The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-05-11
TRADE md LABOR.
Longshoremena Much Wronged
Glass Of Workmen.
TEMPERANCE IS ENFORCED.


Down on the water front at the foot Of Main
street stands little corrugated iron building.
with the sign, sStevedore's and 'Longshoremep's
Union, over the door. Perhaps not one In
glances In 70 re- what ID ON the inside In the
public mind the name Iongshoreman il gener-
ally associated with the tougher elements Of 90
ciefy -drunkards, fighters, thieves and general
hard characters. But on entering the building
referred to, which IL used a. headqurters for
the iongshoremen, one IL struck by the remark
able cleanliness of the place. The door and walls
are always perfectly clean; on small shelves IN
the rear are quite . number OF hooks; and
around the room are number of tables for
games. etc, while in the corner stands ! heat
rollfngccver desk for the secretary Of the union.
Here may nearly always be seen number Of
roughly, though cleanly, dressed men reading,
writing talking or playing cardspr other games
to pass away the time. There Il remarkable
dearth Of vulgar or rough conversation such as
one would naturally expect to find among =
class Of mee1 yhich has acquired the degree Of
notofiety this clAss has In the public mind. One
who takes pleasure in becoming acquainted
with those men for the purpose Of learning q
lesson In human nature and familiarizing him
self with their virtues - well q their weak
nesseas can scarce avoid the soliloquy: "After
all - the world goes, it's the clothes that make
the man."
There are go members in tho 'Longshoremen's
Union, but only us are in the city at present
The names OF all the men are kept IN time
book and every man goes to work in his turn.
When vessel comes in, the president calls out
the names Of the men who are to unload her,
beginning at the name next following the last
name called on the previous job, and any man
not present to answer TO his name loses his
turn. Their wages are 50 cents per hour, but
owing to the unsteady nature of their work
their wages do not average moro than from 81
to SIS per week for the whole year. They say
that smaller number Of men could not take
care OF all the work, for at times they are short
of men IS 1t il, while at other times the most OF
them may be idle for days at time.
President Nagle, Of the union, In conversation
with PosT-INrELLIGENCER reporter on satuf-
day, said:
"Ifa roughly dressed man commits 4 crime
on the water front or In any Of those saloons
along the front, the report at once goes out that
he IL . 'longshoreman. The result Of this is that
. great wrong 10 done the men who follow long
shore work for living. Sometimes the news
papers are responsible for this, but perhaps it
more frequently occurs that, when hard char
acter II arrested and questioned regarding his
and what he was doing down here,
he takes refuge behind the means by which we
provide an honorable livelihood, aud says that
he is longshoreman.
i cau say c6u0lQiy ana honestly tn0t the
number Of actual longshoremen arrested Il
very, very small If you were to talk with Al
the $50 members Of our union and learn the
number Of men we have who never use intoxi-
cants and the large number who, though not
total abstainers, hardly ever, or never, drink TO
excess, you would be astouished; and were you
to tell the public those facts, you would be
laughed 1t. Everybody seems to think that
are class who drink evefything
they earn and when they are not drinking and
lighting, that they are stealing.
There are rules posted up there on the wall.
you zee, providing fine of $5on any member Of
the union who comes into our headquarters
here with sign Of liquor on him. For the sec
ond offense he il fined $40, and for the third
ofiense So These rules have been In operation
over year and strictly enforced. but in only
one instance have they been violated. We also
have rule imposing fine of so on any man
reporting for duty under the influence of liquor.
How many of these men do you suppose are
married men and own their own homes? Well
there are quite a number. can NOT stateex-
nctly, but / am positive that over half odr MEM
bers own property here in the city. II the pub
lie only knew the truth regarding 'longshore-
men, the general verdict would be that they are
neither worse nor better than the balance OF hui
manity, though perhaps not wearing quito q
fne clothes a. our general critics"