Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-12-14
IN THE
GARB or A WORKER

| the advertisements in all the newspa-
pers and promptly offered himself for
all the possible vacant positions.
Finally he found employment in a
brewery, where he had to carry heavy
cases containing bottles of beer from
early morning till late at night.
"I still think with discomfort of
my experience with beer barrels and
cases." says Imperial Councillor Kolb.
"There was plenty of broken glass
strewn about, and the wooden cases
seemed to be jagged at every corner.
In few days my hands were full Of
painful cuts from broken glass, and
full Of splinters from the wooden cases
and barrels. 1 was stiff in every limb,
and my back ached so that I could
hardly stand. Now and then I had
lighter work to do, such as washing
out dirty barrels, scrubbing the floor
of the brewery and sweeping the stair
cases. How my colleagues in the chan
celery in Berlin would have delighted
to have a glimpse of me in this plight" "
After four weeks Of this toll Impe-
rial Councillor Kolb was dismissed for
no particular reason except that the
foreman wanted change.
''I had done my work zealously and
efficiently for four weeks" says Kolb,
"and suddenly / was cast again into
the ranks of the unemployed. The in
justice cut me to the quick, and my
pride as a manual laborer was wound
ed. I was ashamed of myself, and I
skunk homewards to my miseral lodg'
ings in deep depression"
Imperial Councillor Kolb next found
work in a cycle factory, where he had
to turn screw all day long for a
weekly wage of SO. The only boarding
place available in the vicinity was n
lodging house in which there were 90 |
beds in one small room. The beds were
placed so close to one another that they |
touched, and they were all occupied. |
It was a motley crowd that slept hud-
died together in this room night after
night. There was no ventilation and
no suggestion of cleanliness of any
kind, The dodgers spat on the floor
Ill night, so that it was damp and slip
perry next morning.
After a few weeks here Imperial
Councillor Kolk became infected with
/ troublesome skin disease which ne
,essitated his removal to a hospital.
When he was discharged as cured he
lad no more inclination to return to
he life of a proletarian wage Garner,
md completed his journey through
America as an ordinary tourist.
One of the features of American
ife that struck Imperial Councillor
zolk was the remarkable superiority
If the American workingman to the
European workingman in external APP
is, in regard to dress.
He was astonished to see workingmen
wearing starched shirts, laced brown
shoes, kid gloves and other fneries.
1t struck him as peculiar that the
girls employed in the factories were
invariably referred to as ladies, and
hat even their foreman and employer
should refer to them by this dignifed
lppellation.
He found that stories of persecution
'or lese majestic formed the one subject
n connection with Germany which
never failed to excite the interest of
lis fellow workers, who also evinced
considerable curiosity about the per-
ionality of the kaiser. German immi-
grants, hearing that he was a new ar
'ival from Germany, never failed to
IMPRESS upon him that he was now in
/ country in which no malicious spy
'Ould denouce him for some imaginary
INSULT to the head of the state.
The German army was the subject
If frequent conversations in the facto.
les and workshops, and much interest
was shown in military subjects, the
general opinion being that one Ameri.
,au soldier could fight six Germans any
lay.
When you think of Christmas dia-
nonds, think of Hinges