Workmen's advocate., 1886-12-26


 lively decent wages when there are plenty of children to be had who will work for anything? Waste is sinful, MT. Mayer thinks, and so he employs little boy to olen the heavy door. This same little boy works from d. m. to p. m'' and receives the muniticent sum of one dollar and half per week. Now, about this time of the year toy shops are over run with people. Loving mothers take their little ones there, or go and pick out the pretty things that are to delight the happy youngsters at Christmas; papas and uncles and aunties all march off to " the toy shop to buy presents for the little people, and thinking of the radiant, eager faces that will flush with pleasure at their gifts, they, themselves, grow young again. And amid all the hustle and stir how should these fine ladies and gentlemen and joyous children have time to notice the pale and weary child opening the door to let them in, and to let them out again later with parcels? But the other day the boy called atten- ton to himself for a few moments. Worn out by the long hours, exhausted by the heavy work, he tainted at his post. It was an inconsiderate thing to do but the working class has no respect for the feelings of the upper classes. It was annoying to see a ahaggard little child faint from sheer weakness and weariness, while happier children were passing by with toys. But, no doubt, it was all soon forgotten by the few who witnessed the scene. l hope however, that some of us may remember this n-year-old little martyr, and that the name of his good employer, MT. Mayer, may also "be in our memory locked.
 At our Indianapolis meeting-and at many places since then-we have referred to this charming episode, and the amiable Mayer, feeling hurt at our re- marks, called, the day after we had left the town which he honored by living in, on one of the contributors to the Indian apolis Tribune and declared this lady
 had furnished us with the information about his youthful slave-I mean em- ploye The lady had not told us, and
 informed MT. Mayer so adding that she should not have hesitated to tell us if she had known, and that she fully endorsed
 Mayer became -philanthropists hate to be misunderstood said he would write to us and insist on getting
 the name of our informant. So far,
 however, we have not had the pleasure of hearing from Mr. Mayer, and though
 it would grieve us to refuse so excellent
 person anything, fear we should have
 to refuse to give him the information he
 wants. We know our statements were absolutely correct-we took care to make sure of our facts and for the rest we
 must take the whole responsibility upon
 ourselves. Meantime, Mr. Mayer is
 probably devout Christian, so 1 should
 advise him to meditate upon certain
 words of his "Lord:" ''Inasmuch as ye
 have done it to the best of my brethren
 ye have done it unto me-"
 Example No. ?. This we found at
 Springfield, Ohio. A kindly gentleman,
 who generously lends several thousand
 workmen machines and factories by
 means of which they are allowed to
 make money for him. and to earn such
 splendid wages that they can just man.
 age to live, is, together with his brothers,
 the virtual ruler of Springfield. His
 name is William Whitelsy, and he is
 known throughout the town and its
 environs as King William. The work
 done in his factories-the making of ; agricultural implements)-is carried on under the pleasantest conditions for himself-and yet, the workers of Spring field call these factories the "Peniten-
 tiary." Now, King William has very
 and proper dislike of all labor organiza- tions-why, the organizations have oc-
 casionally made strikes among his work men possible !-and so he has determined to put an end to labor organizations in Springfield. He began by dismissing some hundred of K. of L. in one day, and then he had posted up in large letters over his factory door: Free and inde- pendent workmen only employed here" 7" and when the free and independent
 workmen" of Springfield applied for en- ployment they were told that they could only get it if they ,could sign c contract pledging themselres not to belong to tue . X, of L. or any other labor orgNpizdtion = So these free and independent workmen : have to sign this ironclad agreement or | starve. For if they refuse to serve under the gentle William they are blacklsted | and they must Ego somewhere else" which, as every one knows is very easy thing for a workingman with family to l do. Of course one of the results of their beautiful and moral arrangement is that
 hundreds of men have to sign the con-
 tract knowing they will not keep it.
 And as their signature is attained by , force they can surely not be blamed over
 much, even by virtuous capitalist, if '. they break their pledge.
 l confess that being only an ehete
 European and foreigner. the above ex- h amples-and many, many others like
 these of the freedom enjoyed by Amer
 ican workingmen are rather surprising | to me. If the Canitalistic nress and we