The wageworker., 1910-01-08

/
fitting himself so that he can detect
such schemes and thwart them, in
stead of spending it in charging his
fellow workers with dishonest mo-
tives.
Since the organization of the Ne
braska State Federation of Labor the
organized industries of the state have
enjoyed peace and fair measure OF
prosperity. While wages have not
kept pace with with the increased cost
of living. yet because of union activity
We have at least managed to prevent
any widening of the difference
through a lowering of the wage scale.
Several new unions have been organ
ized since the Lincoln convention, and
so far as your officers are informed
not one has surrendered its charter.
But one strike has taken place with
/ in the ranks of the Federation. Ref
Amalgamated Association OF Street
and Electric Railway Employees of
Omaha against the Omaha & Council
Bluffs Street Railway Co. The COM
pany, claiming it was financially un-
able to pay old and faithful employees
an increased wage scale, paid out
thousands of dollars to imported
thieves. thugs, porchclimbers and pro-
fessional strikebreakers whom il hired
to take the places of men asking
merely for justice and humane treat
ment. The money the Omaha & Coun-
Gil Bluffs Street Railway Co. paid out
to defeat the request of old and faith
full employees would have paid the in
creased wage demanded for many
years to come, prevented great public
discomfort and relieved the community
of the presence of horde of men who
are strangers to honor, unacquainted
| with honesty and never on speaking
terms with common decency. 1t
should not be forgotten by the wage
| earners of Omaha and her sister cities
that it took the combined influence of
business men who had not a dollar
of stock in the railway company to
defeat that just strike. 1t was but
one more proof that there is a body
of shortsighted business men in Ne
braska's metropolis who are endeav-
oring to break down labor organiza-
tions. They put up hypocritical pre-
tense of working for the good of the
free and Independent worker, but they
deceive none but those who are anX-
| ious to be deceived. The wage earn
ers of this community have the rem
| edy in their own hands. Business men
( who refuse to accord to organized Ia
Dor the common rights of humanity
are not deserving, nor should they
have, one dollar of patronage from
union men and women. No man known
to be in sympathy with such men
should receive a penny of union pa
tronage nor the vote of any self-re-
specting. family-providing, country
loving God-fearing union man.
! The strike in question calls with
emphasis for concerted action that
will result in securing, through legis
lative enactment, board of arbitra-
ton and conciliation that will safe
guard the public's rights while making
it impossible for arrogant corpora
tions and insolvent capitalists to crush
the hopes and aspirations of the toll
ers. / can think OF no greater work
for this organization to do than to un-
dertake the task of securing law
which will give the workers an equal
chance with the employers. In con-
Guiding this reference to the Omaha
strike l want to pay my tribute of re-
spect to the brave men who refused to
be coerced. browbeaten or bribed;
who refused to violate their union OBJ
| legations. and who refused to surren-
der their manhood. 1t was my pleas
ure and privilege to mingle with them
during that strike, and never have
met finer body of men. | learned
from them much of devotion to prin.
ctple. Had they received the proper
support, and had organized labor in
years gone by performed it's duty at
the polls instead of being the play
thing of political manipulators, the re-
suits of that strike might have been
different
| 1t is with regret that must report
that during the month of November
another contract for prison labor was
executed by the Board of Public Lands
and Buildings. This contract calls for
the manufacture of work shirts at the
penitentiary, and was executed while
the American Federation of Labor
convention at Toronto. The contract
as originally prepared and urged by
a majority of the board was outrag-
eous in the extreme. AS the contract