Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1894-08-23
AFTER THE VR0NCMAN

Madison, Wis. Aug. 16.-m} licatjons
ore that State Superintendent Wells w;0
find he has an elephant on tis hands
when it comes to proving somet at least
If the charges he has made iI& his com.
y, to the New York Post arain~t
DIR. r. T. Ely, as he will be CALLED upon
70 do at the investigation by the commit,
foe of university regents. One of tho
most direct and serious OF THESE charges
is that DR.. Ely advised and abetted the
strike of the Madison unioM printers in
the Democrat office year Fgo last Jan
uary; that he was seen ih conference
with the officer of the intertational typo
graphical union who was here to direct
matters, entertained him 4t dinner, etc,
etc But it appears fronh the available
testimony that Supt. Wefls is mistaken
in his man--that it was mot DIR. Ely who
held conferences and advised with tn"
printers, but that the gentleman Supt.
Wells has in mind is Prof III. II. Powers.
who gained his title first while teaching
in the Northwestern( Business college
here, but who is not now living in the
ton about a year. ago by q rather radical
address ON the labor question one Sunday
evening at the Congregational church.
Both Prof. Powers and DR.. Ely wear
short full boards, and this may have
aided in Supt. Wells evident misconccp-
tional union referred to is doubtless Dis
trict Organizer Klunk, then of st. Louis,
but who no longer holds that office, and
is now, it is understood. proofreader ON
the Kansas City Times. He lis the man
who was here to direct the action of the
son union printers who, before the strike,
was Il compdstor in the Democrat office,
who was Il member of the executive
board of the Madison Typographical
union. and who in such capacity was ia
miliar with the inside workings of the
union, and who is on Supt. Wells list as
one of the witnesses at the investigation.
This printer says:
Il was with Mr.. Klunk the greater
part of the time he was in Madison. /,
with others. usually met him about s
o'clock in the morning, and was often
with him till 10 or Il o'clock at night.
| never heard him speak of DR.. Ely.
never heard of his having q conference
with or speaking to him, and do not be-
leve he ever heard of him unless it is
since this sensation has been made, l
myself never knew DIR. Ely's views on
the labor question until these charges
were sprung, and | do not believe either
Mr. Klunk or any Madison printer ever
spoke to him on the subject. OF course
it is possible this might have been done
without my knowing it, but / think |
would have heard of it. | do know, how
ever. that Mr.. Klunk had several confer
ences with Prof Powers both at the time
of the strike in the Democrat office and
the trouble at Tracy 4 Gibbs, and | my
self attended most if not all of these con-
fcrences.'
Another of Supt Wells charges is that
Dr. Ely threatened to take printing of
which he had the supervision from a nom
union firm THAT of Tracy & Gibbs unless
they made theirs a union office. One of
the firm says this is overdrawn-that
what DR.. Ely did say was unless it was
a union office the officers of the associa-
ton. which had charge of the work.
might require him to take the work else
where. but that the firm continued to do
the work after the office became nom
union.