with kid welt shoes at $3.25 and 'welt oxford and high shoes' at $1.75 a pair. INSIST ON SIX-DAY WEEK. "LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Aug. .14. The minimum wage and. maximum hour commission has refused to abolish the six-day provision of the 5 4-hour law for women made by hotel men, who claim they are facing ruin and starvation if these women are not permitted to "enjoy" a seven-day week. Minnesota Non-Partisan Work ing People's League Out After 150,000 Members. ST. PAUL, Aug. 14.—One hundred and fifty thousand members are to be sought by the newly formed Working People's Nonpartisan Political league in a big state campaign, according to plans under consideration by the or ganization's executive committee, which held its first meeting last week in Minneapolis. "Headquarters will be opened in Minneapolis in a few days," said Wil liam Mahoney, president of the labor league. "This will be followed by an intensive campaign through the labor newspapers and by organizers. It is our intention to establish a news bu reau from which literature about the organization will be distributed. "The membership movement will not be confined to labor organizations solely, but they will be the first to be brought into the league and will form a nucleus for a state-wide organiza tion. "It is the intention of the executive committee to reach every industrial, worker in the state whether he be longs to organized labor or. hot and seek him for a. member. .We have re ceived pledges of sufficient financial support to guarantee success in our organization, plans and we will un doubtedly have a membership of at least 150,000 before the campaign ends." CO-OPS. FOR FREE TRADE. PARIS, Aug. 14. The inter-allied conference of co-operative societies has declared for the abolition of all import and export duties on the necessaries of life and on products required for the reconstruction of industry.* The conference favored a pool of the food supplies of the world, same to be distributed' ac cording, ta the needs of the various peoples. ttlaiiitii 13* ,-v^f COST OF LIVING The investigation was conducted by the nurses of the bureau of prevent able diseases and 2,084 families were studied. Special attention was. given to the influence of the high cost of living On the children's cnetary. In 293 families the use of bottled milk was given up. In .206 other families milk was entirely eliminated from the chil dren's dietary, and in 71 the amount used for children was considerably reduced In 370 families the use of butter was eliminated for children in 191 families the amount used was re duced. Sugar was omitted from the chil dren's diet in 71 families and induced in 139 families. The use of meat in the diet of children was given up in 544 families and reduced in 238. Eggs were entirely eliminated from the diet of children in 532 families and reduced in 107. In 807 families meat was entirely eliminated. In 388 families the amount of meat purchased was ap preciably reduced. In 882- families eggs were eliminated and in 615 fam ilies butted was eliminated. .In studying the convalescence from illness teh nurses found that 287 cases out of 2,183 were definitely retarded, due to inability to obtain essentials of life. Among the adults the total amount of wages lost, in this pro tracted period, was $41,395. "It may be amazing to many," it is stated, "that of these families, repre senting a fairly cross section of con ditions in New York cuy, 21 per cent should have a total Income of $600 a year or less for the support of an average family of five persons during the beginning of 1918. An additional 30.5 had a total income of from $600 to $900 a year, and about 21 per cent an income of from $900 to $1,200 a year." 450,000 LIVES LOST BY FLU IN UNITED STATES NEW YORK, Aug. 14.—Statistics compiled by a life insurance com pany in this city show that the re cent influenza epidemic resulted in the death of 450*000 pepsons and cost insurance companies $200,000,000. Previous flu epidemics attacked chi^ dren and persons in iate life. The last- epidemic took its greatest toll from infants and persons in adult working life. The highest mortality occurred among wage earners and the lowest death rate among those best situated economically, v, jC.'•* Is •5 The Labor .World' render invaluable servjcpEtt'the work era by keeping them, informed, as to the vital problems affecting their wel fare. The labor presS 'must be 'sup ported by the workers—therefore YOU ought to subscribe—fl ~y«ar. WAGES DWINDLE IN VALUE AS LIVING COST SHOOTS UPWARD trikes and Threats of Strikes Rampant-Are Protests Against Profiteering-President Duluth Trades Assembly Proposes Inquiry to be Conducted by City Commissioners. Mr. High Cost tff Living, seated on his elevated perch, is still master of all he surveys. Mr. Sordid Profiteer, hiding in ambush, continues to gather in the shekels with a rapacity that knows no limit. One stub bornly refuses to come down and the other will rot release the strangle hold he has on the American people. They area savage pair, those two, and they are bringing down upon them the wrath of all men and women. What is to be done with such rascals? President Wilson has called"the attention of congress to theri crimes and he has pointed out a way for relief. The Washington solons, playing politics as usual, will spar with the two pirates through the life of the special session, and in all probability will adjourn congress with outing doing anything. Protests Against High Living Cost* In the meantime there are strikes and threats of strikes, not so much for higher wages as protests against the high cost of living. The wage earner has reached the point where he does not consider the amount of his wage in dollars and cents. He is more interested in the quantity of goods his wages will buy. What does it gain him to get a 10 per cent increase in wages if the things he must buy. to live advance 20 per cent High Prices, Forced by Food Profiteers Saps Life Blood From Infants, Women. NEW YORK, Aug. 14.— In an in vestigation conducted by the munic ipal health department it is found that high prices rob babies, children and adults of needed foods and re tard recovery from illness. Take the shoe industry as an example: Charles L. Jones of the Commonwealth Shoe & Leather company of Massachusetts said in Boston the other day: "While the advances in labor in the shoe and leather industry have been very large they have not kept pace with the increase in prices/' Mr. Jones admits, disposing of the claims by certain persons that labor costs have forced prices up. "Shoes that the manufacturer now sells for $5 more than he received for the same grade five years ago, cost only $1 more for labor." That is a four to one shot. The laborer gets one "dollar more in ©wages and the manufacturer gets four dollars a pair more in profit. It is the same with everything we use, only in some instances the ratio is a great deal more. Must Work Longer* A plumber visiting in this office yes terday said on the subject of shoes: "Ten years ago I earned $3.50 a day and paid $3.50 for a pair of good shoes. I therefore earned a pair of shoes in eight hours. Now I receive $7 a day and pay $12 a pair for shoes It takes 13 hours and 36 minutes to earn a pair of shoes now as against eight hours 10 years ago. I don't see how I am getting the best of it from the big wage scale I am supposed to be getting." The high price of food stuffs hits labor the hardest, as it does most of the people living on limited incomes. The packers have corralled most of the necessities of life, and there is a general suspicion that they have a hand in the present sugar shortage and the scarcity of glass preserving jars. It is believed they aim to com pel the folks to purchase during the coming year alL the canned goods they have monopolized. *t.In ^uIuth we are more unfortunate than in other cities, as the cost of food seems to -be higher here than elsewhere. The difference in prices between the Twin Cities and Duluth is most marked. It is out of all pro portion and the time has come when the city should tal^ a hand in the matter. Want City to Act. John E. Jensen, president of the Federated Trades assembly, introduced a resolution in that body last Friday evening calling upon the city com missioners .to enact an emergency' or dinance providing for the appointment of a commission to make an investi gation of the cause of the high cost of living in Duluth. Mr. Jensen pro poses that this'commission shall have power to subpoena witnesses and put them under oath. He urges that a* full and complete inquiry be made so that the responsibility may be fixed for the apparent unreasonable prices, exacted in Duluth. There is danger in delay. The un rest among -the workers is reaching an alarming state. We are looking to the nation to bring relief in a general way, but it is up to the city to And out where wrong exists: at home. Gov ernor Burnquist in his. call for a. spe cial session of the legislature advised that body to feive consideration to the question of high prices, and we should see to It that the members* of the leg islature tackle the subject sincerely, and earnestly. If the working people cannot obtain relief through ..the. agencies of govern ment, and If governments fail to func tion, the workers cannot be blamed if they use their economic power to force governments to act and profiteers to release their hold on the people. GOES UP SIX MILES. J*EW YORK, Aug. 14. Roland Rohlfs, an airship pilot, broke the altitude record by sailing upwards nearly six miles, or-31,100 feet. He said the temperature at the highest point In his flight was 25 degrees below zero. In makings the flight he traveled more than -200 miles. T^he plane was equipped with a 400-horse power motor. Rohlfs broke the former ^record by 2,200 feet* W 1 aasS'C "-.i ••4 •:~4 1 I 4