The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-12-26
AMONG THE LAB0RERS
EVENTS TRANSFERRING IN THE Do
MAIN OF LABOR.
Interesting Items for wnEeworkef
Gathered From All Parts of
the Country.

There Is a growing impression that
there will soon be d mighty struggle in
the cigarmaking industry and one that
will tax the strength of the union to its
utmost. The fight will not be waged
against the union directly, but will be
waged between the large and small man
ufacturers. The Cigar Manufacturers
Association, like all trusts and corpora
tons, proposes to pull the political as
well as the economic wires. The begin
ming of the struggle will be the agitation
for law taxing all manufacturers $50
year. which will cripple some of the
small producers, and then drop prices 10
bedrock for a period and squeeze out
those unable to lose money and compete.
1t will be readily seen that this scheme
will force many of the small bosses into
the already overcrowded ranks of the
journeymen, together with the few men
they formerly employed, and the added
intensity of competition will endanger
the union wage-rates and working hours
and the organization itself.
A Pittsburg dispatch says the Window
Glass Workers union has gone to pieces.
Here is a study for those who believe
that trade unionism alone will solve the
economic problems. A few short years
ago the window glass workers had the
strongest organization on earth. They
had the trade practically solidly organ
lied and there was half a million dollars
in the treasury. Then, ostrich-like, they
rammed their heads in the sand and
kicked their heels in the air. They re-
fused to study the economic conditions
surrounding them. They sneered at So
cialistic ideas particularly, talked big
about their union, blindly voted old party
tickets, and finally the employers started
a war against their workers and have
triumphed The union goes down with a
debt of $4,000 left behind. This is one
of thesad features of trades unionism, that
wage-workers refuse to believe that new
occasions teach new duties"
A Winnipeg, Manitoba paper publishes
the following dispatch: "Griswold, Oct.
IA gigantic robbery took place at Oak
Lake last night. A 'scab' operator, re-
Gently brought by the Canadian Pacific
railway from Chicago during the strike
made off with $4,000 consigned to Leitch
Bros. and $1,000 to A. Cameron, and it is
also supposed that he carried off another
packet of $4,000 received the night before,
destroying the way bill to elude discov-
cry. The company's till was also cleared
out. Part of the telegraph keys were al
so taken away, so a message could not be
| sent"
Heintz, the pickle man, has presented
! Sharpsburg, Pa, with a drinking foun-
tain, upon which is a heroic statue OF an
olG Indian chief. At the same time
Heintz, the pickle man, reduced the wag-
es Of the women employed in his pickle
factory. Hentz, the pickle man, is
beast of the Carnegie kind.
Chicago has a young girl of II, who is
described as being "weil educated pos
sessing charming manners and thorough
| ly determined" who is conducting an ear
nest crusade in favor of the organization
of women wageworkers and is making her
influence felt Her name is Florence
Long.
Latest reports from Japan state that
everything is booming in that country,
and that wherever wageworkers go on
strike they invariably win as employers
cannot DO without them. But there is
considerable machinery being imported
from the United States and England.
The Hotel and Restaurant Employees
National Alliance is said to be going to
pieces. Two unions at Cincinnati, one at
Chicago and one at Boston have sent back
their charters, while the remaining Chi
cago union pays no attention to the IA
tional officials.
The Leadville strikers are still stand
ing out solidly. The daily papers of Col
orado are loudly protesting against the
expenditure of $4,000 a day to keep the
militia on the ground, and the taxpayers
are also in an ugly mood.
Quincy Qll.) Labor News has changed
proprietors. At the late election the News
was one of the three or four labor papers
that supported the Hannaites. Thereup-
OH organized labor repudiated it.
Up in Maine the ''new woman" is even
running the railroad crossing tender out
OF his job. Quite a number of railroads
have hired women for just such jobs.
Girls who manufacture shirts, collars
and cuffs in large Troy, N. Y, concern,
won their strike against a reduction.
They stood out soldly since July.
Some eastern concerns are trying the
experiment of sending out women drum
mers. The men are kept at home. The
women work cheaper
5 The Jewish tailors of London, England,
are about to inaugurate a movement to
' improve the condition of workers in the
sweat shops.
Bicycle workers of Kenosha, Wis, re-
. quest that the wheels manufactured by
Seig & Walpole of that city be left alone.
Topolobampo colony in Mexico is a
complete failure, and the government has
revoked its title to all land.
Unions of knitting workers and en-
oroideres of Brooklyn amalgamated and
declared for socialism.
A movement to form a national building
trades council is on foot in St. Louis. A
call may be issued soon.
8 After forcing its employees to work at