United labor bulletin., 1911-03-09
JOSEPH FEELS, SOCIALIST.

(By George Crocker in Chicago Socialist)
| Whenever you happen to come across
a "Fels Naptha soapbox," if you will ex.
anime it closely you will notice, just
beneath the name, the imprint of sin.
gle letter in paint-green paint.
There are three slave pens in this
country where these boxes are made
The letters are placed there as the mill
mark" each factory having it's own par
| ticular mark, thus denoting in which
factory these boxes are manufactured
If the mark should happen to be the
letter "P." you may put it down that
. that particular box was made in North
Emporia, Va.
| l visited North Emporia last summer
and while talking with a local comrade
concerning the awful conditions under
which the southern wage slaves are com
PEELED to toll, he pointed to several tall
smokestacks and said:
See that factory over there?"
Yes l replied, land what do they
manufacture over there?"
| FEELS Naptha soapboxes," he answer
ed. And if you want to get a glimpse
of real slavery go over and take a walk
| through the MILL
| | Immediately appointed myself a com
mittee of one and started to investigate
labor conditions in one of the southern
pens.
Here is what I found:
Four hundred slaves, three-fourths of
whom were negroes.
Their ages ranged from to 40 years
Wages ranged, exclusive of the bosses,
| from 20 cents to $1.10 a day
The mill superintendent told me that
he had orders from the owners to keep
his salary list below 81 per day.
All employees must work overtime
when requested in times of rush or
ders" or special orders"
The pay for overtime work is the same
as ordinary pay. Two weeks pay is
held back. thus forcing employees to work
four weeks before they can collect for
the first two weeks service.
In case employees desire to withdraw
| from the employ of the company he
must give an advance notice of 10 days
Employees discharged by the boss will
not be taken back.
Departments in which small children
are worked are closed on day that fac
tory inspector is supposed to visit the
place.
| Employees of each department are told
that a certain number of cars must be
loaded in a given time.
| If employees are found to be too slow
they are transferred to other depart
ments, especially in the shipping de
partment.
Employees are continually being
changed from one machine to another.
| thus preventing them from learning or
becoming experts in any branch of the
business. This, however, according to
the bosses, is done to give them thor
ough knowledge OF the entire plant.
| FEELS says:
| Now, If you mean, do / believe every
person should have the whole fruits OF
his labor, l am a Socialist"
| l wonder how that would sound to the
| fed men and boys, who work long hours
at breakneck speed to produce his soap
boxes.
Again says FEELS:
Il would not tax labor nor any OF its
products anywhere under any circum.
stances"
So that is your story, Mr.. FEELS, to the
well-fed members of the New Era club
is it?
Go down to Emporia, Va, and tell the
story to the hundreds of men and boys
who are now working from 60 to 70
hours a week for the magnificent wage
| of as cents a dayi
Insist, my dear Fels, that the men who
control the factories where your boxes
are made shall give back to the work
ers larger portion of the two thousand
dollars IN pronts which they receive for
a carload of boxes.
Tell them, Mr.. Fels, that you shall re
fuse to buy their products until you are
assured that they are manufactured un
der decent and human working condl
tons.
Il Demand, Mr.. Fels, that all your soap
boxes shall be made under union condi
tions.
And above all. Mr.. Fels. advise ali
your employees to study the philosophy
of Socialism, to post themselves along
economic lines that they may know to
what extent they are being exploited Of
their labor products.
Do these things. Mr.. Fels. and the
=, Socialists of the country will regard your
statements with degree of sincerity.
Joseph Fels is not member OF the
Socialist party. He is known as a Single
Taxer.-Editor.)
Baur's bon bons and chocolates are