The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-02-18
HOW SPIES WORK SECRETLY
INSIDE THE LABOR. UNIONS
Ebloyed BY Detectiye Agencies Get at Plans for the
Benefit of Embzoyers-7Aey Get Double Pay
Labor Leaders at a Loss for Means
~ .-& s
,-m@. ... to Get Rid of Them

who has been in the +" underground serv-
ice' for many years, OF compelling the
dismissal of his own brother-in-l law for
attempting to bring about a strike. The
case ease does does not lose IN interest," by the
house with. his brother-in-law.
: Another service the "inside man.
renders is urging his fellow-employees
not to strike and by his reasoning mini
MIXING the magnitude of fancied griev-
ances.
The rapidity with which the report Of
the '1inside man" OF impending labor
in establishing the identity Of a sus-
pect; yet few men have actually been
unprecedented or expelled from labor or
CARNATIONS for betraying their asso-
ciates. Suspecting a fellow-laborer> Of
being an "inside man, is one thing,
but proving his perfdy is another: AS
has already been stated, the heads of
corporations, railways, manufacturing
and the like do not know the identity
of the men upon whom they depend for
their secret information Of impending
trouble.
But there are a few exceptions to
this rule. The "inside man. does not
want to be known to his actual employ
risk of exposure, and that would mean
the loss Of not only his employment,
but his utility as a spy. He sends his
reports in to the detective agency which
employs him in a roundabout way and
thru so many devious channels that it
is almost impossible to trace him.
Some of Them Are Known.
His pay reaches him in the same way
always in currency, never in the form
Of a check or written order. He has
no acquaintance with the heads of the
establishment in which he works other
than that enjoyed by the other men.
Once in a while, however, the "inside
man, is pretty well known to the pro
moters Of the industry in which he Ia
bors in. dual capacity. There is one On
has been employed in the same shop
for more than twenty years; he has held
official positions in his local labor Or
ganization, has been a delegate to ma
tional conventions, is considered the
most trustworthy Of the "inside men,
employed by the detective agency for
which he works "under cover" yet he
sociates or fellow works: He draws
double wages-one for the excellence
of his work as a craftsman, the other
as spy. 49, -.
There is no fixed scale of compensa-
ton for these ''inside men, None of
them gets less than $40 a week. Most
of them, however, draw double wages.
If the spy is earning, $2l a week at
his trade in the shop, he usually re-
ceives $21 from the detective agency.
Some Of the national labor leaders
know the extent OF this system Of es:
| pionage from which they suffer, and
| at times are called upon to deal with it.
| Wherever it is8feasible, they eliminate
the spies discovered with as little pub;
lefty as possible, fearing the effect Of
a scandal: But there are number of
men fully cognizant Of the evil whc
have made serious effort to eradicate
it, and who believe that the best way
to do so is to treat it with as much
! publicity as possible: In their opln
in the national convention will accom-
plish the desired result.