The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1912-09-24
WASHINGTON LETTER.
By c. H. Tavenre..

wooden trust magnates pro
tect" their employees in return
for sufficient protection to allow
them to overcharge 10000, 900
American consumers on every
article of clothing they buy, if
revealed in the arrest at Law
renee, Mass, of William M.
Wood, head of the Wooden Trust.
Mr.. Wood is charged with
placing dynamite in the homes os
his IS, Sc. and 81 week for
eign mill workers in an attempt
to discredit their cause while
they were on a strike last winter
as a protest against a reduction
of their wages.
Mr.. Woods arrest is worthy of
the attention Of every man, wom-
an and child in the country who
wears woolens. Because of the
fact that Mr.. Wood and his fell
low WOODEN trust magnates con-
tribute heavily to Republican
campaign funds, Congress has
been in the habit of placing the
tariff on woolens high enough to
keep out all competition, so that
the WOODEN trust could be free to
charge any price they desired,
up to the limit of the ability of
the people to pay. The result is
that Americans are paying from
thirty to one hundred per cent
more for : wooden clothing and
blankets than the resident of
Great Britain pays.
The story of the career of Mr..
Wood provides a curious para
dox. He is the oppressor of
$50, 900 miserable New England
textile workers; a few years ago
he was one of thems In his
youth he felt the sting of hun
ger himself. but now he is pitt
less in his thoughts of his en-
ployees. He has grown enor-
mously rich. but declares that
from $4 to 50 a week is enough
for these who labor in his mills.
1t is said Of many captains of
industry that they are ignorant
of the conditions of the workmen
who earn their fortunes for
them; that if they knew the dis
tress of their employees they
would seek TO remedy it. Not
so with Wood. He knows.
Their distress he sees. Their
cries he hears.
Woods father was a Portu
gese-Jew emigrant. He labored
in a cotton mill and died of tu-
berculosis, disease common to
cotton and wool spinners. The
fathers name is believed to have
been Alphonse LeHaire, or La
VAR.
When the wooden mill employ
ees, which are composed of az
different nationalities, most of
whom cannot speak in English,
went on strike the fathers and
mothers decided to send their
babes and little children away to
friends in other cities in order
that they might not suffer from
hunger during the strike. Mr..
Woods agents beat the women,
and tore the little ones from
their mothers arms when the
children were about to be placed
on trains. Thus did Mr.. Wood
protect" his employees.
Are the American people will
ing to continue to contribute to
Mr.. Wood by paying more for
shoddy than good wooden cloth
ing sells for in England? Or do
they want the tariff on woolens
reduced? There is only one day
every two years when the con-
sumers have an opportunity to
express themselves on this sub.
ject. That day comes on No.
vember 5.
REPUBLICANS FOR WILSON
Thousands Of progressive Re
publicans will vote for the Demo
cratic Nominee for the Presiden
cy, in the opinion of Rudolph
'Spreckels of San Francisco, close
friend of Senator LaFollette and
long prominent in the Republi
can party Of California.
Il have given many years o.
my time and support to the pro
gressive Republican cause and (,
- a.