The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-02-08


| The hatters' strike again brings
Danbury into the limelight.
The United States has witnessed
the operation of union libraries,
union churches, union clubs, union
newspapers, and even union colo
MES, but to witness the real fight
and problem of unionism it must
turn its gaze to Danbury, the
union city.
Stranger things happen in Dan
bury than in any other city in the
United States.
For instance, Herman Taught,
when he goes to the German Lu-
theran church next Sunday, where
he Is trustee, will shake hands,
as usual, with ID. e. Loewee, presi-
dent of the board of trustees, and
Exchange brotherly greetings with
him.
Loewee holds an attachment
against Laught's home.
Taught has worked for Loewee
for IL years, in Loewee's hat fac
tory.
He never borrowed any money
from Loewee. All Loewee has ever
given him has been his wages as
an expert blocker.
How did Loewee get the attach
ment?
Well, once all the employees in
Loewee's factory were called out
by the National Hatters' union.
Loewee claimed to the court that
his business was damaged, and in
stead of levying against the union,
he levied against the homes of
Union men. Laught's home was
among them.
And the courts, all except the
United States supreme court,
have held that the attachment
against the homes is valid.
Then there's John Craft, who
has lived in barn ever since the
attachment was served in 1902.
With his savings, he had bought
a splendid piece of land in Dan
bury. Then the attachment was
served. Craft saw that the at
Itachment didn't cover any certain
amount. 1t was a blanket affair.
The more valuable he made his
property, the greater might be the
amount of the levy.
So he put front and side porch
on the barn, plastered it on the
inside and there they have lived
for five years.
Danbury may be on the firing
line of unionism, its union men
may have suffered as much as any
other union men in all history, but
Danbury is sane.
There is no personal bitterness
in all the 1000 union homes.
The handshake between Taught
and Loewee next Sunday will be
on the square.
Hes a good fellow" they say
of Loewee in Danbury.
TITS the law. That's the trou-
BILE. Loewee has to fight for his
rights, and his lawyers found q
clever way to do it,"
Loewee also attached the say.
lings of many union men in the
banks. That was a terrible blow
in strike times, with grocery bills
lowing.
The national union came to the
|relief of those whose deposits
were attached, and paid them
their money, giving a bond for its
own responsibility.
Then the national union began
to give bonds to release the at
ltachments on homes.
The national union was ordered
to stop doing this. The hat man.
ufacturers wanted to keep their
fingers not on the union, but on
its individual members.
If you don't stop releasing
these attachments we'll make new
attachments every day. You'll
have to give new bonds every day
in that case"
So the national union stopped.
"It doesn't cost anything to is
|sue an attachment in Connect
cut," says Howard Taylor, counsel
for the Danbury unions. "Any
lawyer can make out one in his
|office and serve 1t, without going
Ito court. But It costs money to
Igive bonds, and even John d.
Rockefeller couldn't give daily
bonds for 100000 very long"
The manufacturers haven I
been entirely unkfnd. They might
have prevented the national union
from releasing the attached bank
accounts. But the manufacturers
refused to take full advantage of
the rights the law gave them.
And that helped Danbury to see
that 1t was not entirely a case of
imam against man, in the fight of
|capital against unions, but of sys-
tenn against system, with bad laws
favoring capital.
So, IL there is any hard feeling
lat all, It Is against lawmakers who
bow down to capital, with its
wealth, instead Of to labor, with
its hopes.
OF 1000 men IN the fine little
lefty of Danbury, 1000 are now out
of employment. They are well
dressed and they all wear fine,
new hats (they can buy fine hats
in the factories for ~. Yox can
see them lonnginx ebou< the elm
shaded streets. Th9y 1fe nd sa-
loon hangers-on.
"Unionism han made thln the