Workmen's advocate., June 06, 1886, Image 1

About Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891

Image provided by: Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT

                
f)
Acvtcs 2, Ito. :-!i5
lcw ftaucu, tfomucticut, .Sunday, Jixmc IS. 1886.
3
WOBKMEw'8
ADVOCATE,
i SATANIC CHEW.
i
BRILLIANT RESOLVE OF THE
REPTILES OF THE PRESS.
Vfllowiick's .Mistake Mercenary,
Mean and Vicious -The "Work
men's Ailiocalo" Con
(W'IiiiicmI -('real iiig u
Dissension.
"Yellowpiek ! Where's Yellow
piek':'" shouted tlit? hired overseer of
the hireling press gang of the vilest
morning p;iier in New Haven.
It was the voiee of authority; and
presently a number of abject slaves
cunie crawling into the presence of
their master. They had heard his
voiee, though they had not distin
guished the words he uttered.
"I want Yellowpiek," he snarled,
"where, is he?"
The bloodless face of the most
dudishly attired hireling showed
signs of slowly awakening intelli
gence. This creature was dubbed
"City Editor," after the fashion of
other newspaper otliees, "I sent
him to interview one of the servant
girls at Mr. Nearbutt's house on
Yalleyhut avenue," he lisped, "to
tind out when Xearbutt returned
home last night. J told him to lis
ten at the keyhole of Nearbutt's bed
room and discover if he could what
Mrs. Xearbutt hud to say about her
husband's nightly exploits. We may
succeed in getting up a tine scandal
case, you know."
, "The devil you did '" exclaimed
the overseer. "Don't you know
Nearbutt's a subscriber to our paper,
and comes down with his dollars in
the election campaigns?" Then
turning to the errand boy, whose
youthful face betrayed the contagion
of vilecompany, he said: "Hun, now,
and bring hack Yellowpiek I've got
a job for him!
The servile crew slunk back to
their various posts. Only the "city
editor" remained.
. With frightened mien he begged
the overseer not to discharge him for
his mistake. "I didn't know that
Nearbutt was backing this paper,"
he whined, "I m sorry I made such
a mistake.
dust then Yellowpiek entered
This fellow was a character. Long
lean and yellow, with a shambling
gait, and black, snaky eyes, he pre
Hon ted an inexpressibly striking pic
ture of meanness personified. "1 vt
got just what we want," he exclaimed.
"Xearbutt keeps two or three mis-
t roses and one of thein actually lives
in the house with linn ' Saw the
whole business, and took down rer-
halint report of a loving conversation
between bun and the maul : Here
the reporter pulled a piece of paper
lrom Ins pocket; it was one of tin
tly leaves of the servant girl's prayer
book on which was scrawled the bur
den of the stolen interview.
"(live that to me !" yelled the over
seer. And he snatched the paper
from Yellowpiek s hand and put it
in his pocket. "Now keep mum
about this. We've got something
more iiajwirtant to hatch up;" and
he stepped to the telephone and
called up his most esteemed contem
porary. "Hello, but .
"Hollo!"
"Sav, Uat ! Come right over now
and bring Uodent and Squealer with
you I
"All right !"
A few minutes later there was
a strangely vile-looking company
withered in a front room w here tiles
of old papers were preserved.
There was Uat what his first
name was we don't know. Some
said it was Philander, while others
declared it was Patrick. At any
rate it began with a P. Then there
was Uodent, a weazen-faced thing
with a non-expressive countenance.
Squealer seemed to be a nickname
for an exceedingly talkative individ
ual who apparently slept in a short
bed; for the top of his head was in
nocent of hair, presumably from in
cessant rubbing against the head
board. The overseer, the pale dude,
and Yellowpiek made up the rest.
Moreciury, mean and unscrupulously
vicious, it was a Satanic crew.
J list as they were about to open
their conference, the oflice boy re
turned, saying that Yellowpiek had
lett Xearbutt s, and that the servant
girl accused the reporter of stealing
tour cents which she left in an old
stocking on the kitchen shelf, and
which was to form part of her con
tribution in church next Sunday.
1 he overseer kicked the boy out
of the room, while the rest laughed
approvingly at Yellowpiek's shrewd
ness.
Uat reminded thein that they had
business on hand, and proposed that
they lay their plans quickly, as he
had a visit to make before lie went
home for the night.
So the overseer began by remind
ing them of the precarious position
they were all in by reason of the la
bor agitation, and dwelt particularly
upon the growing influence of the
organized workingmeii, which would
end in putting them to the necessity
of working for a living if it was not
broken up.
"And there's that Wokkmks's
Aiivocatk," hissed Uat; "it's giving
nie away, and the next tiling 1 know,
some of the deacons will call upon
me and labor with me."
"We can easily settle that sheet,"
responded the overseer, consolingly.
"That's included in our little game.
In fact, it's got to be destroyed first
in order to kill the movement. " Then
turning to the rest, he asked, "What
do you think of this idea?" And he
began to unfold the scheme that was
lay Labor low in JNew Haven:
"You know, fellows," said he,
"one of the first things we must do
is to create dissension among the
union men, and I think that's easily
done, and Yellowpiek is the boy
that can influence some of the ignor
ant tools to kick against the rest.
By the way, that story about that
agitator 1 laker not paying his board
and being a Mormon and a rascal
generally, was one of Yellowpiek's
specialties, (iood, wasn t it r
"But suppose he sues you? He's
got a good case, you know," said
Uodent, fearfully.
"Oh, shut up ! You don't suppose
you folks are the only ones that have
a pull with the judges, do you ? ' rt
torted the overseer, witheringly.
"But we're wasting time. As 1 was
saying, we must create dissension in
the ranks of the union men, and one
of the first things to do is to knock
out the Advocate. Xow. you know
there is a strong opposition to the
word "socialism," and we can keep
rapping at that in our papers; and
the 'democratic' papers will do the
same
"Hold on," interrupted Squealer,
that racket's getting played out.
Why, there are ministers, lawyers,
doctors and ever so many professors
who are going the socialistic way
that is, the intelligent ones among
"You bald-headed fool," angrily
shouted the overseer, "what have
wo got to do with intelligent people
in tins ease: its the ignorant rab
hie we want to get into opposition
to the Ahvocatk, and
"'Don't vou dare" call mf a bald
headed fool, you rumsucker !
shrieked Squealer. "I know what
1 m talking about. I lie rabble, as
you call them, ain't so ignorant as
you think; it's only a few jealous fel
lows that are talking against the
Amex'ATK We've got to use other
means to kill it. I propose to use
dynamite !"
"Sh !-sh ! sh !-
came in a
frightened whism-r fron
the
blanched lips of his hearers.
"Your everlasting tongue will
get you nto trouble,'' said Uat.
"Ye:-, and us too, which is worse,"
said the pale city editor.
"You're all a set of fools," ejacu
lated the overseer. I know ail the
facts, and I have made my plans
accordingly. Don't act like a lot of
women !"
At the mention of . the word
'women,' Ilat's face took the expres-
sion of an exited billy-goat's phi,
and he darted from the room ;
mumbling something about keeping
m appointment,
"(iood riddance!" exclaimed the
overseer. Aow let s tinisn up. lie
must get our fellows to join the K.
of L. and the unions, and work up
on the ambitious of those who are
on the hunt for a soft snap in the
city hall. As 1 am well qualified to
know, every paper in town will go
in on this racket more or less.
These fellows will place some hopes
in the city and town elections,
and can be relied on to do some
thing for promises from the candi-
latcs. Of course, the Aovoi'atk
will expose them ii it continues in
the same hostile attitude towards
us, and they will lind it necessary to
either kill or get possession of it.
See ?
"But what am I to do in the mat
ter?" queried Yellowpiek.
" on II get a job on the affair
suitable to your abilities," Biiid the
overseer. "You can ro around in
the saloons and listen to what our
heelers are saying. See that they
use the boodle in treating the must
prominent ones of the saloon ele
ment, and not waste it on the ordin
ary gang or put it in their own
pockets. Then you can listen at
the keyholes, and sneak around the
meeting rooms and pick up what
you can. If you can't get on to any
thing that way, lis up something.
But be sure and keep up the preju
dice against socialists. And you,
Squealer and Uodent, keep an eye on
the walking delegate follow him ;
he's up(to mischief ; and tell Uat to
write up some original editorials on
the subject of boycotting, (lad !
he's getting to be as great an editor
as Whitelaw Ueid looks like him,
too. Dude ! your business is to
blame all the strikes and boycotts to
the socialistic agitators. And if
some one chances to be murdered,
cast suspicion on some socialist or
Knight of Labor make it promi
nent. I'll use my influence with
the other papers I guess they'll all
agree. So with that vile sheet, the
Workmen's Advocate silenced, the
socialists under the ban, and the
Knights of Labor split into factions
by the aid of our ambitious little
politicians, we'll break up the labor
movement here, and it won't cost us
a cent, either."
"Yes, but what are we going to
make out of it ?" asked Yellowpiek.
"Y'ou can manage to freeze on to
the servant girl's savings when their
backs are turned sort of a perquis
ite, you know. But when we've got
the job done, we'll be sure of a stake
from the bosses."
Just then the errand boy who
had quietly returned after being
kicked, darted down stairs and gave
away the scheme to his chum, the
bootblack, and it continued to cir
culate. WHAT IT ALL MEANS.
The Milwaukee authorities hav
played a sharp game with the work
men there. Taking advantage of
the prejudice against foreigners, they
had some of them indicted as anar
chists, and many of the thoughtless
workmen applauded. It was easy
enough to get verdicts or "findings"
under the circumstances. Xow.
having established a precedent, the
capitalist authorities go a step furth
er, and it is reported that the "en
tire Executive Hoard of the Knight
of Ijabor" has been indicted for con
spiracy. It is well for workmen
to Ik; slow in condemning others for
taking advantage of the "free
speech" guaranteed by the Consti
tution. BOOKS FOR WORKMEN.
A certificate incorporating the
Workingmen's Free Library was filed
yesterday in the County Clerk's office,
New York. The incororators are
Eugene M. MacI)onald, Cynthia Ieon-
ard, Anna P. Johnson, Asenath C.
Mac Donald, Edward Stone and. I u
lius Bordollo.
OUR LONDON LETTER.
Hit' Kngineois' Society-Persecution
of Workmen for Opinion' Sake.
To tin' Workmen's Ailroiuiti1:
London, V.su., May IS. -The
thirty-fifth annual report of - the
Amalgamated Society of Fngineers
has just made its appearance, and
presents a discouraging record of in
dustrial operation during the past
year. Mr. Burnett, the Secretary,
in his statement, says thai he can
not congratulate the Society on hav
ing passed through a prosperous
ear. The number of branches
which are distributed over Knglaml,
Scotland. Ireland, Australia, New
Zealand. Hast Indies. Malta, the
I'nited States'. Canada and Franco.
has increased from -P!0 to 4:5'.'; and
the number of members from aO.bSl
to .")l,(is!l. Tin' financial position is,
however, very unsatisfactory, and
a lessened income with an increased
xpediturc has left the accumulated
funds at a lower point than they
Have touched lor I lie last lilteeli
years.
The miners employed in the Fur-
ness mines ol the Barrow lleinainte
Steel Company have struck against
the addition of two hours to the
working day. The Kidsgrovc and
llarecastle Coal and Iron works in
the North Staffordshire district are
to bo closed, as the miners refused to
accept a 10 per cent, reduction de
manded by the iuufu1's.
Meetings of the unemployed have
been held at Glasgow and Manches
ter. At the first-named town the
meeting was held as a protest against
the closing of the relief works by the
local authorities; at the latter place
resolutions were passed calling upon
the authorities to open relief works.
Although there was no disorder
about eight of the leaders were ar
rested by the police.
Many employers are beginning to
discharge those of their 'hands" who
take a prominent part in the social
ist agitation. The Secretary of the
Liverpool Branch of the Social-Democratic
Federation has been "sacked"
for sending a resolution passed by
the branch to the press. This reso
lution protested against the expendi
ture upon the decorations on the oc
casion of the Queen's visit to Liver
pool, while so many were out of work
and starving. II. W. Li k.
LABOR LYCEUM.
During the month of June the
Labor Lyceum will hold four inter
esting Sunday afternoon sessions at
Ijoomis' Temple of Music, begin
ning to-day, as follows:
(itli. "Capital and Labor Reconciled."
J.li. Balterson (Pres. Trav. Ins,
Co., Hartford).
lUtli. "Tim Way Out." h'ev. 1. Ilclier
Newton (N'ew York City).
tiOtli. "J list see and Labor." I!ev. .lolin
C. Kimball (llartfoidi.
','Ttli. "LiU-rty in Society." IW. John
son T. Tlatt (Vale Law School).
It is probable that the Lyceum
will suspend its sessions during the
rest of the summer months.
A LITTLE JUSTICE.
(ireencit UatclilT keep an employ
ment agency in Fulton street, Xew
York. They charge ?1 and promise
to get a place for the applicant with
in ten days. Aliout a week ago
George A. I (owning, a colored man,
paid a dollar to (ireeiieaud obtained
a jwsition with a wealthy man at
Turrytowii, but he was coniM-lled to
sleep in the siaiile and he gave up
his job. He then returned and de
manded his dollar and says Batcliff
brutally kicked him out. He had
UatclilT arrested. The prisoner de
nied the kicking, but Justice Walsh
said he believed Downing and im
posed a fine of loo on Patcliff. As
lie did not have the money lie will
sjM-nd loo days in jail.
(jOll WAOKH VlHt THE WORKMAN
1IKAAS PBOSOKKITV KuK TilK MKKCHA.ST.
K. OF L. LECTURES.
The first of the grandserios of lec
tures at K. of L. Hall, by Col. U. .1.
llinton. of Xi'w York, will take
place this evening at half-past seven.
As announced last week, this series
will be most instructive to students
of t he labor movement, and especially
to the members oi the Order. The
series w ill extend through the mold lis
of .1 line and ,1 uly.
AGAINST ARBITRATION.
The I'Nceutive Hoard of the Lynn
Knights of Labor last Tuesday with
drew their representatives from the
Joint Board of Arbitration, and for
the present at least, will decline to
abide by the rules of arbitration
adopted by them and the shoe man
ufacturers eight months ago. The
workmen consider that the system has
worked against them.
CAREFULLY SELECTED.
Last Tuesday a jury was selected
to act in the eases of the Fast St.
Louis strikers who fell victims to
Capital, three days being occupied
ill the selection. One hundred and
live jurors were peremptorily chal
lenged by the defence, fifty-seven by
the State and over hundred and fifty
for cause. About live hundred
special jurors were summoned, and
the expense of the jury alone will
reach nearly :5,ooo.
SCAB BOSS IN SINGSING.
Buddciisiek the notorious employ
er of scab labor and builder of Ull
safe tenement houses, who was
found guilty has filially been sent to
Singsing to serve out a sentence of
ten years at hard labor. It's seldom
one of these fellows is caught, and
the caging of Buddensiek will no
doubt he a warning to his kind.
Moral : When you are about to
build a house oumlov srood. honest
union masons, bricklayers, carpen
ters, etc.
LABOR NOTES.
On Wednesday the Cnrpenteis and
Joiners of Philadelphia to the number of
Sun w ent on st i ike.
The Join ncyinen Carpenters of Halti
moiv have gained a nine-hour workday.
They struck for eight, but made a com
promise.
The strike of the stone masons of Alle
gheny county, Pa., for eight hours lias
been .settled on a nine hours' basis at tin
old wages.
The trouble between the lusters and
lloyd, Corry A: Co., at Marlboro, Mass.,
has been satisfactorily settled, the linn
acceding to the demands of the men.
The Furniture Workers in New York
are continuing their great strike for the
eight hour workday. They stand linn,
and are resolved to carry their point.
( hie by one the bosses fall.
The bosses in the stove-making busi
i nss are hound lo make something out
of the labor movement. They had a
a session in Cleveland and decided to
raise the price of stoves. They must
have their "pound ot llesh.
Ow ing to a failure on the part of the
ttrm to carry out agreements made with
their men, me naniue mashers in the em
ployer of Landers, i'rary & 'lark, of
New Ilrilain, struck on Wednesday.
1 hi' I Misses retaliated by closing the shop
t Injs throwing out of employment about
two hundreil men.
As we go to press another conference
is taking place to settle the strike of the
Third avenue, New York, horse car con
ductors and driver. Notwithstanding
the clouts of the capitalist judges to im
press t lie strikers w it li their power, tin'
boycott has lieen continually doing its
silent work.
Three hundred and forty employe at
Kchnttler ot Hotz's wagon factory, Chi
cago, asked for eight hours' work with
name pay jut hour, on May 1, and it was
granted them. IVitig in a hurry test the
Missiliility of a raise in puy under the
new system, they asked for a raise of
ten ier cent., w hich resulted in a refusal
and a lockout.
KNIGHTS OF LABOR
THE NEWSPAPERS TRY TO
KILL THE NOBLE ORDER.
Petty A in I1 1 ion (lives Way to Common
Sense-lHniorganizcrs Talk Pu
tier the Sling of Defeat,
r.iilargcineut of the
Kxeeutlve Hoard.
At this writing the special session
of the General Assembly of Knights
of Labor is Hearing its close. All
through the session the capitalist
press has printed reports of strife
md bitter animosity in connection
with the proceedings, well calcu
lated to kill a less robust organiza
tion. Taking advantage of the supposed
prejudice against people of radical
thought, the capitalist press an
nounces that the additioiiJlfe
Executive Board are "radical" men.
As a mat ter of fact, one of the men
so announced as elected to the board
has been for years one of the execu
tives of a most conservative trades
union of New York. Another is
the editor of a conservative labor
paper in Biehuiond, Ya., and the
charge made by the capitalist press
that these men are "opposed to
Powderly" is no doubt actuated by
an intense dosing o sow the seeds of
discord among th ; Knights of La
bor. Again the same Satanic press
says that the result of the election
of addit ional members to the Execu
tive Board is a "blow to the trade
unionists," hoping by that to array
the skilled mechanics against the
unskilled, and nulifying the work,
of unification that has been so care
fully fostered for years. If, as it
seems, the capitalist press has been
assisted in its dastardly work by dis
appointed men of petty ambitions,
it adds no new strength to the op
ponents of Organized Labor. On
the contrary the solid men will be
more determined than ever to pre
serve unbroken ranks. Then comes
the endeavor to create sectional
prejudice. "The West has no rep
resentation," it is said ; "the East
ruloB the West," and so forth. As
a matter of fact, a man is not asked
what part of the country he comes
from, Last, West, North or South ;
nor, for that matter; is it of any
consequence,
The General Master Workman
himself seems to be pretty well satis
lied over the result. He determined
to set at rest any fears that the capi
talist press might raise by using the
same press to give his opinion re
garding a mysterious organization
said to consist of live persons who
proposed to "run me great uruer
of Knights of Labor. This night
mare was ably treated by Bro. PotK
derly, who told the assembled r!
porters that he was well aware
the fact some men had opjiosed hL
as (J. M. W.: "But," said he, "they
themselves told me plainly that
they would oppose me ; so their op
position was no secret. Besides,
that happened years ago." Bro.
It 1....I.. 4.1.1 il... - ...V...... il...
luv.uciij ioiu tuc M-poinrio urat u?-
mystic club exerted no influence
whatever, and that "the columus of
trash concerning it are false."
II K SKKS THItOl (ill TH K SCHKMK.
Powderly hit the nail on the head
when he said :
"1 believe that.this whole thing 13
an attempt on the' part of the ene
mies of the labor movement to cre
ate distrust and discord. In that
attempt the movers will fail. We
will leave this city after closing one
the most successful meetings ever
held, and all the money that the
enemies of the Knights of Ijabor can
spend in an ellort to break us up
will be sjient in vain."
For the details of the work accom
plished by the (Jeneral Assembly
we must wait till we receive official
documents, and every member who
is earliest in the work and attends
the meetings will hear the result of
the deliberations of the " Special."