Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-01-13

son, ana anOLner. VlcIlm is sent Dy
the employment agency in his place.
Suppose that the pay Ola. machinist
is $4,000 a week.
In Greater Pittsburg where the
employment agency used to get but
81 90 from a man for getting hin,
such a job, at present they get $40
or the full valu eof that mans labor
for that week. But, as / stated be-
fore, they have evolutionized. Now.
some of the employment agencies
have a certain branch of what they
call detective bureaus or private de
tective agencies to furnish specia
officers, guards, thugs that can
handle gun and jimmy, and q big
list of future strike breakers. They
are sending their labor spies, as gooc
union men, to different shops throug!
the country. These men, Gale
'gum-shoes" report all that happens
md passes in the shop. They are
everything. They are supposed t,
york and create trouble if possible
Tor thte company and in, the mean
lime the company is circularized b
he special bureaus advising them tt
throw down the yoke Of unionism
.ppsaling them to preserve the
4merican institutions and "get rit
i the actions and the tyranny of the
.bor bosses or walking delegates
md run once more their business az
-Aeir grandfathers did," open shop.
20 the trouble, caused usually NC
- the union men but by the spies ii
. ..te employ of the agency, has it
{. eacherous effect, and the harassel
: -mpany appeals to the very agency
:htat has betrayed it. Now, whel
,4e agency receives an order to get
4eiH men ready, an empty room IL
cunA somewhere in the congesteo
lstriet, and advertisements are scat
tered for the kind of men needed.
The next day a string Of men re-
spond; some of the jobless come
through curiosity, others more ex-
perienced think of the free board
and lodging and the free Transports
zion offered by the company, and they
we'll know that they are not supposed
to- do any hard work at all, but do as
they please.
Jok9Lot mechanics"
OF course the special agent is
supposed to hire first-class mechanics
who understand their business, but
again they betray their clients.
Suppose it is a railroad strike and
they want machinists, boiler makers
or blacksmiths. The applicants for
the job are passed through mere
form of examination, invariably the
special agent helps him out. He will
ask the following questions:
what are your" "A machinist. Y
Where did you work before?"
The applican gives a list Of several
railways that he never worked for
before, the special agent well know
ing that the man is telling a false
hood Then he is shown a skeleton
of an engine, being asked to show the
wheels of locomotive. The candi-
date points out the wheels. Where
is the cylinder?" he is asked again,
while the special agent works his
fingers where the cylinder is situated,
and different other questions are
propounded while the finger of the
special agent persistently points out
the answer on the chart.
well, you will do" he is told, |
and sent to the next man to give his
name and sign the contract The
contract usually reads: THAT the
Union Pacific Co. will employ Jack
son on it's shop or system for thirty
days, giving him free board and
lodging, also transportation land
thtat the above named company is
not responsible for any Injury due to
the negligence sof fellow workman
Also the company will not be re-
sponsible for any injury received
while in OF about the Shops" and
this contract is signed and witnessed
by the special agent and the appli-
cant.
Of course, gentle reader, you must
understand that the first thing the
company involved in a strike needs is
men, men to be around, even if they
never have seen a locomotive before,
and enlightening indeed is the 1903
strike of the Denver & Rio Grande.
A table was made of all tn esupposed
to be first class machinists, black
smiths and boiler makers, hired as
such by Waddell and. Mahon of New
York City. East Broadway.
All were hired as first class me-
chanics. and when they reached the
shops Of Denver the. following trades
we're found among them: Bakers, II;
tailors, 10; umbrella repairers, 4;
shoemakers, z; farm hands, 9; paint
FRS, 2; carpenters, 5; car repairers,
4; not having any trades, Is. Two
young apprentices of their second
year went as floor hands, and five
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