The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1905-09-15
An Echo of Labor Day

& Grind's overall factory could not
parade today because Gouge & Grind
wouldn't allow them a holiday and the
girls couldn't afford to lose the time.
What have you done to emancipate
Nov look here, ma; there amt
no use O. your"
Last campaign you hollered your
self hoarse for Senator Smooth. He
went down to Washington and hasn't
been heard of since. Last week he
took his family to a sea shore resort,
riding in a special car furnished by
the railroads. You and me and the
baby have been to the park one Sun
day afternoon so far this summer.
Amt I right?"
Eyes, ma. But I had to support
Senator Smooth because he was my
party's candidate, and"
"And who made him your party's
candidate? Why the men who are
putting up the price of everything we
have to buy and keeping down the
price of your labor by importing
white men through New York city
while you are hollering about keep
ing the Chinaman from coming in
through San Francisco"
But amt goin' back on my
party, you bet. I'm goin' to stick to
it, cause it is the greatest"
"Of course you'll stick to your party,
husband. I don't expect you to quit
it. It's been SO long since you done
anything for yourself that you couldn't
do it. I.done bit of figuring while
you were parading. Every time you
stepped while keeping time to the
bass drum Mr.. Rockefeller made as
much as you make by half a days
work. And he makes 1t because you
and your fellow unionists have been
voting for the policies that Mr.. Rookie
Teller advocates-policies that make
him the richest man in the world and
you workingman earning 81 day.
Every time your right foot struck the
ground Mr.. Carnegie was making
more than you make in day, and
making it because your protection
vote let him fix the price on his pro-
duct as we'll as the price of your toll.
While you were taking one step Mr..
Baer issued an order and raised the
price of coal 25 cents ton. 1t made
his company $2O,0OO,O00 in less time
than it took you to march a half a
block. And your vote, together with
the vote of others like you, made it
possible for Baer and his crowd to
make that money by compelling you
to pay it."
"Why, ma; you're talkin' kind O.
crazy, amt you? What's got into
your head, anyhow"
Something that don't seem to
have got in yours, husband-sense.
What's the good of parading on
Labor day and letting the oppressors
of labor run things every other day?
If the two million union men of the
country can march together on Labor
day, why can't they vote together on
election day? You've been doing the
marching and the voting. all these
years. husband. Now we are going
to divide up. You are going to do the
marching just as you please, but I'll
attend to the voting. You'll have to
cast the ballot, but it must be as I
say. And I'm going to vote thoughts
instead of prejudices."
But women don't know nothing
about politics, ma"
Nothing about your kind of poll
tics, thank goodness" calculated Mrs.
Workem. We women can't see where
we get any protection under sys-
tenn that increases the expense of
housekeeping without adding some
thing to the pay envelope. We can't
see the difference between having our
husbands thrown out of work by
Chinaman and having them thrown
out of work by contract criminal
from Hungary. We can't see the sense
in getting together to assert the dig
nifty of labor on the first Monday in
September, and then getting apart
on the Tuesday after the first Monday
in November simply because political
bosses have their orders from the
trust magnates. We can't see the
sense of hollering for protection and
then submitting to being robbed on
everything from the cradle to the
coffin"
Il don't know what's got into you,
ma" said Workem sorrowfully. I'm
sure I'm dom the best 1 know how"
"Of course you, are, pa; but you
don't know how very much. That's
what I'm complainin' about
"Well, what can I do, MAJ"
That's easy. Get your fellow union
lists to vote as solidly for their in
terests as they march to display the
dignity of labor. Vote for us women
and the babies instead of the wives
and babies of the men who are get
ting richer and richer every day off
Of your toll and votes. If you men
took as much trouble to learn what
your duty on election day is as you
do to make a fine showing in a |
Labor day parade you wouldn't be |
quite so helpless. l reckon the trust |
don't care how much you |
parade on Labor day just SO you vote |
with them on election day. Well, I |
declare If the baby amt gone to
sleep sittin' right there in his little |
chair. You get his nightgown, hus-
,and, while take off his clothes"
And as Workem CROPPED his way to
he bedroom closet he was muttering |
% himself:
"Somethin's wrong with ma. II
guess she's been workin' too hard"