The labor argus. [volume], August 15, 1907, Image 1

About The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915

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~V^lT~Ko. 12. CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA, AUG. 15, 1907. $1.00 a Year in Advance
ftanawha s (greatest ?,abor &ay demonstration Monday Sept.
AT KANAWHA STOCK FARM UNDER AUSPICES CAPITOL CITY TRADES ASSFMRi Y
STREET CA!
FORCE]
By Stand Taken by Supe
Men Have the Situ
?National
Hi. members of tlie new Street
Car ! ninii are t>n strike. The
cause which lead up to that ac11..!
have been discussed from both
n< 11mi nts in the daily press, but
think that there are many
pli.1-1? that arc not understood V>y
ihi citizens and members of the
company.
The movement to organize had
I,ecu on foot for some time, and a
unlabel ol' signatures had been
Mcioi to the application for a
i1.,liter In-fore Mr. Alexander, the
' ?ii|.ciintendent became aware of
the fact, but just as soon as he
l..ninl out the names of the four
:: i a who were active in advocating
tin- ibi niation of the union they
were summarily discharged.
U lien asked for his reasons for dismissing
them from the service lie
miiiI that they liiul been disloyal to
tin- company, inasmuch as they
urn- trying to organize a union.
l bi- iin warranted action on the
purl ot Mr. Alexander resulted in
tin- men becoming more determined
tlinii ever to organize, which they
iii! according to tins laws of the
International organization. The
Miine day the organization of the
union was perfected, the superintendent
placeiLtive new men on the
i iim to learn how to operate them
and the in formation was freely
itiveil out by those connected with
the company that ten more would
In- j>ut to work th?' following day
and that they expected a number
of experienced men from Huntington
and other points within a few
iluts. All thisoccuring before the
men had formally notified the company
that they had organized or
making any demands whatever on
tin- e.-mpaiiv^made the men someu
I I 1 - - - -
uuu si mwuiig oi me
nitm.iii was i-.illul anil a committee
i i i i ! l i i I tn wait on tlie officials
; l!ii >iin Ji-.tiiy and request them
'.'i i ll her reinstate the men iliseiiaryed
or give some reason for
"in i- discharge or recognize the
union ami let the matter of the reinstatement
ul the men go to arbiI
rat inn.
W lien the committee calleil on
sii|iei inlenilent Alexander, lie re
asiil to cither reinstate the men,
- i' any reason for their discharge
m recognize tlie union. Other ofi
s were waited oil by the cuin"ee
Init slated that they were
i : .ii tn lake any action whater.
as Mr. Alexander had sole
irye o|" the men and been ills''
eted liy the beard ol" directors
!ia\e no negotiations or to recognize
no labor unions.
11 was stated that the new men
' "to t(? ] i ?:l I'll t?? 11??? ' ??"
! ?'!> was in need of more men to
maintain their line, and were not
fil for the purpose of taking
'la- places of tlie union men, but
'* <: withstanding f'1'* statement,
i lie superintendent llatly stated to
he men that he wanted no union
men in his employ and each of the
i e\v men hired was required by
i 'u to si?*|| ai, agreement to be ' ug
to no laiior union while in the
employ of the company.
I'iiese facts very plainly show
hat the union men had 110 other
alternative hut to refuse to work
under the circumstances and no
d'crty loving American citizen can
Maine them for their action.
The company has attempted to
justify its position in refusing to
' cognize the union by stating that
hey had inaugurated a beneficial
uanizatiou among their employees
w 11 '.eli would protect and assist
'hem ii, <-ase of sickness ami death
1 his may i>ossibly lie a good thing
' r tlie employees, but it seems
passing strange that it become
, necessary to organize it and have
its tiist meeting right upon the
heels of the organizing of the union.
The activity displayed by
the versatile superintendent in or
J MEN
) TO STRIKE
.rintendent of Companyation
Well in Hand
Man Here
; ganizing this beneficial branch certainly
gives abundant room tor the
] belief that there is an ebony liucd
gentleman in the woodpile.
! The foroeniin* ftiM* .... ?- --1- -?
n. j,, ??v.w lu nuuw
i that the men simply did what any
' other body of Ainericau citizens,
i who love their families and their
liberty, would have done under
i similar circumstances.
Since the men have been out
: they have at all times and under
i all circumstances conducted themj
selves in an orderly and gentle
manly manner and have gained
the sympathy and moral support
i of our citizens.
| Every local union in the city
which has held a meeting since the
unpleasantness have passed resolutions
instructing their membership
to keep oil' the cars and withdraw
their patronage from the l'ark
and asking their friends and sympathizers
to do likewise and have
assured the strikers of both their
financial and moral assistance.
rpi '?'- ? * - -
j me i rimes Assembly at its mect|
ing Monday evening donated tliein
a good round sum and inaugurated
a movement to assist them in bringing
the company to terms. The
Bartenders' and Carpenters Unions
also donated goodly sums to assist
in defraying the preliminary expenses,
prior to their seeming assistance
from National Headquarters.
A hack and automobile line is
now in operation under the direction
of the union men, comprising
fifteen vehicles which has been
on a paying basis since its inauguration
and the receipts are increasing
daily. The merchants and
business men who rely upon the
laboring class for their support are
withdrawing their patronage from
the street cars and are patronizing
the union hack line.
The only disorderly feature that
has occurred since the strike took
place on the West Bide on last Friday
evening when a crowd of boys
and men made boisterous and disI
.1 ' ?
uirilieilSLruilOUS, WHICH
shouid, anil could have been prevented
if the officers 011 the scene
had asserted their authority at the
outset, but luckily no serious dainj
age was resulted.
The strikers were not implicated
\ in any manner in the nll'air and
j were much chagrined at the occurj
rence, a repetition of which will
j not occur if it is in their power to
i prevent it, and they appeal to their
j friends and sympathizers to refrain
I from demonstrations of any kind
j in the future.
Xational Organizer Fitzgerald,
| of New York, lias arrived in the
| city and assumed charge of the
situation, lie will, however, take
i no actiofi or make any change in
j the present program until he can
gain a conference with representa
tives of the company and do all
: that he can to secure a settlement,
; l>ut in the event an adjustment of
the differences can not be made a
i light to the bitter end will result
! and the men will be backed by the
j international Organization as well
; sis the A. F. of L., Mine Workers,
i the State Federation of labor and
I every local union in this section.
?
Two of thfc largest firms in the
city have requested their employ
ers to keep off the cars until the
strike is settled, but for business
reasons do not want their names
published.
If public sympathy goes for anything.
the street car Im>ys will win
in a walk.
Alfred McHenry, one of the
strike breaking motormen, in the
employ of the Kanawha Valley
Traction Company, ran his car in
to ati open switch at the corner
, of Virginia anil Brooks street at
S o'clock yesterday evening, ami
was thrown from his car, sustaining
painful injuries. He was i
taken to the general hospital.
A team was struck on Patrick j
street Tuesday bv a street car, but \
fortunately 110 oaraage was done, i
other to give both parties a shake
j up and scare.
It is expected that a conference 1
; between the company officials anil
| representatives of the street car
i union will be held in a short time, '
and an effort made to come to some
understanding.
A Communication
! Editor Labor Argus:
Dear Sir?The imported street
ear strike breakers are evidently j
"scorchers" and are tisinj^ our i
"race course"?ltigley Avenue?j
for speeding, regardless of life
or property, as the follow ing facts
will prove: About eleven o'clock j
yesterday morning while Charley 1
j Ingle who drives a team of ponies j
for Ernest Myers, our enterprising |
. meat dealer, was delivering meat:
on Kigley Avenue there were two
cars coming down Kigley Avenue
at a rate beyond the speed limit,
result of inexperienced employers
?horses struck and d raged about j
forty feet, harness turn, wagon !
wrecked, young man thrown from j
wagon anil might have been seriously
injured but fortunately escaped
with a few bruises. As to
the horses they are injured to such j
an extent that one or both will j
probably be shot. 1 could not say
whether he was an old employee
or not, heard his name was liostic,
but whether he is either a new or!
old employee the fact remains the
company are responsible for the
accident which might have been j
.worseXow,
Mr. Editor, 1 am a union 1
man and am in favor of strike only j
as a last resort, but 1 lirmly be- ;
lieve the strikers are right in this!
trouble as one case of an employee
was brought particularly to my
notice, about o?e year ago. A
young man with a wife and child,
who rented from me and worked
: for the Kanawha Valley Traction
j Company as conductor, worked
| two weeks "learning the streets"
I for nothing, then was put on sis
' "extra" at the munificient sum of
15 or 16 cents an hour, and worked
on average of 4 hours a day for
| twenty-four days,?puzzle how can
la man exist in Charleston for that
money? It is unnecessary to state
; that the' young man ipiit the job(t)
| and went back to the farm. If the
Traction Co. would pay their cm'
ployeos living wages they would
i not have to employ "spotters" or
! or detectives?so called" to report
their men, as circumstances makes
i f Iwt fltinf I?? ?s"1 ...Ill -? ?
! that I sincerely hope sympathizers,
who are as a rule not connected
with any labor organization will
! <lo the community, strikers and all
! more goctl by refraining to destroy
property and keep their mouth
! shut and tend to their own business.
Public sympathy wins a strike,
! the street car boys have a better
I cab service than the cars are giving,
j Thanking you for space, I am a
SVMI'ATH IZKlt.
LOCAL NEWS OF
MINE WORKERS
Organizing Campaign is Being
Vigorously Pushed by
Local Officials.
The local union at Putney on
'Campbells Creek was reorganized
last Friday evening by National
Organizers Lanhain and Krallman
and the mass meeting held in that
connection was a ver, decided
success.
One of the largest crowds ever asembfed
at Kagle turned out last
Sunday to hear addresses by
National Executive Hoard Mcniler
Ben Davis. National Organizer
Krallman and the Hon. Adam 15.
Littlepage, attorney for the Mine
1 Workers. The meeting was a
grand success aiul all indication
are tliat the organization will gro\
aiitl prosper in that section in th
future.
* * *
Messrs Cairns ami Lanham wer
called to I'.oomer on last Sumla;
to adjust a grievance -it that place
which they have taken up witl
the proper parties and expect t
success full v handle it.
* * *
Organizer 1 .anham juid Krall
man are on liriar Creek this wcel
strengthening up the organize! ioi
in that locality and are doing sunn
ellicient work in that line.
* * *
The miners of Mammoth wil
hold a hig mass meeting on Sun
day afternoon which will lie ad
dressed by Mess is. Hen F. Morris
Tlios. Cairns, Charles Krallmai
anil nt hoi's A largo attendanci
anil a rousing good mooting i:
anticipated.
* * *
Secretary Morris reports thai
tin? situation in that portion oi
Kontiioky connocti'il with IMstrid
No. 17, is in bettor oondition thai
at any tiiuo in tho past. Mossrs
Housiiohl. Morgan and Qtiiiitiat
liavo hoon doing good work in thai
sootion for tho past month.
Subscribe for The Labor Angus
Only paper published in Kananht
Valley ilovotoil to the interests o
organized labor.
THE PEOPLE
MUST PA\
The Standard Oil Company's Bij
Fine Says William D. Haywood?Reasons.
'The workinginen of tlic countrj
will pay this i?2!>,000,000 tine imposed
upon the oil trust, if it ii
paid. That is not the way to sloj
the evil practice of the money-mad
corporations."
In these words William I>. llay
wood, secretary-treasurer of tin
Western Federation of Miners, discussed
the scnteneeot the Standard
?i 1 Company.
4Tlie only way the middle and
laboring class can get justice and
force the greedy trusts to lie fair,"
he continued, '"is to have law>
enacted which will put the olliciah
ti, lull . ...
J *ii IUI nucil Ullt'IlSl^S as VllilL ol
which tlic Standard Oil Company
lias just been round guilty They
would not like to pay the penaltief
behind the bars. That would curt
them.
"The Standard can appeal and
appeal, using every technicality u
tin- laws to kill time, and in tin
end probably get the decision ant
sentence set aside. The poor uiai
has not money enough to dilly dal
ly like that when he is lined lot
such a small olVense as being inlox
icated. But the big trust can kill
its competitors and keep in tin
courts until its crime is forgotten
"Until these laws are so fixer
that jail sentences are absolutely
certain for officials who break tin
laws, the evil practice of crushing
competition and robbingthe peoph
will continue. The oil trust wil
make the streams of prespcratioi
on the brow of hiltor run deepei
ami wi?ler to pay the big fine if i'
does not finally defeat the ends o
justice."
Executive Council to Meet.
The Executive Council of the A
K. of L. will meet in Washingtoi
Monday to take up matters that
have accumulated since its las)
meeting. The meeting lasts threi
days.
ATTENTION SECRETARIES.
Secretaries of all local union!
who desire to help the movement
along are requested to write' Tin
Argus for our special offer for tin
month of August. I>on"t put i)
oil", write today.
Now is the time to renew you:
subscription to The Labor Argus
and get a free copy of "The Pink
erton Labor Spy."
; UNION PRIN
;| AT HI
!
Forty-Third Session of
graphical Union (
; Many Delegates
'I'he fifty-third convention o?< JJ?e j
^ 1 It 1 ?**!%?? ??? ? ? 1 T.-ix.*.?- 1 '
" i was csillwl to order Moiulay in ;
the spacious dining room of the j
Kaslman hotel, which lias la-en |
1 temporarily converted into a eon-;
volition hall. Addresses of wel- j
come were made by the Mayor of
the eity, the ollicers of the local
union and others, and were rel
sponded to by President James M. ;
1' Lynch. The reports of tin?
t otlieers were then presenUsl to the
i convention. Aliout 1,000 dele.
Kates and visitors are in attend- i
i!anee.
LI The report of President Lynch
is a comprehensive document ami
covers the progress made by the |
. International Typographical Union
i for the period elapsing since the
I' Colorado Hprings convention, atul
also outlines new policies and 1
touches upon those that have become
a part of the work and history
of the organization. Among
other things an aggressive campaign
for tin- union label is rccomr
j mended, and it is <piitu likely that ;
i this subject will occupy eonsidorI
able of the convention's time. The
| campaign for an eight-hour day
J i has la-en vigorously prosecuted by
the International Typographical '
Union for nearly' two years, is
touched upon extensively, and it |
: k> SIIIMYU LI1 a l> III1S movement lias
I been attended with a very liirgc !
j degree of success, about 45,000
| members of the union now working
< j uot more than eight-liours per day.
>| In tiie president's report I he
I | proposition to pension the super- '
! animated and incapacitated moin- 1
| bers of the union is given considers
able space. This feature, if adopt- 1
ed, will lie a new venture for the
i union, but it is looked on with 1
much favor by the delegates, and
I undoubtedly a position embracing '
1 the ]tension feature will lie sub
I initted to a membership vote of 1
s the International Typographical !
< Union 1
1 This union, on the introduction
of typesetting machines, avoided
the error committed by other trade '
* unions in lighting the machine,
and encouraged and advised the
members to learn the operation of
' i the new device. Because of that',
' j wise policy nearly all typesetting
machines are now operated by,
' union printers. This subject is j
1 touched upon in the president's re- jj
port, and the membership is ad-1
r vised to continue the friendly at--'
' titndp Uiu-uril On. 1 4 ? '
' create the greatest opportunity for 1
the instruction of union printers in '
the operation of typesetting tie- j
' | vices.
' | Another most important propo- !
sition touched upon in the prcsi
' dent's report embraces the sanitary ;
' i conditions in composing rooms
' throughout the country. The!
1 president strongly advises that J;
local unions insist on healthful !
^ work rooms, ami without t|Uestion !1
' the convention will endorse the
: president's recommendation. The;
movement (or the stamping out of j!
: tuberculosis has become national, j
j and the union printers lielicve that !
' they are vitally interested in its '
. success. Tuberculosis has for
j many years been the scourge of the \
4 Sprinting trade, and the Union j
! Printers' I Tome at present contains
I o 1 ........ ... 1 < "--i
: ? migu iiuniui-1 v?i paueuuj who arc i
I suffering from the white plague,
i Itisqelieved by the union printers '
s.! that unsanitary and badly venti- <
L latest composing rooms are respon- 1
. sible for much of the tuberculosis i
, that exists among them, and they I
[ propose to see to it that they are 1
not made victims of a disease' that, i
in nearly all cases spells death. j<
; From the expressions of the dele
r gates it is evident that there will
. | lie drastic action by the convention
- along this line,
j The abitration agreement be-1:
TERS
OT SPRINGS
the International Typo)pened
Monday?
; and Visitors,
twi-oii tin* Aliu'iicaii jNi'W.siuiiior
i'ti oils lid's' AssociatioTi aiuT the
International Typographical Union
ik jjivcii extended notice in the
president's report. It is shown
that about 200 of the larger newspapers
of the country have arbitration
contracts with the Internatioual
Typographical Union. It
is also ilcinonstrateil that this
agreement has been of great value
to the union ami that many in
creases in wages have been secured
under it in a peaceable way. The
operations of this agreement thus
far has been a distinct success, and
it is believed that there will be buL
little friction under it. It will ex
pire in 1 012.
The president recommends rigid
rules for the education of apprentices.
The union seeks to turn
out lirst-elass workmen, believing
that the betterment of conditions
and the securing of a lair wage depends
to a large extent on the
ability of the workman.
The Union Printers' Home as
staled by the president in his report,
is a most successful iusti
muni il is supported anil maintained
entirely by the IntcrnalionTypographioal
I'nioii, and is the
mily institution of its kind in the
world.
Secretary-Treasurer 1 tram wood,
in his report,'shows that the collections
for the year ending May.
21, 1SI07, have reached the enormous
total of *1,'.W.I,301.ill, and
the expenditures $1 ,(142,441.94,
leaving a balance in the treasury
of !?290,Xt>2.97. There was also
collected during the same period,
for the supportof the Union Printers'
Home, ^fil/.Wjl.no,
The secretary-treasurer shows
that the expenditure from the
burial fund for the year reached
Llie sum of ?39,270. The total expenditures
from this fund since its
establishment in 1K92 have been
<443,105. The average age of
loath of printers for the year was
U>.7 years.
It is proposed to build an adilit.
ion to the Union Printers'
Home, and the fund foe fids m.t
pose is known us the (Jammings
Memorial Fund. There was in this
fuml on -May 31, 1907, 812,910.44.
This amount represents voluntary
contributions by the niembershii>.
The net eost of transacting the
general business of the organization,
excluding the conduct of the
fight-hour campaign, has been
37.78 cents; the average cost of
officers' salaries has been JO.02
cents. The total cost of the eighthour
campaign and its attendant
strike up to May SI, 1907, is
shown by the secretary-treasurer
to have been 83,533,038.11. The
receipts and disbursments of the
International organization from
1891 to 1907 are $4,931,318.86 and
?4,059,037.21, respectfully. The
The Secretary-treasurer's report
contains numerous tables setting
forth minutely the sources from
which the money has been received,
and the avenues through which
it has been expended. It is also
stated that receipts are on hand for
? -i-.ii? '- *1 - -
uuniii wirecLiy expended L>y
Lh?; International Typographical
Union.
Trades Assembly
The Trades Assembly held a
very important meeting Monday
evening. Among the business
transacted was the endorsing of
the street ear strike and voting
financial and moral assistance to
the strikers. The Labor Day Committee
roperted and were instructed
to proceed with their work.
The advertisers in The' Labor
Argus merit the patronage of every
man who yearns his bread by the
sweat of his brow.