Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-16

white man would seem excellent pay to
the colored man.
large number of coored men belong
to the Bricklayers and Masons' Union and
at the annual convention quite a few of
them are sent as delegates TO represent the
locals. In the far south they have unions
or their own which. IL is said, white man
would not be allowed TO join.
The Journal of the American Medical As
sociation says: Child labor means two
evils-under development and iliteracy.
That children should be sacrificed for the
support OF adults. no matter how INDECENT,
is a reversal of the law of nature Child
labor is the truest form OF race suicide"
Mr.. John II. Brinkman the new presi-
dent OF the Central Labor Union was the
principal in the organization of Local No.
az or the International Carriage and Wagon
workers. Since his advent into the inter
national union he has been one of its fore
most advocates and thinkers. He has ad-
vocated greater international organiza-
tlon. and has never subscribed to the prn-
clpleS and policies advocated by past ad-
ministrati tons because. in his Judgment no
organization could be formed OF a poten-
tlal character by adhering to them. Mr..
Brinkman has been right in all his con-
tentlons. and the condition of the movement:
bespeakS his wisdom. He has been elected
TO every position in the gift of his local
union by reclamation. never having an OPP
ponent. He represented Il in he Phi,a-
dephia and Buffalo conventions and was
one of the leading members of both. The
new form o. government was introduced
by him and agreed to by the con tutional
convention by almost unanimous vote.
AS a public speaker he has a national
reputation. having delivered addresses in
many cities upon trade union and other
economic topics. He is referred to here as
labors silver-tongued orator by the pub
lie press and hundreds of members of the
trade union fraternity. While working at
the bench as wood worker he instituted
and edited the Union Herald, a progressive
labor publication which was considered one
of the best ever published. He is a firm
believer in the American Federation of
Labor, and stands very close to President
Gompers. who has always recognized his
great ability and aided him in his work.
In the central body of the District he he'd
almost every position in its gift, serving
as secretary for many terms.
An American literary labor bureau has
prepared short sketches of the lives Of
some of the British labor leaders who have
struggled up through adversely and become
members of parliament
f. Il. Wardle, MP, was ushered into
the world as one of family OF ten, who
mad to live somehow on his fathers wages
of twenty-three shillings a week-Iess than
two shillings four pence apiece. After a
lew years schooling he was sent to a
keighley factory as a half-timer working
in the factory about five hours n day ard
three hours a his books. Seven years
later he was promoted to a clerkship in
Midland railway office. and. like Mr.. Hen
derson, divided his spare hours between
reading, Sunday school teaching and
preaching.
r. e. Shackleton. NJ. p, for the Clithe-
roe division of Lancashire, is the son of
an Accrington matchmaker and was
working as half-timer in 4 local mill
at nine, spending his evenings at classes.
and reading everything he could lay
hands on. He had only been married
a short when he lost his employment. and
for nearly a year and half was unable to
earn penny. And yet, within a score of
years from this black hopeless period of
his life he was able to write J. p and NJ. p.
after his name.
At=seven VIII Thorne the elect of South
west Ham, was turning the spinning wheel
at a rope walk, and at eight he was to.ling
with his parents on the brick fields In
later years, when he had three orphan
brothers to support. he worked successive
ly in a metal rolling mill, at wheeling coke
and as builders laborer before he settled
down as an employe in the Beckton gas
works.
w. c. Steadman came into the world in
a dark hour, for his mother had barely five
shil!ings week on which to maintain her
self and three children and it was a proud
day when the lad took home his first Door
earnings in an oil and color shop His
hours of labor were from in the morning
until 10 or II at night, and his renumera-
ton was one shilling sixpence week. 1t
Is little wonder that. he says. many
and many a night | went to bed hungry
G. n. Barnes, who represents the Black
friars division of Glasgow, was barely
eleven years old when he began to work in
a jute mill-his fathers calling-at Pom
ders End, and at thirteen he was an
prenticed to a firm of engineers at Lam
beth, where he supplemented his small
school learning by attending evening class
es. A H. GIL, NJ. p. for Bolton, was sell
ing newspapers in the streets as child of
seven; and j. r. Clynes. member for North
east Manchester, was little older when he
was totling in a cotton MILL
kier Hardie toiled in the mines from his
seventh to his twenty-fourth year; Mr. Burt
was working underground at the age of
ten, and Richard Bell. after a short spell
of schooling and three unpalatable years
on an office stool began to work as fire
man in a steel rail factory as a preliminary
to filling the roles of shunter, porter and
railway guard.