Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-23

half an hour before you become aware of 1t.
Every man, woman and child who hires
out to labor belongs to the union, ana Is
protected by the union, even to the point Oh
having the rate of wages fixed by the union:
/ cannot cite a more striking instance OF
the power of the union than to relate the
story of the complete paralysis or the teie-
graph service by twenty-five boys Ihey
were the A. d. T. messengers, organized
into union and they went on strike. They
were protected by the teamsiers and otner
husky laborers, who assisted them to drive
off the "scab'' boys who were employed
Adults were enlisted to deliver the mes
sages. but were beaten up by the teamsters
and stoned by the boys. For four days the
telegraph service was out of business.
The Associated Press service for the news
papers had to come around by Helena ana
over a private wire.
Finally, it was necessary to go INTO the
federal court and get an injunction against
the strikers to enable the community u
transact business. Thus was an opera
bouffe strike OF a handful of kids male
serious through the cooperation of the
laboring element until the federal Judiciary
had to be invoked
Everything in Butte is organized except
employers The chambermaids and house
maids. the elevator boys. the telephone
girls walters, BARRIERS, barkeepers and
manual laborers of all classes belong 20
unions which are closely affiliated and in
thorough touch with edcn other Inc boy
colt is ruthlessly applied against employers
of non-union labor, and d man might as we'll
go out of business if ne offends against the
union.
No Iaboring man can be paid less than SIS
a day in. Butte. The union fixes that as the
minimum scale for adult labor OF the COM
monest kind. The newly imported foreigner
who knows nothing but now TO swing pick
and shovel gets IS a day for digging "a
trench. A girl, over eighteen years OF age.
Clerking in a store must be paid not less
than $50 a month. The hod carriers pay is
Z dow nj NJ No
hour IS day if he chooses TO work the
eight-hour shift. Plumbers pay is fixed by
the union at 81 day and their assistants
81. Printers get $3.50 for seven and one
half hours work. No labor works more
than eight hours.
Housemaids get from $50 to $40 a month.
Thus far matron is not compelled to hire
a housemaid, but when she wants one she
pays union rates for her help
Miners the Backbone.
The backbone of labor organizations in
Butte is formed by the miners who work in
the copper mines and the employees of the
great smelters There are some 10000 of
these, and they get less wages than the
building trades employed. When asked the
reason for this the reply was that the mines
would have to shut down If the union insist
ed on plasterer and bod carriers rates for
the miners, So the latter have adjusted their
rates lower basis.
There is no present prospect of the en-
ployers getting away from the domination
of the union. The town is thoroughly
soaked in unionism, and the employers are
taking it phiIosophically and trying to keep
in the good graces of The organizations and
out of reach of the baneful boycott.
Butte has the reputation of being one OF
the ''swiftest'' towns on the American con-
tinent. 1t is wide open all the time and
the people are natural-born sports. Hard
work and hard surroundings probably con-
duce to the desire for relaxation after bust
ness hours and there are unlimited oppOr-
tunities for IT. When one notes the desc
late and harsh surroundings of the city,
not a sprig of any green thing to be seen,
and overhung all the time by pail of
poisonous vapor from the smelters, 1t is not
surprising that the resident wants to plunge
a little when he gets the chance.
The men in the mines and Smeters work
three shifts in the twenty-four hours. so
that while one-third of the men are work
ing another third are playing and another
third sleeping. Thus you can see as many
men on the streets at d. m. as at 3 p.m
The gambling houses neyer close, and you
can get any kind of game in Butte that you
put up your hands for Restaurants and
drinking population and there is good cheer
on every hand. Obe OF the handsomest
hotels in all the western country supplies
refreshment for man and beast, and you
can make your days entertainment cost as
high as you please e y,
The people are energetic, hustling and
hospitable to the last degree. Big brains
are employed in the Industrial development
of the region, and there is both wealth and
culture in Butte. The neighboring town of
Anaconda where Is located the largest
smelter in the world, has similar pOpula-
ton Both towns have good newspapers
great banking institutions and actually
money to burn.
Through Great smelter.
We went through the great smelter at
Anaconda 1t covers about a square mile
and represents an investment of 5000 900
We saw the copper ore dumped into the
crushers. and after going through six pro-
cesses come out beautiful ingots of 9S per
cent copper 1t is a long operation, re-
curing grinding, washing. sitting. roast
ing. melting and other publication before
the commercial product Is secured.
In the process poisonous vapors sulphur
Gus smoke and solid arsenic are discharged
into the air. Within the last year the COM
pany paid out $3.50 900 damages to farmers
in the region, wrought by the effects OF