The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-02-24
LABOR NOTES OF
WIDE INTEREST
Correspondent Gives His Impressions
of Recent Reception of Lawrence
Children in Barre.

In spirit of idle curiosity, happened
into the Socialist hall on Granite street
last Saturday evening, and the lesson
brought home to me in the couple Of
hours / spent there will forever dwell
in my memory. In the first place, had
felt like disappearing of separating the
| children from their parents, and | am
somewhat in that belief yet But, be
that as it may, there is one thing that
no one can deny, and that is that these
children, the outcrop of diseased sys-
tenn of industry land it is diseased if it
cannot give sustenance to human lifel
were for the time being, as it were,
transported from hunger and want TO
an abundance of all that is good for the
needs of the physical body.
The children in themselves We're an
| object lesson as to the meaning OF these
great upheavals in the labor world. They
were. as whole, typical children of the
underfed working class OF the textile
| industries of America, and to one like
myself, who in childhood toiled in Just
| such factories in Scotland, | am bound
| to say that the improvement | note as
sense it all seems, even though paradox
/ cal to say so, backward. | could not help
| but think that, as | looked over these
wan and pinched faces, some day in the
near future these same children win
march to the ballot box and forever
free themselves and their children from
system that drove them from their
| parents and home.
| To the committee of management, |
| have nothing to give but praise; every
1 3 tknf 4
make the children feel at home was
done; foodstuff of all description had
been garnered from all corners Of the
city, and to those who donated and
those who distributed and fed the little
ones, | say godspeed. The separating
OF the children was carried through With
out hitch and the looks Of triumph and
gladness depicted on the faces of the
| lucky ones does one more good than ali
the sermons | have ever heard preached
On Sunday afternoon / again happened
down Granite street and was Just in time
to see the transformation scene taking
| place. Seated on the steps of the So
cialist hall were the children of the night
before, but mighty change had taken
place in that short time. 1t was with
difficulty | could recognize in the bright.
clean, well-dressed boys and girls my
, little lonely friends of the previous night
The tears streamed down the face of
my companion as he said; well Alick,
| do not know the people who have
worked this wondrous change, but God
bless them for befriending the children
of our striking brothers in Lawrence,
Mass"
But the darkness, after all. is imagi-
nary. The working class will both see
I and understand. To speak of liberty in
such a system is mockery, to surrender
is crime.
We close our eyes and call it night,
And grope and fall in seas of light;
Would we but understand.
Washington d. c., Feb. IA state
ment has been given publicity to the
effect that the department of Justice has
made the positive declaration that Presi-
dent Samuel Gompers and Secretary
Frank Morrison of the American Fedora
ton of Labor have been completely ex-
onerated by the federal grand jury. In
all of the evidence brought before the
jury, there was nothing which even re.
motely indicated that they had any
knowledge of the alleged dynamiting con
spiraey. This is not news to the mem
bership OF the organization of labor.
Machinists, through strike in Seattle,
Wash, have secured the eight-hour day
in most of the smaller shops.
John A. Fitch of Pittsburg was re-
recently before the Stanley steel investi-
CATION committee and explained his rea-
sons for criticising the United States
steel corporations treatment of its en-
ployes. Mr.. Fitch made study of the
labor and social conditions of the Pitts
burg field for the Russell Sage survey
in 1907 and 1908, and later published his
observations in book form "The steel
corporation yields such an enormous
power that il is a menace to the coun-
try" said Mr.. Fitch. Conditions of
work in the steel works are demoraliz-
ing. Thinking, red blooded workingmen
do not care as much about welfare work
as they do about their rights. They are
mot as anxious for sanitation as they are
for justice" Chairman Stanley asked
Mr.. Fitch who the officers were of the
association for which he acted, and Mr.
Fitch replied that J. p. Morgan was the
treasurer.
Washington, d. c.. Feb. 1.-THE gen
eral offices of the international Associa-
ton of Machinists will remain here. The
referendum vote just completed on this
proposition declared overwhelmingly in
favor of this city. At the last eonyen-
ton of the organization, it was decided
to change the headquarters city to St.
Louis, Mo. Later however, an agitation
was started and anbther referendum Sc
cured, the result Of which is noted above. |
A conference of the representatives of
$4,000 coal miners in the United King /
dom, held in London recently, confirmed |
the decision reached by recent coal ballot |