Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1897-10-07
A BOY LABOR LEADER
BUT FOURTEEN YEARS OLD AND A
WALKING DELEGATE.

A New York Prodigy Brought to Public
Talks Earnestly on Labor Topics In
tends to Be Lawyer.
Marcus O. Braff. Jr.. of New York is
only boy, but he does mans work.
He is just IA years old and hasn't yet
graduated from the juvenile shirt waist
that makes him boy
He is the walking delegate of the
striking cloakmalxers, whose headquar-
ters are in Rivington street. He is lead
ing grown men and women on to vic
tory He is the youngest walking dele
gate in big, troublous world peppered
with walking delegates that makes
him man
Many of the strikers believe Marcus
has been providentially sent to them as
leader They bow to his opinion.
They call what he says wisdom.
1t is strange spectacle to behold this
boy in nickerbockers seated on a high
stool in his grimy little Office, giving
advice to bent, wrinkled men and wom-
en- and receiving their initiation fees
and Dues for Marcus is also assistant
secretary of the union He rose to this
position among the strikers just as an
able man does in the big world
His father is striker and was for
merly secretary. The boy helped his fa-
ther in the routine Office work. In that
way he first attracted attention.
Then it was discovered that this boy
was the man for the place
A reporter went to see Marcus the
other day The youthful delegate was
seated ON his high stool, whistling He
has a wise look about his eyes-sad
black eyes. He has we'll built head,
massive, out of proportion to his slen-
der neck and his undeveloped body of a
child of 10
He knits his brows when he thinks,
like the grown man whose part he is
playing.
The authority vested in him has re-
vealed no weakness of conceit or vanity
He is as yet unspoiled-a boy one
minute, whistling, the next man in
deep thought, revolving the problems of
the strike He showed no false pride,
nor did he hesitate about being inter
viewed
He talked readily about the strike, as
another boy of his age would have done
about tops.
"What do you think about the strug-
gle between capital and labor in this
striker he was asked.
"The capitalists will have to give
In. he said, clasping his small hands
over one knee 1T is only question of
time The cloalxmakers' strike is virtu-
ally won The busy season is coming
on, and the contractors can't hold out
much longer 1t has been glorious
victory for the workingmen, because
they have won all the issues they strove
for
Eight hours are enough for any
workingman, he continued wisely.
He needs rest and recreation. He can 4
getit by toiling away into the night for
a mighty small wage. Next year we shall
see the cloakmakers in more indie
pendent position than they have ever
been in before. :"
"What about the coal striker"
81 can't express any opinion about
the coal strike or the engineers strike
in London, as they are rather deep for
me, )" he said ingenuously. 81 have no
one here to converse with who keeps
abreast of topics of general interest.
1.-THE men around here, (" sweeping
his hand over the room, "have SO many
troubles of their own that they take but
little interest in matters that do not
directly concern them. "
The sad look about his big. wistful
eyes deepened.
81 hope that when their temporal
condition is improved they will become
more enlightened and take more inter-
est in their brother workingmen' s
affairs and lend their aid to improving
the condition of workers in other trades,
but for the present that is out of the
question. /"
"Do you hope to be a labor leader
some day?'
"No; / have no aspirations in that
direction, he answered frankly. MY
leanings are all toward the law, and
have set my heart on becoming a mem
Der of the bar. have no doubt that as
an attorney | could do no end of good
in helping the workers
81 always had love for things of a
legal nature, and the cases in the courts,
both legal and CIVIL as reported in the
papers, deeply interest me. New
York Journal.