Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-12-16
BEN KEECAN EXPOSES YOUNG
President Of Omaha Teamsters Says Chicago
Man Proposed smuggling Here
ASKED FOR CHANCE TO BRING HIS THUGS
Assured Local Leader NOnuniOn Team"
Hters Could BE sIugged with
Perfect Impunity to
the Union Men.

Albert Young, appearing as states wit
ness against Cornelius p. Shea Internal
tional president of union teamsters' heIore
Judge Ball at Chicago, was in Omaha our
ing October last year and wanted TO re-
plenish the ranks of the local Transfers
union by dark-lantern methods. Such Is
the substance of a positive statement maze
by Ben Keegan, president O: Omaha local
union No. Il. union teamsters.
Mr.. Keegan was at first slow to be drawn
i,to a matter which would place him on
record in this connection, realizing its tar-
reaching consequences, but when reporter
for The Bee called on him and put the
matter squarely up to him Mr.. heegan theh
40 willing to make a statement which ne
said he would stand by, but he did not
want it to 60 out that he was taking the
initiative in digging up Albert Youngs rec
ord in Omaha in October 1893
Young was Frank About II.
"Al Your., dropped into Omaha in Oc-
tober. 1861 think it was October 2S-ahd
looked me up" declared Nj. Keegan' VINO
added:
,cyoung made no bones in unfolding his
plans to me. He was at the time naIohal
organizer for the union teamsters' me
local Transfers union was not very strohs
Mt that time and Young evidently thoushI
II a good opportunity to recruit from the
ranks Of the unorganized and make s"ou
showing for himself. Young told me ne
had a gang of twenty men at chicago at
the time and could easily get some OF
them on the ground and so to work mere
He wanted nv confidence and wanted me
TO point the leaders to him. Each Darn
usually has Il leader among the teamsters,
q, ahn n
some of the leading unorganized teamsters
at the different barns and thus disorgauize
the unorganized. He declared his susgers
could drop in here, do the work and drop
out again without danger Of identification
He told me that Shea international presi-
dent, favored getting the tcamsters uned
up through moral persuasion, while he
| CYoung) wanted to put few in the hospi-
tai for a week or so.
Reagan spurns the Deal.
1T brought my foot down right then ana
there and told Young If he attempted any
| such dastardly work in Omaha ] would
turn him over 10 the police so fast it would
make his head swim. The result was
| Young made an appointment to meet me
a few days hence. Immediately sat down
and wrote President Shea of Young's pro
oosed campaign in Omaha.
when the time for the appointment
with Young arrived Young did not show VI
and | did not see him after that time. /
presumed he left the city. I received no
reply from my letter to Shea OF course.
whether Shea wired Young to draw away
is only a presumption"
At the time OF strike OF the garment
workers in the Montgomery Ward & Co.'e
establishment last summer at Chicago
Young was president OF the Chicago team
sters' union. Shea and Young were candi-
dates for the International presidency OF
the union and Young was defeated. Then
Y Young seeded from the parent body and
tried to form an organization Of his own
Shea, Young, Joseph Schultz and three
others we're indicted for alleged conspiracy.
that of drawing off the Montgomery Ward
teamsters TO help the garment workers in
their strike other ugly features were In
corporated IN the charges the result being
Young and Schultz turned states wit
! nesses against Shea.
Young Is now charging Shea with doing
the very thing that he VOung) wanted to
do in Omaha year ago. Ben Keegan
said Friday evening.