The Butler County press. [volume], December 31, 1926, Image 1

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VOL. XXVL No. 38
By International Labor News'Service.
New York City.—Wholesale graft
ing by officers and members of the
local Electrical Workers' Union is
charged by the International Brother
hood of Electrical Workers of America
in a court fight to oust 17 officers
of the local union.
Five hundred affidavits, filed in su
preme court by International Vice
President H. II. Broach, charge the
17 officers and members of the New
York Union with bribery, corruption
and conspiracy to prevent competent
mechanics from entering the union.
The affidavits declare that the elec
trical contracting industry is honey
combed with graft.
The affidavits were the internation
al's answer to an attempt by the local
union to restrain the parent body from
removing the accused men and bring
ing them to trial on bribery charges
before the international in Washing
ton.
"Two-Way Shops," Charged
Among charges made in the affi
davits are:
Union officers permitted electrical
contractoi's to operate what were
known as 'two-way shops," employ
ing crews of union and non-union men
at the same time.
Men who knew nothing of electrical
work were inducted into the union on
the order of business agents.
An electrical contractor on the
Fourteenth street power house for the
New York Edison Company swore
that he paid Richard L. O'Hara, pres
ident of the local union, and Business
Agent William O'Toole $200 a month
each on the understanding that
"things would go smoothly on the
powerhouse job."
Paid "Probation" Graft
Non-union electrical** contractors
were compelled to pay graft when
business agents' of the union kept
them "on probation," sometimes for
a year, before allowing them to have
union mechanics.
There are numerous other charges
of irregularities, including sale of
membership cards and acceptance of
UNION LABOR LIFE
LEASESJWFKB
By International Labor News Service.
Washington, D. C.—Union Labor
Life Insurance Company has leased
permanent offices on Connecticut
avenue in this city in an unusually
favorable locality at unusually favor
able terms.
The new offices will be in a triangle
building, with glass on three sides,
affording unusual light and giving the
company the floor space it will need
when it begins its actual business life
early in January.
Stock' sales are about ended, it is
announced, with only formal an
nouncement of the final closing of
the books to be made. It is an
nounced that unless those still wish
ing stock act immediately they will
be disappointed.
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Electrical Workers' Heads
Charge Members of New York
Local With Wholesale Graft
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graft by business agents for failing
to report that non-union men were
working on jobs.
George Donnellan, counsel for the
local officers, in urging before su
preme Court Justice Crain that the
temporary order restraining the in
ternational organization from remov
ing the men be made permanent,
charged that Vice President Broach
•came. to this city last February at
the request of the local officers to
organize the field, but instead set
afoot "a conspiracy" to gain control
of the union and its funds of $268,000.
Decision Is Reserved
Justice Crain in reserving decision
said he was concerned only with the
procedure of trying local officers,
whether the local union had exclusive
jurisdiction or whether both the local
and international had concurrent
jurisdiction.
FALL AND DOHENY
Asquittal Bad Effect
Country. Declares
New Yorker
New Yorker.—Bribery, vote frauds
and rum violations are factors that
are bringing this country to the verge
of anarchy, Fred B. Smith, chairman
of the citizens' committee of one thou
sand, said in sending out a nation
wide call for his organization's an
nual meeting in Washington on Jan
uary 6th.
Bribery in public life looms about
us large in undermining the country's
social order, through creating disre
spect for law, as does the "somewhat
general flouting" of the eighteenth
amendment," Mi*. Smith said.
The recent acquittal of Fall and
Doheny, he asserted, has "had a terri
ble effect on the country and given
the people the idea that any one with
a big enough roll of money can go
down to Washington and even buy a
cabinet member."
Referring to the elections in Penn
sylvania and Illinois, he said he tiad
no evidence of fraud that could be
laid before a jury, but felt that these
cases "were open scandals."
SENATE WILL PKOBE
BIG BAKERY MERGER
Washington.—The senate judiciary
committee has appointed a sub-com
mittee to probe the bread trust. The
committee will also investigate the
charge that the federal district court
at Baltimore dismissed a complaint
against the Continental Baking Cor
poration when it was informed that
the federal trade commission was
prosecuting a similar case against
the Continental. It is now known
that the commission dropped its case
and so notified the department of jus
tice a few hours before the case was
-placed before the Baltimore court.
The government failed to acquaint
the court with the fact that the com
plaint was dropped.
The investigation was proposed by
Senator La Follette.
TO OUR FRIENDS
AND CUSTOMERS
We Wish You
A Very Happy New Year
Thanks for your part in our success. We
trust we have merited your support. We
hope to be able to serve you even more
efficiently during the coming year.
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On
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THE BUTLER COUNTY
STATION ONE-NINE
TWO-SIX MOW
SIGNING OFr
wishinc3 you A
HEALTHY, HAPPY AND
prosperous
:AR
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Sp
By Staff Correspondent, International
Labor News Service.
New York City.—Six months of
costly struggle which has ravaged the
once powerful International Ladies'
Garment Workers' Union has brought
its first victory for the cloakmakers.
Arbitration resorted to immediately
after the international ousted the lo
cal communist leadership has gained
the workers every point of conten
tion. Peace has now been restored in
the industry, but the conflict between
the right and left wing continues un
abated.
Morris Sigman, president of the in
ternational, commenting on the award
which has sent 20,000 locked-out
workers back to the shops, describes
it "a signal achievement for the cloak
makers, a victory for sane trade union
tactics." He declared the union,
through arbitration, ended "the lock
out and strike which the muddle
headed communists were incapable of
resolving after six months of costly
struggle, and obtained through arbi
tration terms far more favorable than
the communists obtained from only
one-fourth the industry after 20
weeks of strike."
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Signing
American Labor Movement
Pledges Aid to Big Union
ent After Futile Strike
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Cloakmakers Win First Victory
As Communist Leaders Are Ousted
A. F. of L. Aids Leaders
The American Federation of Labor
has acted to assist the international
reorganize its New York locals, fi
nance them over the period in which
a debt of over $1,500,000 must be met
and to give the rank and file the op
portunity to decide whether they will
remain within the labor movement or
trail along with the communist party.
William Green, president of the
federation, has designated five promi
nent labor leaders to co-operate with
the intei'national officers in the house
cleaning. They are Matthew Woll, a
vice president of the federation
Hugh Frayne, New York representa
tive John Sullivan, president of the
New York State Federation of Labor
Joseph Ryan, president of the Central
Trades and Labor Council, and John
F. O'Hanlon, legislative representa
tive of the State Federation.
Mr. Woll accepted honorary chair
manship of the cloakmakers' finance
committee, which will seek funds to
rehabilitate the international. Mr.
Frayne is chairman-of the law com
mittee.
Enrollment Begins
Enrollment of the 40,000 cloak
makers and 20,000 dressmakers has
begun as a preliminary to reorganiz
ing the local unions under authority
of the general executive board of the
international.
The test of strength will come,
however, in the referendum which is
to be called. There is evidence that
the powerful communist group that
has been welded from nuclei in all
the needle trades unions is fully pre
pared for the development and is
amply supplied with funds and lea
ers. Of this their recent demonstra
tion of 13,000 in Madison Square
Garden is proof.
At the call of the Lefts thousands
of communists from other than cloak
makers' unions, politicals who are
anxious to see the trade unions
wrecked and outside groups, as well
as a strong minority from the ranks
of the cloakmakers responded. One
hundred Red guards, paid members of
•the picket committee, formed a re
ception committee in front of the hall.
Police Aid Communists
Nearly 100 policemen and plain
clothes men, members of the bomb
squad and the industrial squad, co
operated with the Red guards. Any
union man of suspected right wing
tendencies was driven away and pre
vented from enterirtg. Protests were
unavailing, for the police were work
ing in perfect accord with the com
munist leadership. It was one of the
interesting revelations of the situa
tion.
Defiance was voiced at the efforts
of the labor movement to capture the
local needle trades from the commu
nist elements. Fur workers, painters,
clothing workers, jewelers, leather
workers infected with the virus of
Moscow were in the hall, ostensibly
all cloakmakers, who were yelling ap
proval of 25 weeks' starvation and
tumult on the picket lines which they
fc|ave ]^utr recently experienced wi£h-
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a
out much to show for their sacrifice.
National Menace Checked
The committee for the preservation
by local union leaders who have man
by local union leaders wha hove man
aged to stamp out communist fires in
their unions, has broadened its ac
tivity. It has drawn attention to the
national activity of the anti-union
groups centering in Chicago. Labor
bodies in Chicago, Boston, Philadel
phia have been urged to co-operate
with the committee to check the raids
made on the workers' economic organ
izations.
Thirty workers drown, 30 saved, as
launch carrying them from New York
city to plant at Edgewater, N. J.,
sinks in the icy Hudson river captain
of launch arrested on homicide
charge.
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HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1926 ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR
DINING ROOM SUITES
LIVING ROOM SUITES
BEDROOM SUITES
ROOM RUGS
-S
...<p></p>PRESS.
By JOSEPH A. WISE
Correspondent, International
Labor News Service
Chicago.—The uproar against the
seating of Col. Frank L. Smith to' fill
out the unexpired term of United
States Senator William B. McKinley,
who died recently, is recognized in
Illinois for just what it is—a smoke
screen to conceal the real designs of
the noise-making politicians and their
daily newspaper allies.
Staff
Organized labor, the farmers and
war veterans were the three big fac
tors in the nomination and election of
Colonel Smith to the United States
senate. These three elements are not
in good standing at the White House,
but have some friends on Capitol
Hill.
Big Interests Opposed Smith
Opposing Colonel Smith were all of
those big financial interests whose
principal aim is to exploit the wage
earner, rob the farmer and to make a
mockery of the sacrifices of the ex
service men.
It is a fact that a large sum of
money was spent by Colonel Smith's
managers in the primary election last
spring, but not a scintilla of evidence
ever has been produced showing that
a dollar was wrongfully spent either
from a moral or legal standpoint.
Illinois is a large state, both in
territory and population, having more
than 6,000,000 inhabitants. It takes
a lot of money to reach that number
of people by means of the printed
word and through a speaking cam
paign.
Forced to Use Much Printed Matter
The Smith managers were forced
to use an enormous quantity of print
ed matter largely because not one
Chicago daily newspaper supported
Smith, and only a handful of the
down-state dailies had a good word
to say for him. The only class of
publication that gave Smith 100 per
cent support were the down-state la
bor papers, which, taken collectively,
are a powerful factor in Illinois.
Smith had to fight against gigantic
financial interests capable of exercis
ing tremendous influence through un
Begin The New Year With
A Home Renewed
Of all your 1927 resolutions, the one in which you say "I must have a beau
tiful home the coming year," is the most commendable. A handsomely
furnished home is an inspiration both to you and to your family. It is is a
source of joy for the year and the many years that follow it. Fine Furni
ture, the kind we sell, typifies this spirit the essence of reliability, the
worthiness of substantial construction, the beauty of having the newest—
these factors will help you decide immediately to select new Furniture for
your entire home or merely to choose for one or two rooms in it.
Put Your Christmas Check On a Krebs Suite
THIRD & COURT STS.
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Uproar Against Smith Seen
As Plot of Big Interests
To Nullify Labor Victory
Fight By Politicians on Illinois Senator-elect Meets With
the Approval of Reactionary Moneyed Groups Who
Seek to Exploit City and Farm Workers.
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derground channels and openly where
it was impossible to conceal their
Machiavellian machinations. He won
the fight in the only way it could be
won—his campaign manager obtained
a sufficient amount of money to pay
for the rent, printing, advertising,
postage, transportation of speakers
and other legitimate expenses neces
sary to carry on a successful cam
paign.
The great crime that Frank L.
Smith committed is that he won!
Pretend to Be Greatly Horrified
Some of the virtuous gentlemen in
the senate would have us believe that
they are horrified over Colonel Smith's
frank admission that he accepted
$125,000 from Sam Insull, traction
magnate.
Insull, born a British subject and
naturalized as an American citizen,
swore on the witness stand that he
gave that money to Smith because he
was opposed to the World Court.
Why isn't Insull's word under oath
as worthy of belief as are the insin
cere verbal attacks of political trick
sters and the highly colored news ar
ticles and editorials printed in daily
newspapers which are cheek by jowl
with the oil, steel, packing and other
large manufacturing interests?
Interests Sought to Split Vote
All of these were out in open in
the November general election as
backers of Hugh S. Magill, who ran as
an "independent republican" candi
date for senator in order to split
Smith's vote so that George E. Bren
nan, tne democratic candidate and a
thoroughly "reliable" man from the
standpoint of the big manufacturing
interests, could be elected.
Magill was and now is an employe
of John D. Rockefeller. The oil king
loaned Magill for the campaign. Fol
lowing the election Magill returned to
his old Standard Oil job and recently
has been making speeches in several
states against the seating of Smith.
The big interests opposed to the in
dustrial wage earner, the farmer and
the war veteran may be successful in
crucifying Frank L. Smith, but they
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$189 to $450
$179 to $380
$175 to $400
$19.75 to $150
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