The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1912-01-12

anu heGOe anu ShcStllS uJ somewhere loC ol people
Back Iowa. Muscane be they manufacture the
major part pearl
them out of clam shells which brought to the factory yards in
bages All and shades of buttons from the big
button large silver half dollars the tiny little buttons
baby dress
The material as it to the factory is entirely different
from the finished article carded and ready for miadys purchase
is the evolution from the to the finished state that
The are then the soaked
solution The solution prevents the shells from becoming brittle
tom If is oronnd down and soaked AGAIN and then cmned Then
dried and machines where they drilled
and and eSaeFed They 3 are pGhed & in % solution containing % mmGna
at home by women and girls.
1t estimated that Of the 5000 people engaged in the industry
which they work anything but conducive health and longevity
Shell poison scratch cut the hand often develops
cutting machines placed together that the girls scarcely
Throat trouble prevalent
hours day the girls their machines and when night they
install sufficient number of fans to carry off the impurities but fans
cost money Girls don There is always an ovesuppy There is
women nnehom law Iowa but they work hours in the
The pay The girls in the sorting fairly well paid
Not in the cutting and grinding though where the dangerous
machinery is Three six dollars week with the chances OF mu
alton and tuberculosis thrown is the recompense there Mady
goes to retail store and b cara containing dozen buttons Tor
100 gross That's l4,4O0 buttons
g % or R & e @ 4 S0ss3S s g %e act That 9Vi all The
manufactures doesn't provide medical attendance The button
industry the only of livelihood Mucatne for and
girls and there always girls who must work to help the family
income
One of the grievances the button workers had was the system of
weighing The company weighed the shells and the employees
allowed the weighing Result Short weight and
quendy Then they the habit of substituting
100 $50 buttons for and paying for 14 buttons "a real
feet buttons If button had flaw in the coorng wasn't
exactly right Of dozen little mperfectons the girl
absolutely nothing making imperfect
buttons weren't thrown away They sorted into cheaper goods
buttons Hartman worker
Ems Ems TJf i 1 o o so % o one o our rt ] f f +i ns & ON @ one
of which the girl operative nothing at all
So much for the conditions What happened? The button work
and the right to belong to union Factories refused and strike
returned manufacturers licked they
p9I9 of I'e 0uuugnH l| cIrgeo hF people Ior par
already palty and the lockout which his
tb +ote aitia 1ao Of arrriso Tni1ons scores Of onno
GIRLS thrown into jail business coeced why said the
cers to the business If aid these strikers we II make
lTusane roosng place for bats and owls Wen
industries away Who keeps You? We, the with money in
vested this ignorant abbe that knows nothing but how make
buttons? One manufactures dmnted hs machinery and loaded
onto for shipment another city The business interests,
cracks the whip Anarchy regns in Nuscatine'
reked the button manufacturers and the of
he wouldn't do again. but they worked him just they did the
merchants
Oh but the strikers roted and they broke the law they
violated the inJunctions and they raised Cain IN general!
compao Baer to whom God entrusted the earth grind and
and bully and drive their workers until in very desperation
they turn and show their teeth and strike results Before the final
strike vote taken orders have IN for and strike
l n4 S MY b,e+ of ar1otions With tf b@st b % Of @ +bjr
fellows up by singing Bes Be
strike of fifty that
by the employers could peace
ably ended the employers had half efforts
Cancellation and betterment of working conditions.
Museane American It's working population
composed people honest
loyal to American institutions the workers of
country The trouble lies with the striking button workers
deeper than that greedy usul domneering of
factms cared everything for the gold be gathered
particular industry and nothing for the living, breathing machines
that Oed that wealth Nor that all which
factory laws which allows machinery to be uguardd and
operated children which child
the ninehour law if these
greedy ambitions Of apowerf industrial oigarhy what
be said defense of the officials of such
apathec middle their
opae sy applied by corporate greed Over all broods like
evil cloud industrial which drives and
conditions under the fear of starvation But
might smack of socialism, and that would be errble Perish
the thought