The Connecticut labor news., April 08, 1921, Page Eight, Image 8

About The Connecticut labor news. (New Haven, Conn.) 1921-1925

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LABOR (Connecticut) NEWS
Eight
0
JUST WHO DAVIS, SECRETARY
OF LABOR IS AND HIS POLICY
Will Run Department "Straight"
He Says, While Prevous Record
as a Union Man Gives Workers
Cause to Hope So.
James J. Davis, the new Secretary of
Labor, says :
"Employers and employees have their
duties one to the other and both to the
public as well as. their respective rights.
1 will endeavor to secure a proper recog
nition from both of their duties as well
as their rights. Whatever I do, I'll play
the game straight, and expect others to
do likewise."
That is, the Department of Labor will
be a department of the United States
government, run for the general benefit
and not for the particular interests of
organized or unorganized labor ; run
with fairness to employers as well as
workmen, not run with reference to
groups of votes or subject to the bull
dozing of any association. The depart
ment will "play straight." Both the
secretary and his subordinates will obey
the laws strictly and not violate or sus
pend them to satisfy their economic or
social theories and prejudices. They will
respect the law. They will not exempt
any person who' has broken it. In short,
the methods of the Department of Labor
will suffer a great change. That was a
magnificent expression. It remains now
for Air. Davis to see that the spirit of it
is carried out to the letter. Mr. Davis'
personality and who he is, as fully set
forth in a review of him in the National
Labor Digest is as follows:
JAMES J. DAVIS,
Mr. Davis was born at
1 redegar,
Wales, 46 years ago. He is one of a
family of nine children. He arrived in
this country with his parents when he
was less than four years of age. He
married Miss Jean Rodenbaugh, of Mill
ville, Pa. There are two children, James
J., Jr., four years old. and Jane Eliza
beth, a baby.
The new Secretary of Labqr is a self
made man. When 12 years of age he
went to work in the mills at Sharon,
Pa., and grew up as an iron and steel
worker. He worked in the industry at
various places in Western Pennsylvania
and at Elwood, Ind.
People who know Mr. Davis best are
unable to understand the opposition to
his appointment which was evidenced in
several quarters. The jump from mill
-worker to capitalits might distort the
view of many men, but it is not believed
that it has done so in the case of Secre
tary Davis. Friendships which he form
ed in the earlier days of his harder labor
have been carefully preserved, and those
which he-holds in the ranks of Big Busi
ness have been cultivated purely for their
qualities of pleasant relationship and not
because they represented money power.
Mr. Davis counts among his most inti
mate friends men who have spent their
lives fighting the workers' cause. That
he knows the workingman and his prob
lem must be concluded from the fact
that he has, practically all his life, been
identified with the labor movement, both
as a member of the rank and file and as
an officer. He holds membership in the
Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel
and Tin Workers, which he first joined
years ago at Sharon, Pa. For nine years
he was first viGe-president of that or
ganization and at another period he was
president of the Indiana State Federa
tion of Labor. In more recent years he
has frequently acted as arbiter in labor
disputes and has been successful in settl
ing numerous cases. During his resi
dence in Indiana, he held at times both
city and county offices.
Mr. Davis became interested in oil
development several years ago. In this
business he was fairly successful and
acquired a comfortable fortune. He cen
tered his business activities in Western
Pennsylvania and became president of
the American Bond & Mortgage Com
pany of Pittsburgh.
While Mr. Davis has been moderately
successful, to him his greatest achieve
ment has not been in business. Neither
was it in teh prenomenal record he made
in building up the Loyal Order of Moose
of which he holds the life office of di
rector general. The greatest achieve
ment of his career, it is agreed by all who
know Mr. Davis intimately, and con
curred in by himself, is the remarkable
development of Mooseheart, the home
colony for the education, physical de
velopment and general care of the chil
dren of the deceased members of the
Moose order. Mr. Davis' love for chil
dren is his dominating trait and to their
well-being and the development of what
he terms "their own town," he has de
voted the greater part of his time since
1906. It would require a large volume
to tell the remarkable accomplisliments
of Mr. Davis in furthering the cause of
the children at Mooseheart. To Mr.
Davis children are children, but from
them must develop the future manhood
and womanhood of this country. At
Mooseheart there are no class lines, and
in all his dealings, in eicher business, so
cial, or labor affairs, Mr. Davis has con
sistentently refused to recognize class
distinctions.
The opposition to Mr. Davis which
developed in some instances on both the j
side of capital and labor was undoubted- ,
. v. yyyyy,. v-.; .--xmmB y.my--r yvyy- - 'yMmmmMmyy-y
ryy y SQ:- MrWl
i lv clue to organization policy more than
I r i 1 1 Tk,t T-..:'
to any uniavoraDie recoru in lh
career. It is true that he is both a union
labor man and a business man, but the
record of his activities in both camps
is clean, and his contention, that there
should be nothing in unionism which
would prevent a man from prospering
and passing beyond the wage stage in
accordance with his efforts, is sound.
F. If. Theis of New York, for a num
ber of years an organizer for the Amer
ican Federation of Labor and now na
tional director of the Loyal Order of
Moose and a life-long friend of Mr.
Davis, says erf him :
"Jim Davis knows the problems of cap
ital and labor and is the best man I
know of for the office of Secretary of
Labor. As a union labor man and as a
business man he has always followed one
path, that of justice to all, and he will
continue along that path.
"When Mr. Davis took charge of the
Moose order it boasted a membership
of less than 250. Due mainly to his
efforts, it has today a membership of
650 K)0, representing men from all walks
of "life. Jim Davis would sooner have
the honest friendship of these men than
to be President of the United States."
A man who works, plays and rests,
and gives to each of those periods their
proper value, loves children, prizes the
friendship of his fellow man, refuses to
believe that he has any enemies, refuses
to recognize class distinctions, and be
lieves in America first, last and all the
time, must be a pretty good man, and
that is what the friends of James J.
Davis say he is.
SECRETARY OF LABOR
ra
INDUSTRIAL KING
WOULD GIVE ALL TO
RESTORE KAISER
Stinnes, Worth a Billion, Wants
to See Old German
Reign Back.
London, April 8. Hugo Stinnes, gen
eralissimo of German industry, recently
accused of plotting a strike of several
hundred thousand workers in the Ruhr
district, to make more difficult the allied
occupation of Dusseldorf, Duisburg and
Ruhrort, is referred to by the Berlin
correspondent of the Times as "an earn
est and dangerous patriot."
Stinnes, a multi-millionaire member of
the Reichstag, has put through some of
the greatest financial deals of his career
since the armistice. It has been said that
he would sacrifice every mark of his
enormous fortune to bring back the mon
archy. .Mine owner and coal merchant, ship
owner, landed proprietor, head of a great
chain of newspapers, proprietor of the
very finest hotel in Berlin, trader in oils,
paper, hides, jutt, peat and manufactured
wares of many kinds, Stinnes, the Times
correspondent says, "is today the wealth
iest, most influential, best known, and at
the same time the least well known man
in Germany."
Publicity and notoriety are alien to
him, it is stated, and he prefers to re
main behind the curtains in the Reichs
tag, permitting his henchmen and lieuten
ants to do the talking while he pulls the
strings.
"There is nothing in his appearance to
betray the man of genius," says the cor
respondent. "Just 50 years old, of med
ium height and sturdily built, with black
hair and beard that show up strongly
against a rather sallow complexion,
Hugo Stinnes is an inconspicuous figure
as he slips in and out of the Adlon Hotel,
his bowler hat tilted slightly on one side,
one hand in his pocket, and one or two
secretaries following hard on the heels
of their chief in his well-known black
coat and black tie. He stops to speak to
no one. He has no time for small talk
in the lounge with other guests. He is a
relentlessly efficient, cool, human, calcu
lating machine.
"His fortune before the war was esti
mated at 40,000,000 gold marks. What
it is now he probably could not say him
selfpossibly 1,000,000.000 marks. News
papers now owned by Stinnts are said to
: 'ir at least 60.
" People are eagerly asking with what
ult: ate object all this colossal wealth
is being incessantly piled up," says the
Times correspondent. "Does his present
association with and financing of the
Volksp irtie mean that Stinnes is prepar
ing to bring back the monarchy?"
MILLION UNION MEN
NOW IN NEW YORK
The actual number of unions and
unionists in New York City is known
only approximately, but all figures indi
cate that the total of union members
is in the neighborhood of 1,000,000. It
is estimated that there are at least 1,000
local unions in the metropolis, of which
total about 800 are affiliated with
the
200
American Federation of Labor and
outside unions. '
A Ball of Yavn
It's Unwinding
By ROBERT RUDD WHITING
ONE PART OF A SKEIN.
THK HI. Nl) BALL-PLAYER.
" Heat undoubtedly does in
tensify odors," agreed the landlord.
"I've often noticed it, especially in the
case of Blinksey Black, the famous out
fielder of the old Light foot Lilies, who
held the baseball championship of Jones
county for so many years. Early in the
spring when the afternoons were still
crisp he used to have considerable trouble
in judging difficult fly balls, but when
the season advanced and the weather got
real good and blistery he was better than
most ball players who had the use of
their eyesight."
"Huh?" questioned the bewildered
cigar drummer. "You say he was better
than most players that had the use of
their eyesight? Well, how in the name
of a Russian general could he play ball
at all if he couldn't see? It may be that
I'm suffering from the heat, but some
how or other I don't seem to be in
quite right on your conversation."
"Why, Blinksey Black, the blind ball
player of the Lightfoot Lilies you've
surely heard of him if you follow sport
ing matters at all ?"
As Mr. Leary was not quite sure, there
was nothing left for the Landlord but
to relate the yarn of the Blind Ball
Player :
"Black had been with the Lilies two
or three seasons when one day some
jealous woman who had mistaken him
for another man suddenly gave him the
carbolic sling and he lost the use of
both eyes. Now you'd naturally think
that that would have meant his finish
as a ball player, but it didn't.
"Have you ever noticed how when a
man loses the use of a leg. or something,
the strength that was in that leg always
goes to some other part of his body?
Why, take some of those skinny little
armless guys you see ; they have under
pinnings on them that Samson needn't
have been ashamed of before he had his
hair cut.
"Well, that's the way it was with
Black. When he lost his eyesight it went
to his nose. He developed a sense of
smell that would have brought tears of
envy to the finest bloodhound that ever
sniffed a scent.
"We discovered this at practice one
day. Black was standing close by listen
ing to the batting when a wild pitch
made straight for him.
" 'Look out,' we yelled.
But Black, to our amazement, instead
of dodging, threw up his hands and gob
bled in the ball as easy as you please.
" "1 thought I smelled 'er comin',' he
explained. 'Violets, isnt it?' he added
with a sniff.
"We couldn't figure out what he meant
until Bull Thompson, the catcher, shame
faced and blushing, admitted that he had
washed his hands with scented soap that
morning. A slight perfume had clung
to the ball, and Black had smelled out
its course.
" 'By the great Dan Brouthers!' ex
claimed Slugger Burrows, the Lilies' cap
tain. 'There's no reason why you should
give up baseball, Blinkey. Report for
practice in your old place in left field
tomorrow.'
"Black did report, and, say, would you
believe it? he was as good a fielder as
ever he'd been before his accident. A
single drop of heliotrope placed on the
ball in the first inning was enough to
make him follow it around like a" hound
all the rets of the game.
"At the bat he was even better than
he'd been before. His keen sense of
smell enabled him to tell which way the
ball was twisting the moment it left the
pitcher's hand, and he always knew ex
actly what curve to expect.
"The one thing that troubled us about
Blinksey for a time was his base run
ning. We first tried spraying helio
trope along the base line. That would
work all right for a few innings, but
after the ball had been batted around the
diamond a bit, he was likely to run afoul
of grounder trails. When he did he
was just as apt as not to leave his course
suddenly and dart out to center field on
some false scent.
"It Was Bull Thompson who finally
solved the problem. While we still stuck
to heliotrope for the ball perfume, we
substituted a powerful essence of white
n se as a base line spray. This worked
to .er feet ion. and save for a few days
when he had a slight cold in the head,
there wasn't a better base runner on the
team than Blinksey Black.
"But, like most great men, Black had
his downfall. And, as luck would have
it, it came just when it would be most
felt.
" 'Twas in the last inning of the great
contest with the Ringtail Roarers for
the championship of Jones County. The
Lilies were leading 12 to 10, and al
though the Roarers had the bases filled,
two were out.
'On the third ball pitched, the batter
drove a long, low fly to left. We start
ed to reach for our bats. Blinksey's
nose had never failed us yet. But this
time the uenxpected happened. Just as
Black was stretching out his hands to
receive the ball, some well meaning but
misguided admirer threw .a bouquet at
him.
"An agonized expression of indecision
came over Blinksey's face. He hesitated.
The pungent perfume of the freshly
picked flowers was too much for him.
He dived wildly at the flying bouquet,
the men on bases cantered home, and the
game was lost.
"But that wasn't all. The ball struck
Black on the nose and broke it. His
stock in trade as a ball player was ruined
for ever afterward.
"If then he'd only had the acute sense
of hearing ihat he developed as soon as
his nose was broken, he'd undoubtedly
have detected the difference in sound be
tween the hall and the bouquet and might ,
be playing the game today. '
HARDING'S BROTHER-IN-LAW
GETS A PRISON JOB
Washington. April 8. Appointment of
Prof. Heber H. Votaw, brother-in-law
of President Harding, as superintendent
of federal prisons was announced by the
Departmetn of Justice. He took office
April 6, succeeding I). S. Dickerson, resigned.
A. F. L. BREAKS
RELATIONS WITH
INTERNATIONAL
The American Federation of Labor
has definitely withdrawn affiliation with
the International Federation of Trade
Unions. At the Montreal convention last
summer authority to act in this matter
was left to the executive council, and at
the recent meeting of the latter in Wash
ington it was voted to sever foreign re
lations. This was not made public, how
ever, until a letter signed by President
Samuel Gompers had been given time
to reach Jan Oudcgesst, secretary of the
International Federation of Trade
Unions, at Amsterdam, Holland.
Three reasons are set forth for with
drawing affiliation. They are, first, that
the new constitution of the Interna
tional completely abrogates the principle
of complete autonomy for each national
trade-union federation; second, that
through the issuance of appeals and
proclamations the executive body of the
International has committed the federa
tion to a revolutionary principle to which
the American Federation of Labor is
and always has been uncompromisingly
opposed ; "third, that a system of dues has
been adon. ;d which would place upon
the A. F. of L. a heavy and unbearable
expense.
The letter states that the most seri
ous of these objections "is the conduct
of the International officers during the
months that have elapsed since the
inauguration of the new International
Federation. Frequent appeals have been
made by officers of the International and
by representatives of the British labor
movement to the American Federation
of Labor, asking that the A. F. of L.
place itself in accord with the Interna
tional Federation. At the same time the
executive officers of the International
Federation have pursued a policy com
pletely at variance with the policy of
the American Federation of Labor, to
such an extent that the executive council
of the American Federation of Labor
finds it impossible to reconcile these two
positions."
Another paragraph in the letter says :
"The executive officers of the Interna
tional Federation of Trade Unions have
adopted and promulgated a policy call
ing for revolutionary action with the
'socialization' of industry as its objective.
The A. F. of L. is opposed to that policy
and there can be no compromise between
the two points of view."
The letter concludes by saying that
the A. F. of L. is most anxious to be
a part of the International trades-union
movement and helpful to the workers of
everv country in their purpose to better
the lives and work of the toilers where
ever they may be, but "we must decline
to be a part of a movement which un
dertakes the destruction of the Amer
ican labor movement or the overthrow
'of the democratic government of the
republic of the United States," and that
when an international federation of
trades-unions is formed which "will
vouchsafe and guarantee the autonomy
and independence of the American Fed
eration of Labor and make its affiliation
possible, we shall join it, regardless of
the policies and theories for which the
various national movements may declare
in their own countries."
! KATZ & SMOLEN
t Phone Lib. 2330.
5
t 710-712 GRAND AVE.,
New Haven, Conn.
v
I Woolens, Silks, Cotton
and
DRY GOODS
Special Pequot Sheets at
t $1-39.
Dallas Pillow Cases,
$ 3 for $1.00.
t Cotton Cloth, 36 inches wide,
10 cents a yard.
t LOW PRICES ON SILKS.
ADLER, SALZMAN
AND ADLER
ARE YOU SENDING
MONEY TO EUROPE?
ARE YOU PLANNING A
TRIP TO EUROPE?
If so our Foreign Exchange
Department and our Steam
ship Ticket Department will
assist you in arranging your
passports and remittances to
all countries.
CONGRESS AVE. Corner
COMMERCE 'ST.
Members of the American
Bankers' Association.
BERNSTEIN &JAC0BS0N I
1
Ladies' Tailor and Furrier
271 Congress Ave.
ISiew Haven, Conn.
SUITS and CO A TS t
Made to Order from $
$35.00 up, goods and all.
We guarantee perfect fit and -
workmanship. 5
BLAKESLEE BROS.
BOTTLERS
Iron Brew Orange Squeeze
Bull Ginger Ale
212 Wallace St., New Haven
Phone Liberty 2226-4. . Est 1904.
JOSEPH BOTWICK
Maker of
FINE CLOTHES
At Reasonable Prices.
STRICTLY UNION WORK.
453 State St., New Haven, Conn.
Andrew Shanley & Co.
TAILORS
Fine Clothes at Reasonable Prices
Room 84, 23 Church Street,
New Haven, Conn.
Piano and Furniture Moving
COLLINS BROS.
Tel. Liberty 2037-2.
General Trucking and Packing.
Local and Long Distance Auto
Padded Vans.
Office, 693 State St.
Res., 80 Bradley St.
f"3 Siappy
A . J I t
This is the Season when Boys' Clothes
receive the most gruelling wear. It is the
Season of Boys' greatest activity.
Our BOYS' CLOTHES are notable
for appearance and durability.
oo
85-89 CHURCH ST.,
NEW HAVEN.
$10.
! Washington I
I Dress Goods t
i Store..
t i
X We specialize in Silks,
Woolens and Cotton Goods. :
X
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Pequot Sheeting at 39 cents.
Lockwood Pillow Cases,
3 for $1.00.
t "Fruit of the Loom,"
17Mc a yd.
73 Washington Ave.,
i ?
New Haven, Conn. X
X
For Your Future
If you 'wish to make certain of future prosperity
you must save today.
Deposit regularly some fixed amount each week or
month with the Connecticut Savings Bank and the inter
est which we pay will help to increase your fund of
readily available cash, or will serve as a steadily grow
ing addition to your income.
One dollar opens an account and you get the pro
tection of our $2,000,000 surplus fund.
Connecticut Savings Bank
Established 1857
47 Church St. New Haven, Conn.
Member New Haven Trades Council Co-Op Campaign
Clothes
OROMPTED by Springs
balmy breezes and by
the example that Nature
herself sets, mankind has
for generations designa
ted this Season for the
OPENING PARADE OF
SNAPPY DRESS FpR
THE OUTDOOR SEASON
These all important
factors have made this
Store the logical institution
for Union Men to turn to
for MEN'S WEARING
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grade, UNION LABEL
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giving and Personal Service
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Quality Goods Fine Service
A. Gillman
Dealer in High Grade
Ladies'
and Gents'
Furnishings
Try us once and be
convinced.
31-33 WASHINGTON AVE.
New Haven, Conn.
Right Prices
Shopping Center.
11G BANK ST.,
WATERBURY
S50