The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-03-08
The Puddlers.

We clip the following from some inter
esrng Notes Of Travel, which ap pear in
the last number Of the Tuico, R,co,d.
from the pen Of President Mclaughlin
He thus refers 70 class u bIpeds, whom
We have frequently shown up in these col-
umns
spent that night with Brother Rey-
uolds and his alniable family Next morn
ing started on my journey, and arrived
al JohnstOwn at noon on the 26th, laying
over until 4 y. M, with the intention If
TN ing what could be done IN the way Of
getting the Puddlers employed there ia
the right track 1 found them at the bot
tom Of the grade, with neither courage nor
desire u switch IF Entering into CONVEX
satIon with some Of the more intelligent,
learned the astonishing fact that not a man
employed there that | spoke 10 could tell
me what they were paid. One told HE
- 81 another did not know a third said
they had = H. Upon inquiring how it
vas that III this boosted country of free
dom, and they all free American citizens.
.t'lChu tAblC AfDdStlilA. nave ITO utuDl, III
their Inalienable rights and all the ct cete-
ras, that not one could tell what he was
paid per ton to certainty, nor no two
agree ia their guess, the answer was direct
and as follows
You see, We had Union here, one time,
and 1t got broke up during strike The
manager sent for three Of the tidck sheep,
and told them What they were working for,
and, ever since, when the company wishes
t. make change, those three men are call
Ell INTO the office and notified Of the fact
They may tell rs, If they wish. or if We ask
! them, but If any one else asks them, or
speaks about wages to the manager. he Is
Immediately discharged 81
The explanation was satisfactory. ana |
saw, al glance, that it would take more
energy than | was possessed Of to get the
Puddlers Of Johnstown on the main track
Of success. bid them an affectionate
goodbye not. however, until | had left
my address with one of their number who
promised, at some future day, to write to
me. am anxious looking for a letter
bearing the Johnstown post-mark. When
II comes, like the father in the parable, !
shall feel like killing the fatted calf over
the return Of the one
Once more ca route, ] entered into a
friendly conversation with a fellow pas
senger whom ] met on the train | found
him to be an oll-operator, on his way to
New York. In answer to a question AZ t.
how business was IN the oil regions, he
frankly told me that times had been rather
| dull up TO the 18th Of September, when
the producers came to the conclusion to
stop the flow Of oil for thirty days In con
sequence, the price of oil advanced from
500 to "a 90 per barrel Since that.
we are able, said he, " to regulate the
price
simply mention this fact, to show how
capital can with IMMUNITY 60 on strike
when the object is either to enslave labor
OF rob the public. Our watchful monitor
the press, generally manages to keep silent
on such occasions, regarding supply and
demand as sufficient to regulate prices.
Our conversation ceased on our arrival at
Altoona.
We are also pleased to learn that the
National Organization is in q prosperous
condition. In circular issued by the va
nous FORCES, referring to the coming con
vention he says
! have again the pleasure Of presenting
to you the semi-annual report of the or
ganizatlOn, which shows that we are still
Increasing, the number of membership be-
ing ), lO4, on December 3lst, 1872, against
2.6l3, June 30th, showing an increase Of
49l for the six months. The present num-
Der of members are entitled to a rspresen-
tation Of eighty-hve delegates in our next
Convention ! think it will be safe to saw
to say that the increase during the present
six months will swell the number Of dele
gates to ninety.
| would earnestly request all Sub Forge
Secretaries to bear in mind that the tax of
the present six months, ending June 3Oth.
is 6fty cents on each taxable member. The
vote returned to me by Sub-Forges, fixing