The Butler County press. [volume], July 13, 1917, Image 1

About The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946

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The mysterious Atlas Hotel dea
was solved to the satisfaction of
the striking molders last Saturday
when it became known that the
place was purchased by the Nilea
Tool Woiks interests for the pur
pose of housing strike breakers.
As soon as the truth was known
the striking molders of Molders'
Unian, No. 68 sent out their pick
ets and early Sunday morning the
first consignment of strike breakers
was brought to the city.
As near as could be seen twelve
men were brought in the first bunc'.i
and all lauded safely in the scab
roost but one. This man strayed
from the balance of his kind and
somehow fell into the hands of the
union molders who very suddenly
changed his course and persuaded
him to return to the C. H. &. D.
depot, where he boarded a train for
pastures n«w. The other eleven
men seated themselves in the lobby
of the one time Hotel Atlas in view
of the strikers and the public and
all through the day they could be
seen sneering at the strikers and
flashing large rolls of mouey, which
was enough evidence to the strikers
that the) were paid in advance for
the filthy work they were to per
for*
On Sunday after-,!.) u large
crowds of our citizens passed the
hotel eager to look at what is
known as professional gunmen and
strikebreakers. These men who
are always picked from the slums
of large cities were guaided by
Aiidy Graf and Marshall Thomas.
Graf and Thomas have for some
time been special police at the Niles
plant and little attention was paid
to them in that capacity until they
were found piloting these strike
breakers, from the railway depots
to their newly purchased roost.
Shortly after neon Sunday a pas
senger train from Dayton carrying
a peculiar baggage car pulled into
the station a**d upon investigation
by the molders it was found to con
tain baggage, trunks and suit cases
from Pittsburg. It was tipped vff
to the molders early in tbe week
that strike breakers were coming
to Hamilton from that city and
when this baggage W3S examined
they were convinced that the strike
breakers were headed this way. Re
ports from the molders are that out
of forty-four foundries in Pittsburg
where a strike hfc been in progress
for several weeks, forty have made
peace with the molders and are
now operating uniou foundries.
After this settlement in Pi:tsburg
the strike breakers used in tnose
foundrits were to be shipped to
Hamilton.
Ou Sunday evening one of the
trucks of the Niles pulled up to the
curb at the C. H. & I)., and when
the train arrived from the west five
strike breakers jumped off the train
and were immediately taken in
charge by Graf and Thomas and
escorted to the truck where the
molders and the citizens of Hamil
ton gave them the once over. Ev
e y o n e o e w e e o u o k
ing characters and it was plainly
seen that these men carried a guilty
conscience and were pale and nerv
ous. The truck pulled out and
made for the strike breakers' rooost
where it was met by several thou
sand union men, union women and
sympathizers aad friends. The
men were asked by the striking
molders to not scab against them
and they refused. Oae of the men
was handled a little rough by some
Strike Breakers Find
Hamilton Bad Place
To Roost.
Willing To Leave The City After Un=
ion Men Show Their Strength Arid
Determination To Not Let Outside
Thugs And Gunmen Take Their
Jobs.
in the crowd and he agreed to take
the first train out.
The Niles truck put on st*am and
took the balance of the men some
where and up to this time meu or
truck have not returntd.
The strike breakers who so bra
zenly seated themselves in the hotel
lobby and sneered at the crowd
outside, by this time realized that
things were not as comfortable as
expected and as the Niles company
represented to them. A few min
utes larer tbey hoisted the flag of
truce and through our big chief
Chas. Strieker they agreed to leave
Hamilton on the 9:40 train for Cin
cinnati if the molders agreed to let
them leave peacefully. The mol
ders who are always reasonable,
agreed to this if they would be al
lowed to escort them to the depot.
This was done in due time and the
strike breakers with their hands
placed above their heads were es
corted through solid lines of people.
When the C. H. & D. was reached
one of the men was found to carry
a large gun which was taken from
him by one of the union molderi.
Thousands of people cheered as the
train pulled jut and up to this time
nothiug has been heard or seen of
the strike breaking hoodlums.
The people of Hamilton demon
strated Sunday and Sunday night
that they will not stand for the
scum of the earth to be dumped
into this city for the purpose of
•akiug the jobs of our molder?.
The union molders who have been
an strike for the past six weeks
have not started ?ny trouble and
they wi'l not as long as the Niles
company fights fair and agrees to
keep strike breakers from our city.
These
Mr
ders
^OL. XVII. NO. 13. HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY,
ike breakers are not mol­
or
mechanics, but men who
are employed by strike breaking
agencies to break strikes where men
go out for more wages and better
conditions. They are dumped from
place to place and one of their in
structions is to start trouble with
strikers. This is done to create
sentiment against the strikers and
to have an
excuse
to
appeal for the
state trooops.
The molders in all of the foun
dries were called out Monday morn
ing and all of them responded nobly
This was done to show that the
molders in this city are on the job
and they intend to piotect the jobs
of the men ou strike. The molders
returned to work on advice of the
officers of the union Wednesday
morning. If necessary these men
will be called out at any time they
are needed to assist their brothers.
Not only have the molders in the
other foundries responded to call
of the molders on strike, but the
Papermakers of the Champion
Coated Paper Company and the
Textile Workers of the Shuler &
Benninghofen Woolen Mills who
are on strike also, were on duty to
cheer the striking molders on to
victory.
Ui* to this writing the Atlas
Hotel is as silent as a tomb and the
last man that left its grimy walls
was Andy Graf who left at four A.
M. Monday morning. Since that
time no one has entered or left the
place except Ernst Owens tbe col
ored barber who entered and re»
moved the barbers' union card and
his belongings.
All union men are requested to
attend the Mats Meeting Saturday
night.
s
Organized labor is raising the
standards of worklugiuen by
compelling them to think rap
Idly and to speuk rlcarly. The
trade union movement has de
veloped a company of speakers
who are abundantly able to pre
sent the en use of the toilers.
This is constantly being demon
.strated at tlie nutional meetings
of labor bodies, where states
manship of tbe highest order Is
demanded and where some of
the addresses would easily rank
with the best, that are delivered
tn the conferences and eonven
$ tions of other national bodies.
$
ORGANIZED LABOR.
$•
LOYAL TO PRINCIPLES.
Labor Demands Same Service Prom
Employers as It Freely Give*.
l"be spirit with which labor has met
our nation's emergency is an earnest
of the intelligent, high minded service
that can be definitely relied upon In
furtherance of the principles which our
republic represents. I^nbor foresaw
that participation in the war was in
evitable. Its representatives Issued a
declaration expressing labor's obliga
tions resting upon enjoyment of rights
and opportunities.
Labor Is fully aware of the indispen
sable service it renders society In peace
and in war. Tools rough hew the na
tion's resources and prepare tbe fin
ished product i'or utilization. The
users of tools determine the nation's
ability to cope with emergencies or to
seize opportunities. National alertness
and progress are directly commensurate
with the intelligence, creative resource
fulness and spi
ing the users of
has declared tli
Is bound up wit
proper regard n
wonderful mi
American
iheir vvii
in what'
itual response actuat
ools. Therefore labor
obligation to service
i the right to demand
id protection for that
i i!
11 human bod lea.
(i i:!i and sane and
es. No me can deny
seen seized upon as op
lerease profits. Even
or had declared that
blood must not be
war games, but that
in the trenches and
in factories and in the
red with dig
.4 of t,elf respect
ices are appre-
Labor has
loyal to pritn ip
that wars have
portunities to
before the
v.
human U
made victims i
servii-e, whet In
on the slaps or
mines, .should
nity and with
possible only
dated and i iu
I 'tected.
have declared
less
to do their full duty
relationship they may be
most needed. They declare with equal
force that the workers will resist ev
ery attempt to subordinate flesh and
blood to profiteering. They declare
that at tli is time there is no just
ground for long and exhausting hours
of toil nor for lowering standards of
work or life.
It is evident that in the immediate
future many things will arise which
may occasion disagreements between
employees and employers. Labor de
mands that there ought to be estab
lished voluntary agencies whereby dif
ferences can be adjusted. Need for un.
Interrupted production ought not to be
the cloak under which American work
era can be robbed of justice.
Labor organizations have made
known their rcadiuess to enter into ar
bitration agreements with private em
ployers as well as with the govern
ment. They will do ever thing within
their power to organize i i
.1
rela­
tions upon a basis of jn will
assure the note... .•
the material i i:
Labor, con»'i"i!
i
has offered
service
ty.
and 1
el
ation. Employers and tl: em
must declare themselves i in the
Same spirit-
Sil
n,in-! miii ici'-v
NO LABOR DICTATOR.
Secretary Wilson Asserts There Is No
Necessity For Such Action.
Secretary
Wilson
of the department
of labor has denied reports that the
creation of a labor dictator is contem
plated by the government.
"There is no such thing contemplated
by the Council of National Defense as
a labor dictat i. lie said. "There has
been no necefor such action be
cause tbe spirit of co-operation that
has existed since the beginning of the
emergency among all classes of work
men, organized and unorganized, and
the able and earnest manner in which
the spirit has been publicly expressed
by their chosen leaders. Methods of
adjusting labor troubles are under con
sideration by the Council of National
Defense, each of which considers the
human element in industry, but none
of them contemplate the establishment
of a labor dictatorship."
Large Firm Unionized.
The Hurley-Mason company of Ta
comu, Wash., one of the largest con
tracting firms In. tbe northwest, has
abandoned nonunionism and will em
ploy none but members of organized
labor. Wages of carpenters are raised
to $5 a day and other employees' wages
also increased. The tirm has been non
union for a number of years, but com
pany officials declare that "we have
tome to the decision that it (uniaaiea
dlon) is the right thing to do."
Organized Toilers.
We owe it to ourselves, we owe It to
our families, we owe it to labor in gen
eral, we owe It to the coming genera
tion, to protect ourselves by organiza
tion against unfair and cutthroat com
petition, against insanitary conditions,
against low wages and long hours,
against unfair treatment in shop and
factory, against sickness, involuntary
idleness and th« degrading influences
of porerty.—Shoe Workers' Journal.
THE BUT LEI! COUNTY iUtESS.
PROFFERS
PUN
TO
Secretary of Labor Wilson Ex
plains Proposed Law.
FAVORS INDUSTRIAL COURT
Opposes Compulsory Arbitration as an
Invasion of Human Liberty—Federal
Commission Would Be Empowered to
Investigate and Adjust Disputes and
Enforce Decisions-
Incident to the investigation by a
special committee of the United States
senate into tbe facts of the existing
street railway strike in the city of
Washington, Secretary of Labor Wilson
has submitted to the committee the
draft of a proposed bill providing for a
United Slates industrial adjustment
commission, which shall act as an in
dustrial court for all of the interstate
carriers of the country as well as for
the street railways of the District of
Columbia. This commission would not
have power to prevent the dismissal of
employees, either individually or col
lectively, nor the voluntary abandon
ment of employment by employees,
either individually or collectively. In
that sense it has not the power to pre
vent a lockout.
On the other hand, the bill does pro
vide that the commission shall not only
investigate industrial disputes involv
ing these common carriers, but it shall
pass judgment upon these disputes by
the issuance of orders of adjustment.
Moreover, "such order or orders shall
specify the date, to be fixed by the
commission, upon which they shall be
come operative and shall thereafter
have the same force and effect both
upon the employers and tLie wage earn
ers concerned as would a contract
made and executed by and between the
same parties upon the same subject
matter and shall be so construed."
Machinery for the hearing of appeals
from these orders is provided through
the federal tli i :•!.•! .•m: and circuit
courts of ap of the
terms of an order 11 ougb separate
agreement between loyers and em
ployees is forbiddt- :.
The bill was accompanied by a letter
from Secretary Wilson to Senator Pitt
man of Nevada, acting chairman of the
senate investigating committee. The
letter says in part:
I have been opposed to compulsory
arbitration because I did not believe
that any man or set of men should be
compelled to work for the profit or con
venience of any other man or set of
men. All other objections are eco
nomic and incidental, although some of
them are nevertheless serious.
The first objection cited Involves a
serious question of human liberty,
which no majority should have the
right to invade. I realize, however,
that when all the people are cut off
from their food supply and starvation
confronts them, they are not going to
stop to consider whose rights are invad
ed or whose liberty is destroyed. They
are going to find means of securing
food. They will take the most direct
road, whether that happens to be the
right way or the wrong way. For that
reason it would seem the part of wis
dom to carefnHy work out the problem
When no crisis with a view to
conserving :h freedom of the
workers and the fo upply of the peo
ple. The other two ". tions are pure
ly economic and ni
r.
:th perfect pro­
priety be dealt with such a manner
as will best protect general welfare.
These thoughts have been borne in
mind in the preparation of the measure
which I submit for your consideration.
It is proposed to create a system by
which nothiug can be gained by strik
ing. Other machinery is provided by
which progress can be made. The work
er is left free t6 work or not, Individu
ally or collectively, and the employers
to dismiss their workmen individually
or collectively, but the motive for
strikes and lockouts is destroyed. I
feel sure that with a measure of this
character on the statute books strikes
and lockouts would never occur over a
sufficiently large area to seriously im
pair the transportation facilities of the
country, and the end would be reached
not by crushing the workers, but by
giviug them a different method of ad
justing grievances.
Opposes Women Substitutes.
The proposed employment of women
as conductors on street cars in Boston
to fill the places made vacant by men
called to the colors was opposed in res
olutions announced by the Boston
Street Car Men's union. "Organized
labor," the resolution said, "would pro
tect women against themselves that
their labor may not be exploited by the
captains of industry who, under the
guise of patriotism, hide their real mo
tives and purposes, which seek to deny
to those at present engaged in this
occupation any serious collective effort
to petition for a little more in, wages
that will enable them to maintain the
American standard of living."
Broadens Workmen's
Law.
Governor Whitman of New Tofk has
signed the Walters bill amending the
workmen's compensation law by
broadening its scope to include workers
engaged in many more occupations
than now are covered. The new groups
to be included comprise those engaged
in the manufacture, storage or han
dling of explosives or dangeroua eham
icala.
JULY 1917.
80UND ADVICE.
A good way for card men to
appreciate what the labor move
4• ment has done for them In the
way of improved working condl
$ tious is to attend regularly their
union meetings. An authority
on labor matters recently said
that a man cannot possibly be
4- a good, consistent unionist and
A- not attend the meetings of his lo
4* cal union. By missing the meet
ings, he said, a member loses
4-
track of important matters which 41
constantly come up for action 4*
and consequently cannot keep In 4r
4* touch with those things that are 4»
41 of utmost interest to his and his
4f- brothers' welfare.
LABOR ACCIDENTS.
What It Costs the State of New York
to Pay Compensation.
WThat New York state loses In acci
dent expense is told in part tersely
and concisely by William C. Archer in
his annual report on the bureau of
compensation of the State Industrial
Commission.
There are in New York state 200,000
employers and L',000.000 employees un
der the compensation law. They re
ceive an annual total wage of $1,000,
000,000.
There are 315,000 accidents a year
excluding those which cause no loss
of time other than the day, turn or
shift in which tbe accidents happen
or that require no other medical aid
than first aid. This la 1,000 accidents
a day. Of these all require medical
aid. The average cost of medical aid
is $10 per case. There are annually
60,000 claims for cash benefits. This
is 5,000 a month. The average cash
benefit received Is $100- No cash bene
fits ure paid for the first two weeks of
disability.
There are deaths a year. TSie
average death beiietH Is $3,250. The
total annual benefits are now running
$1»,11)0.000. including medical. This is
$1,000,000 a month. The average com
pensation wage Is $0 a week.
The State Industrial Commission
conducts its own insurance depart
ment, the state fund, which does a
business of from $1,500,000 to $2,000,
000 a year. The compensation bureau
employs about 300 people. Including the
Btate fund About TO.ooo people visit
the bureau each year. There are, be
sides the principal office In Albany,
branch offices in New York, Brooklyn,
Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse. The
cost of handling claims is less than 3
per cent of benefits and less than 2
per cent of premiums. The commis
sion malntabis its own postoffice. In
formation bureau, telephone exchange,
etc. There are two general claims of
fices. There are six deputy commis
sioners besides the deputy commission
er in charge, and there are also the
very Important ollices of chief of
claims, manager of the state fund,
chief actuary and cashier.
MAY NOT SUSPEND LAW.
War Not a Labor Emergency Within
Meaning of Statute.
War is not an extraordinary emer
gency within the meaning of that pro
vision of be labor law which forbids
employees engaged in the performance
of
contracts
JBt.
4
I
4
i
4
4
U
on behalf of New York
state to work more than eight hours in
any one calendar day. Attorney Gen
eral Merton E. Lewis held in an opin
ion made public recently.
State Architect Pilcher had asked for
advice In connection with the comple
tion of the school of military aero
nautics at Cornell university. Neces
sities of the military situation require
the early completion of this building.
A contractor cannot employ a man in
the performance of the work for more
than eight hours a day, and progress
of construction, therefore, was unsatis
factory. The attorney general held that
the labor law defined "an extraordinary
emergency" as an emergency caused by
"Are, flood or danger to life or prop
erty." He also said:
"It is my opinion that the state in
this case is not authorized under the
existing statute to suspend the eight
hour law. What powers the federal
government may exercise In conduct
ing this work as a war measure are
beyond the question considered."
For Equal Pay Plan.
The National American Woman Suf
frage association announced it had re
ceived assurauces from the Pennsylva
nia railroad that the corporation has
accepted the principle of "equal pay for
equal work" wherever women are em
ployed in places of men. The United
Cigar Stores company has given like
assurances. The association is con
ducting a nation wide campaign for
the principle.
LABOR BRIEFS.
The Textile Workers" union, claim
ing that 2,000 of its members employed
At Chattanooga, Tenn., have been lock
ed out, called a strike affecting all
Chattanooga textile plants.
The strike of the Brotherhood of Car
penters and Joiners at Cramps, Chea
ter, Pa., has been settled.
The Latimer (Pa.) local of the Unit
ed Mine Workers recently adopted reso
lutions that its members shall not re
main idle on holy days except Christ
mas, New Year, Good Friday and
Easter.
Ship carpenters employed in Brook
lyn, N. Y., recently struck for an ad*
vance from $4.25 to $4.50 per day.
This Is
#.
The
v.
Square is the name, Square is our aim
All Suits and Pants made to your
individual order in a
Union Shop
The SquareTailors
106 HIGH STREET
Meet him at
Cor. Front and Pish Sis.
ants' Dinner lunch
Served every Day
Lunch Counter Connected
$1.00 PEE TEAS
jaa-lfr4f
S CfiFE
The Cigar Man
W o k s y o u s u o o a
Second Term
AS
Oily Treasurer
THANK YOU
Reliable Dealers in
Dry Goods, Carpets, Cloaks, Queensware
Millinery. House Furnishings
VToss-Holbrock Stamps with
all Casb Purchases.
When on that evening's spin stop at
ai. Music's Cafe
At Port Union
The bright spot in the country.
SUfVUViER
Tourist Ticiiets
at Low Round Trip Fares Daily
to New York, Boston, Atlantic
City and other Resorts in the
East, direct or via Washington
PENNSYLVANIA
LINES
also to Resorts in North Michigan,
Wisconsin and the Northwest,
Colorado and the West
liberal Stopovers and Return Limits
CbmmM Local Ticket A genu for particular* or mi&rm*
C. C. HAINES
.4 A
Ca.
jUn»8i