The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1909-01-07
THE SIGNED CONTRACT
Most Profitable Kind of Litera-
ture for Workers.
A GOOD STORY WITH A MORAL
How Shop of Buttonhoie Workers
Solved a Problem-Girs Got Fair
Treatment When They Practieed
Concentrated Effort.

solved Probem-Girls Got Fair
Treatment When They Practiced
Concentrated Effort.
The hand buttonhoIe makers and
finishers We're leaning toward the
grimy windows of the children's jack
cts shop for the last of the quickly
fading daylight. Through the sitting
effuvium Of bad plumbing, rotting
wall paper. escaping fuel gas and exu-
dations of underwashed and over
crowded humanity rose the pungent
odor Of boiling coffee.
81 hope I won't be long in this shop"
said deep eyed Russian girl, pushing
aside her stack of little Buster Brown
coats to make room on the table for
her cup. 81 expect to take up litera-
ture and journalism soon."
Expect to better yourself at that?"
asked a middle aged American woman
who was cheerily dispensing coffee.
"For myself it is nothing. But that
the world should know how the work
ing classes struggle and starve under
the present system
pass the sugar on to Graziclla.
She's starving under your nose"
laughed the American. Then as her
fellow workers shifted their cramped
positions to partale of her welcome
treat" she continued:
II guess the world is on to the way
we struggle and starve already as
much as they'll ever get to be from
reading about it. And what's more,
the world will stand for it as long as
go right on rushing till o'clock every
night, busy season, SOS to bring on
slack season that much quicker. AS
long as we sit gaping at those kids
carrying off home work on their heads
I don't know how we expect the world
to do any different
"Sh-h! said the Russian girl as the
foreman approached with pile of
'fnished'' work on his arm and a low
ering scOwl on his forehead.
You expect the examiner to pass
such goods?' he exclaimed eXcitedly,
pointing out Jagged stitches and fray
ing seams on coat after coat as he
flung them on the table.
The Russian girl began to rip her
returned work in Sullen silence, while
the man lit the gas, with anything but
complimentary comment upon her
skill. After he had got well out of
hearing she broke forth hystcricaIly:
1--WE are slaves! We shall work
twelve hours a dny to pay the land
lord-nothing else. We must work
fast as machines, and If one little
stitch IS not just so we can lose our
time ripping. If we say one word out
we 60 into the street We breathe
poison. What can we dog"
"Now you're shouting-' interrupted
the American. you've struck the
point. What can we do? What's the
answer? Do YOU want to know? Well.
you ask the cutters. They didn't get
their ten hours and scale of prices by
writing literature or journalism. They
got it being skilled cutters that were
needed in the jacket business and then
laying down the hours and prices they
would stand for. It's up to us to put
up the kind of sewing they can't get
from every new immigrant that lands
Mt Governors Island and then get the
| cutters to stand by us for what's COM
ing to us. What can we do? We can
get contract. that's what Then We'll
know where we're at"
When the next busy season opened
In the jacket trade n flushed little.
middle aged American hand button
hole maker came out of the office of
her shop, followed by two trembling
young "finishers' and four stalwart
old "cutters." Her fellow workers
awaited her eagerly in their accustom-
ed places around the table. and as she
approached deep eyed Russian cir!
asked:
"Well, and what do our masters
say?'
The little American waved paper
triumphantly over her head.
They signed 1t o. k" she cried
joyfully. And as she looked about
upon their surprised and radiant faces
she added, empha sizing every word
THE best kind of literature and
journalism for working people to take
up is signed ontractS."-Gertrude Bar
mum in Chicago Tribune.
Growth of Trades Unio,isn.