The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-04-28
Superior
WEST SUPE R1OR. Apr. q, 1900.

"c0l OCFG Nun, apr. ~, lJUO.
Editor Labor World: Permit us to
|call attention to erroneous statements
made by Robert Kelly, in his address
on Employer and Employee" recently
delivered before the Sociological club.
Mr.. Kelly concluded his paper as fol-
lows:
/ THE Eastern Railway company of
minnesota, has recently awarded the
contract for loading, unloading and
handling of all the merchandise, freight
|etc.. at their lage dock and warehouse
on the st. Louis bay, to a company Of
80 laboring men. These 80 men have
formed a stock company Incorporated
funder the laws of Wisconsin, each man
taking ten .shares at one dollar per
share. Notxing any money to fur
nish a. bond, 49, railroad company is
Ito withhold 20 percent. of the amount
learned by them in lieu of a bond. 1t
will be interesting to watch how this
enterprise turns out. There are many
doubts in my mind as to the stability
|Of the organization. Whether so many
men can work on that kind of a PLAN
without dissension and disruptures
from one cause or another. Now the
lquestion arises, is an enterprise of this
Kind benefit to laboring men in gem
eral In conversation with one of these
men, he said: "You seeS will get one
tof these fellows we hire at 81 per day in
between the two of us and work. the
tar out of him and if he gets tired we
lcan. fire him and get another. We will
make them hustle all right" Such a
spirit as. that can hardly be thought
beneficial and is another example of
what, alas, is too often the case, when
a labOrer becomes an employer him.
SELF"
In the first place, Mr.. Kelley says:
I''Each man takes ten shares at one dol
lar per SHARE"
AS a matter of fact-though this err
ror is not impcrtant-each man really
takes five shares at 81 per share.
Then, again, Mr.. Kelly says the men
in cooperation have no money to fur
nish a bond. Mr.. Kelly, knowing moth
ling of our company's financial condi-
ftion, is in no wise authorized to make
such a sweeping and unjust statement.
Thirdly, and lastly-Mr. Kelly casts
reflections on the motives of our organ
I1zation and the spirit actuating the men
lin cooperation. He impuEns the pur-
poses and intents of the laborers in
their mutual dealing with, and rela-
tons to one another, and prophesies
that the career of such a company
must necessarily be short. He also
predicts that i'll will and quarreling are
products of such an association.
We wish to state to Mr.. Kelley and
the public--in order that they may be
set right (for we do not believe Mr..
Kelley would Intentionally wrong any
working NAM that he has entirely mis-
judged the organization.
The cooperative plan promises the
best results in Superior, and it has been
productive of good wherever tried, all
lover this country.
The laboring men of Superior, who
have Joined in this movement, have
only the best and most kindly feelings
toward one another, and they are all
working in harmony for the common
good.
The dread winners" of Superior, be-
Ilieve that cooperation is the solution
OF the labor and capital problem and
levery man in this new cooperative
company, to which Mr.: Kelley refers
will testify that the move
ment promises to be complete sue
(cess. Il .az.,
SUPERINTENDENT FREIGHT
! HANDLERS ASSOCIATION, %.:. r.
| -. Per F. Turner,
| -. f. Harry Meller.