The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1911-09-07
WISCONSIN NOTES.

Milwaukee Socialists have expected
that the Interests" and herch-
ants and Manufacturers Association
would put up a large amount of money
to beat the Socialists in the next city
campaign. 1t was hardly anticipated,
however, hat they would start in
nearly eight months before election.
But here they are! The so-called
Tax Payers League" has a big adj
vertiseInent in all the Milwaukee
capitalist papers, showing up the al
legged inefficiency of the Milwaukee
administration in the collection OF
garbage. This ad contains figures
which are supposed to prove that a
great e more garbage was collected
in 1909, under the Democratic d
ministration. than in 1910, under the
Socialist administration, and that the
collection cost Il great deal less be-
fore the Socialist carried the city
These statements are a pretty good
disproof of the stupid old proverb,
Figures cannot lie" The fact is.
that these Statistics" about the gar
bage collections in 1909 are pure guess
work.
Under the old Rose administration
practically no records were kept OF
the collection of garbage. The Did
method of record-keeping was very
simple. The collectors were notified ;
that at a certain time their loads ;
would be weighed, and they were in
structed to make these loads as heavy
as possible. All the other loads coll
lccted were multiplied by these
samples to get the total weight OF
garbage collected during the year.
Since the Socialist have had con-
troll of the Board of Public Works,
however, they have kept eXac and.i
careful records of this as well as of
all other work done in every city del
partment. consequently nc correct,
comparison can be made between the
old and the new systems of collection.
But the significant feature of all
this is, that h Tax Payers League is
already spending none freely against
the Socialist administration. This. is
a pointer which shows what they will
do from now n. 1t means war to the
knife. They are determined to get
back the Milwaukee administration
into their own control, no matter
what it costs. The Tax Payers Lea
-oOhlctllIlcS ulChlldI1cu the lax |
Dodgers League-at least furnishes
a splendid example of class-conscious-
ness.
The city inspectors working under
the Socialist health commissioner of
Milwaukee have lone excellent work
this year. Never before were the
factories of Milwaukee so thoroughly
inspected. A visitor to Milwaukee |
recently called upon one of the fac |
tory owners. While he was in the
office, a city factory inspector passed
upstairs. See that NAM" growled
the irate manufacturer. "Since the
blankety blank Socialists were elected, |
that man comes to this factory fifty T
times a MONTH"
Last week. these city inspectors ac-
cused one the big manufacturers OF |
Milwaukee of violating the elevator
ordinance. This is the man, by the
way. who is now sueing the Social
Democratic Herald for calling him a
labor skinner, etc. The state factory
rdinnn
inspectors testified that the elevators
were not unsafe. But the evidence
presented by the city inspectors was
so strong that even a capitalist Judge
fined this big employer fifty dollars
and costs.
Now is not this n moral which J
workingmen should take to heart?
state inspectors are appointed
under civil service rules, by the Re-
state government. The city :
inspectors are appointed. also under
civil service rules. by the Socialist '
workingmen's administration. And
that is the reason that they are SO
much the more concerned for the
safety and health of the workers.
Can anything else be expected? Why
imagine that our enemies will care for |
our lives and limbs?