The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1905-10-27
The Affairs of
General Prfnterdon1


1--WE propose to sell our em-
ployer eight hours out of the
twenty-four and we will do as we
please with the remaining six
teen"
That is the rallying cry of the
union printers of America and
Canada, and they are making it
good. From all points where
trouble is being experienced there
come gratifying reports of prog
ress. The Typotheta tries to make
it appear that it is getting non
union men, but it's action in striv-
ing to secure injunctions shows
the desperate straits into which it
has fallen. The printers are stand
ing like a stone wall. There are
no dcsertions from the ranks. On
the contrary accessions are being
secured every day. The rates
that have been secured by the Ty-
potheta are incompetents. The
composing rooms may be full as
regards numbers, but the barom-
eter is the press room-and the
press rooms are practically idle in
all Typotheta shops. The rats"
can not deliver the forms. Every
bulletin from headquarters sounds
better than the one preceding it.
In Detroit the printers have
been out eleven weeks and there
has not been a desertion. The
Typotheta has secured sweep
ing injunction aaginst the union,
but the men are still confident
and the general public is with
them. o
Norwich, N. Y; Carbondale,
Pa, and Richmond. Ind, were
added to the eight-hour list last
week. Three shops were signed
UP in Peoria, Ill. Ennis, Tex, re-
ports every shop signed. Calves
ton, Tex, also comes over into the
eight-hour reservation. 1t looks
good all along the line.
The Wageworker hopes that
Lincoln Typographical Union
No. 209 will return a unanimous
vote in favor of the proposition
just submitted by the executive
council and having reference to
the financing of the eight-hour
struggle. 1t will not last long
if the $4,000 men come to the
front and show the Typotheta
that it is up against it good and
hard. 1t is only a question OF a
few weeks, and it means too
much to the printer to lay down
now. Vote yes" without muir
muir, and it will have its influence
in after years.
The Wageworker's good friend,
\. +. B!oomer, of Washington,
says he "can not understand why
he was dragged into the scrap
between Shrope of the Easton,
Pa, Journal and Maupin of the
Lincoln, Neb., Wageworker." "
Bless his dear heart, there is 10
scrap between Shropc and Maui
pin. There were never two better
friends on earth than Shrope anil
Maupin. Bloomer merely but Cd
in. And as an authority on
skunk smells" both Shrope AMI
myself will yield Brer Bloomer
the palm. for he recognizes it
every time he exhales.
This happened i'll Omaha along
sometime about the winter OF
lSS6-S7, and he wasn't known as
the Marquis then. He was jus,
plain Bill "Bill' dropped into
Omaha with a silk hat, a Prince
Albert coat and one hundred ant
sixty big iron dollars. And the
old gang of Missouri river pi-
rates" that thronged Farnam
street from Tenth to the old Her
aid building hailed Bills adj
vent with chortlcs Of joy. Woult
they sign his application for mem
bership? Well would they? They
only thing they were sorry about
was that the application blanks
were so small that only limited
number could get their names
thereon. "How's work." asked
S"Bill." O. there was plenty oi
work. Why, the employers wer.
crying for printers. And righ,
over there on Douglas was sick
printer who wanted to sell hi:
cases. Did "Bill" want to bu.
cases? Yes. "Biil" wanted to
purchase and he pa rted with thir-
ty OF his one hundred and sixty
bones. Then he helped the boys
spend the thirty, but he didn't
know it. By the time that thirty
was spent "Bill" didn't have any
more money than rabbit, and Sc
he wandered up to the &ld Heral<
composing room to take fhe case