Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-03-22

As q result OF tho Payne-Aldrich
tariff trx, every person In the United
States is paying from so to 100 per
cent more for wooden clothing and
blankets than the residents Of Great
Britain pays. And the wooden cloth
ing put out by the wooden trust ia
much inferior in qaulity TO that sold
in Great Britain.
William NJ. Wood, head Of the weol.
en- trust, draws down the bulk Of the
enormous profits from the American
people.
Msrien +. Pew, newspaper man
W no will not write an article unless
he has tbs assurance that his paper
will publish the facts az he finds them,
was sent to Lawrence, Mass, to make
an impartial investigation Of the strike
Of the men, women and children there.
This is what he wrote abo 1t Wood:
"rhe story OF the career of William
NJ. Wood, president of the American
Woolen Company, provides curious
paradox.
This man is the oppressor Of $780,
600 miserable New England textile
workers few years ago he was one
of them. He is pitiless in his fight
against the $4,000 strikers Of Law
renee; in his youth he felt the sting OF
hunger that these strikers now rebel
against.
"Fcrtune has smiled upon him, he
has grown enormously rich; he de-
clarcs that S4 and 80 per week is enough
for the men and women who spin the
product Of his milis.
alt is said Of George +. Baer, the
anthracite baron, that he sincerely ne
lieves in his faineus theory Of divine
right OF wealth. J. Pierpont Morgan
was born 40 large fortune and has
never seen The poverty Of the steel
slaves Of Pitisburg, though II Is neon
ceivanle that be does moi know that
ii exists.
.s0ther great captains OF industry
are so comfortable in their clubs and
palaces, or 50 busy playing with the
foitles Of society ghat they may never
think Of VIVA, j. happening beyond the
vision OF their dividends.
Not so with Wood. He know these
strikers are bis neighbors. Their dis
tress he sees. Their cries he hears.
"Woodls father was Portuguese
Jew Immigrant. He abored in .ot-
ton. mill and died OF Tuberculosis, a
disease common To cotton and wool
spinners.
'rrhe fathers name Is believed to
have been Alphense Lehalr, or Levair.
He changed his name to Wood by or
der of the mill bosses who, IN those
days, listed.ther employees by name
Instead of number, aud the bookkeepers
didn't like to fuss with strange, for
eign names.
"Willlam quit school when bis faith
er died. He got a job la the Wam-
sutta Amills, New Bedford. The boy
was quick Ito learn. After a while he
entered bank and learned finance.
Then The became treasurer Of Fall
River cotton mill. He finally mastered
the art of manufacturing and assisted
In the introduction Of shoddy cloth.
"Wood met and married the daugh.
ter OF Frederick Aver, who had made
great fortune cut of patent medi-
cDes.
layer had been buying mill stock
and the mills had not been prospecting
He backed his son-in-law with mil
lions, however and by combination
adroltly managed tactics, including
shoddy, schedule X and labor crush
ing, w ood made Ayers fortune swell
to proportions thst made even the
patent medicine game seem tame.
"Ihe son Of poor mill worker be-
came millionaire and formed the
present wool trust.
"a few weeks ago he was In Wash.
ington banqueting the standpat sena-
tors and representatives and Iaft's
tariff board, and pleading for tariff
protection for his employees.
To-day he is in Boston giving out
statements that trade conditions do
not warrant meeting the demands OF
the strikers who left their looms rather
tnan accept cut in wages averaging
emily ~ cents per week.
Wood says that no dividends are
paid on the common stock Of his COM
pany and only per cent on the pre-
ferred
''rhe fact is that the common stock
is treasury stock anu the company has
been slowing away enormous surplus,
while the tariff sailing Was good.
wood is dark eyed, black haired
nervous little man with vain concep-
lIon OF his power to control aieu--his