The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1908-08-22
THE POOR LITTLE THINGS.
Lincoln Motormen Plead With HUI
name Society for Fair Treatment.

name society Tor AIR treatment
The street railway employees OF Lin
coin, Nebraska. U. S. A.. are not orsa-
nized
Bear this fact in mind. for ii may
help you TO understand some things
that will be mentioned later
A couple of years ago a number of
the street railway employees took their
nerve in hand and organized. but tie
organization lasted just about as long
as that SNOWFALL you heard about
the one that some fellow tried to carry
NJ sooner had the brass collars
of the Traction company become
aware of the fact of organization than
there was something doing. AS re-
suit of the doing" several of the
weak-kneed men took off their union
buttons and declared that they had
been '-misled-'' A few of the old men
those on the easy runs -Opposed
the organization. As a result it soon
died.
Without organization, and COM
PEELED TO accept any old thing handed
them, or quit, the street railway con-
ductors and motormen of Lincoln are
the poorest paid and hardest worked
men engaged in the business in any
city of equal size in the United States.
Lacking the nerve to organize and
make concerted demand FOR fair pay
and reasonable hours. it is only nat
ural that these men should be per-
fectiy willing TO have somebody else
fight their battles for them-and
stand the expense
So it was that they actually and
asking an organization to get some
| thing for them that they didn't dare
ask for themselves. And this explains
why the Humane Society of Lincoln
went before the city council on Mon
day evening. August 10, and asked
for the enactment of an ordinance
requiring the street railway companies
to provide stools for the over,~orked
motcrmen.
Wouldn't that jar you?
4 Humane Society is necessary to
prevent constituencies men from
abusing dumb animals and to prevent
the abuse of helpless little children
Blu, SO far as this paper is informed
it is the first time lot of stalwart
men haG to seek the protection of a
humane society and ask for something
that men of backbone would have Sc
cured for themselves long ago.
Imagine, if you can. the union cigar
makers of Lincoln-or any other city
asking the Humane Society to Deg
| the city council to compel the manu-
facturers to provide sto Is for them
Imagine, if you can, union leather
| workers of Lincoln-or any other city
asking the Humane Society 10 beg
| the city council to compel the manu-
facturers to provide benches for them.
Picture to yourself, if you can, the
union printers of Lincoln-or any
other city-begging the Humane" So-
cietE to go before the city council
| to secure the enactment of an Ordin-
ance compelling the employers to
| grant decent working conditions to
the printing fraternity.
Say. wouldn't you walk long ways
to see bunch of union bricklayers or
union machinists or union pressmen
E-or union anything else-begging the
Humane Society to get busy and beg
the city council TO protect them
against the employers
o. Fudge. Likewise. o, Heck To
say nothing of Pshaw,
The motormen of Lincoln ought &c
be ashamed of themselves. They
ought 10 have enough self-respect II
either get this Just concession FOL
themselves or else stand on their fee
until they had chilblains and bunion:
as big as a car vestibule.
1t is ali right to enact laws to com
pei employers TO furnish stools TO
! overworked women clerks, but wheI
il comes TO big, strong, stalwart, burl.
men begging e humane society to in
tercede for them-weil, that is a stun
that is calculated TO make us ashame,