United labor bulletin., 1909-11-12
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The Anti-Saloon League of America
has succeeded in slipping about as nice
and juicy a citron across to the labor
editors of the land as they will ever have
occasion to grasp, even if they survive
the onslaught of old Father Time for an
other half century. Several years ago
there appeared at the convention OF the
American Federation of Labor member
of the Machinists' Union, who, having
tired of the lathe and drill, had studied
for the ministry and blossomed forth as
a reverend: through the courtesy OF the
delegates in attendance, the reverend
gentleman was called on to address the
convention. He did so and made an ad-
dress that was received with consider
able favor. Subsequent conventions
found the reverend gentleman on the
. lob. ready. anxious and more than will
ing to be called" to say few words to
the assembled delegates. His tenacity.
was rewarded and all recent conventions
found him Johnny on the spot" equip
ned with an interesting line of talk that
finally won for him the title of Labor's
Preacher Meanwhile the reverend gen.
tleman had been assigned to position
where his duties were to his liking and
finally there was launched department
of that particular denomination to which
the reverend gentleman looked to IN or
der to secure his weekly pay envelope,
said department carrying the rather ex-
pressive title of Church and Labor
Without much delay the reverend gentle
man began to send to the labor press OF
the land fairly good labor letters, mix
ing his delivery as they say at the ball
park, by alternating with letters that
sounded the praises of a Christian lie,
especially intended to bring in converts
and particularly directed to the men OF
labor who had for reasons best known
to themselves, passed up the church 60
ing habit All of these syndicate letters,
for such they were, passed inspection IN
many a labor sanctum, and while they
were rather out of the ordinary for labor
papers, the fact that the author had py
consistent effort secured consideration
from Labors Parliament, therefore space
was allotted and the campaign well
planned, started without friction.
After making quite sure that the ed
itors were lulled to sleep; quiet little
article that seemed to salve the wounds
of the cafe and saloon employees was
started on it's mission; which was moth
ing more or less, than to test the road
ahead The test appeared to be salts
factory; for the following week, the Ia
bor press of the land almost simultan'
eously printed an article relative to a
Temperance organization said to exist in
Dear Old Merrie England; where, ac'
cording to the article in question, about
all of the labor leaders that amounted
to a hill of beans were active members
thereof. Quickly following that article
pretty near every labor man who hao
either been a delegate to the Denver con
vention of the A. F. of L., or was an OF
ficer of an international, state or central
body, received a personal letter in which
it was intimated, that a movement was
well under way to establish among the
delegates to the Toronto convention oi
the A. F. of L., temperance society
similar to the one alleged to exist across
the big pond; inviting the recipients tc
write and advise the reverend gentleman
whether they thought well of the prop
osition Then in quick succession fol
lowed several articles to the labor press
every one of which was worth dollar {
line to the Anti-Saloon League; for IL
spite of the fact that the Anti-Saloor
League has many able writer's. none o
them have ever produced such insinuat
ing copy as the Reverend Charles Stelzle
the reverend gentleman referred to il
this article.
Where does the lemon come in yoi
say? Just moment gentle, or other
wise, reader, and you will see the whole
works. AS many of you will recall in m!
report to the Fifteenth General conven
ton, there was quoted facts in connec
ton with the Anti-Saloon League that il
substance read as follows:
The Anti-Saioon League was establish
ed by minister; it has an annual in
come in excess of 100000; it has ovel
500 officers in this country; 1t printed
and distributed 100,00O00O pages O
printed matter during the year 1908
counting the dlHerenI eulIions Vi Ih'
American Issue, which is the Anti-Saloor
League official organ; 3S weekly, bi
weekly and monthly papers are being
published by the league in the United
States alone. In a previous paragraph
the statement was made that Reverend
Stezle's matter was worth one dollar 6
line to the Anti-Saloon League, calculat
ing that each of the letters sent to the
labor press and official journals of inter
national unions, which number close te
1000, are given space by at least 500;
that these letters will average about 5t
linas of standard neWspaper column