davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28
CONFESSION OF A HYPOCRITE
Many Union Men Are in the Same Position as this
Man In Rochester.
Man In Rochester.

Union. To be sure, my hat has-aI-
most-always had label in it; my
shoes generally, and sometimes my
collars, have borne the labels of the
crafts which produced these things.
But in many cases this only happened
so. The unions which control these
crafts had SO developed themselves
that in many cases the merchants sold
me the articles bearing the labels
without my asking for them. In such
cases had not helped any.
But did not, when / went to buy
was on the loaf. could, you know,
but did not. When went to the
barber shop didsHot think to look for
the shop card on the wall. The butch
ers' shop card was total stranger to
me-and is yet. l am sorry to say; but
l ask for it. That has tendency to
help, you know. When l went to buy
a suit Of clothes looked at the quality
of the cloth and looked just inside
the pockets for what should be one
of the chief requisites in the eyes OF
a man who considers himself fair to
those woh work for him.
As for underwear and socks and
neckties, with the label on, why, /
didn't even know there were such
things. And yet there are such things,
and can get them by taking little
extra trouble to find them.
And yet l was "a good union man"
What do you know about that?
Now, wonder just how lonesome
ought to feel in making such confess
sion as this. am inclined to suspect
that, if there were not quite lot of
union men like me, these unions which
are now having SO fierce a time to es-
tablish conditions and wage scales to
life them just little way out Of their
misery, would find their road good
bit easier to travel.
The whole Garment Worker is not
at my disposal, so you will just have
to look the field over for yourself, and
see If there is not some place where
you ought to help some way in which
to help.-Charles P. ingalls,, Printer. In
Rochester Labor Journal.
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28

So our organization now becomes
the advance guard of the new civiliza-
ton. 1t is as important as our deliver
lnce and human progress are im-
Dortant.
We organize politically because our
~reatest social power lies in the bal
lot We win organize onl the economic
leld and in other ways, but at the bal.
lot box is the only place where we
can strike directly for possession Of
the organized power, Of society itself
To belong to the Socialist party il
a privilege. It is the only political
party that a workingnan can join. It
is privilege to pay dues. If we pay
our own expenses, it is our party. It
cannot be otherwise.
All of the talk about the old (Ehe
capitalist) parties "betraying the peo-
pie" is sheer nonsense. Parties belong
TO those who organize them and pay
the bills. How could party of the
exploiting, capitalist class 'betray'
Us? We are simply not in it from
the start
Until we organize our own party we
have no party. It may take some
more drubbing for the workers toy
learn this, but we viii find it out
some time all right. Then we will
build our own party; outEof our own
lives and our own struggle. -
We are the only GROWING party Of
the world, And that the future is ou1s
| is as certain as the sunrise.
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28
Soap Box Talk
WHY DO SOCIALISTS ORGANIZER

When the worker learns that he
can win in the struggle for life only
by standing with his fellow workers,
then we call him "class conscious. :"
And the only way that he can get to-
gether with the rest of the workers is
by ORGANIZATION.
We do, not organize because we are
angry with the capitalists. We get
together because we have a common
problem to solve; we must live. An
individual capitalist may be kind
hearted; but the capitalists as class
are opposed to the workers as a class
in the field of industry.
1t is not from choice that we are
caught up in a class struggle. We
were thrust into the present industrial
situation. We must swim or sink.
We must struggle as class OF cease
to survive. =
But we do not accept the present
struggle as permanent condition
Our tight is to end the claSs-struggle
and to establish an all-inclusive indus
trial democracy. When the workers
have won, all have. won. All the able
bodied will have suitable work to do
There will be no social parasites lef1
t ocontinue the class struggle.
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28
A. DISAPPOINTING CONGRESS

It cannot be said that, even from a
moderate social standpoint, the pres
ent Congress has lived up either to its
opportunities or to the promises of
some of it's leaders. 1t is a Congress
in which the Democrats have been
dominant in the House and in which
they could have been at any time, by
gressives, Of tle Senate, influential
and effective in that body. The Demo
Gratis had made many and voluble
promises of what they intended to do.
When, however, the opportunity came,
they conveniently forgot. Their
change of mind was admirably ex-
pressed by Representative William
Sulzer, in an address at the banquet
of the members OF the New York Cot
ton Exchange, at the Waldorf Hotel
on March 80, 1911, when he said:
"For sixteen long years the Demo
Gratis have been in the minority, and
you may think at times we have been
little radical. But that's the policy
of a minority, and now we are the ma
jority, think may say we will be
conservative. The business men of
New York may have nothing to fear
from the Democrats of the Sixty-sec-
ond Congress"
By "the business men of New York"
he meant, of course, Wall street. That
he spoke advisedly was shown by
what followed. It was no accident
that Mr.. Sulzer was promptly advanc-
ed to the important position iof chair
man of the House Committee ON For
eign Relations and that he aferward
received a further mark, Of Demo
cratic appreciation in being chosen
the candidate for Governor of New
York. The formal approval of Mr.
Suffers position was made by the
caucus Of Democratic members of the
House which met at the beginning of
the special session. That caucus
agreed upon legislative program for
the session and forbade the commit
tees from reporting any other propos-
ed legislation. Not single word even
remotely relating to labor appeared in
that pogram. Nor excepting for a re-
solution authorizing an investigation
of the Taylor system of shop manage
ment, passed on the last might of the
session was there single labor meas
ure adopted-W. J. Ghent in the De-
cember Metropolitan.
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28
oOOooooOoo0oo
The Poets Corner
OOOO OOoOOOOOO
. The Wage Slave.
NV e Hansonl


In the early morn ere the whistle shrill
Or the deep-toned bell strikes seven
See the crowds ashley march to mine
and mill,
The makers of wealth and its~leaven.
Noise and hustle, hurry and din,
Whirr of wheels and clanking LOOM
Toll and sweat the crust to win. :,
And one day nearer the wage slaves
doom.
What is human life to those that en-
Flesh and blood their wealth to in
crease;
What right has slave his life to enjoy
What right to contentment, joy or
peace?
Swing the hammer and skim the Stag,
Watch that they earn their paltry
pay,
See that their efforts never lag,
Keep them dumb with nothing to
say.
Make hammer and anvil sing a song
Owen Ill GuO 614mO ehAN Jul AAAs .
dust;
For wealth is mighty and wealth Is
strong,
And slaves will toll, for wage
slaves must.
Urge them on with whip and curse,
It adds more wealth to the rich mans
purse,
What if one faint and totter and fall?
It is only wage slave after all.
Another one walls to take the place,
Another slave in the losing, race,
Another one sits where the dead one
sat
And another grave out on POVERTY
FLAT.
o. God in Heaven, beyond the sky,
Hast t hou never gazed with loving
eye
On the hapless millions who slave and
toll
For crust to eat and six feet Of soil.
Are they slaves on earth and forgotten
in Heaven,
AFTER the PROMISES IHOu AS1SC SavCn
Or have. they been doomed by Thee
at birth
To be ruled and owned by wealth on
earth?
Peace comes at last-no whistle shrill
Calls them to factory, mine or mill;
No longer driven, no more oppressed
Sleeping at last in EXTERNAL RESI-
At rest in their graves so damp and
cold,
In time to be part OF the graveyard
mold,
Their labors are over answer me
pray,
SIS there a GOD and JUDGMENT
DAY"
Miners Magazine.
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28
The Golden Rule
:. OF Steel :.

Describing the way in which the u.
S. Steel Corporation has secured a
monopoly of the steel industry through
control. OF supplies and manufacture,
Peter Clark Macfarlane says in the
December Metropolitan
1T lays down the rules of the game:
Y sets the pace; it names the prices;
1t prescribes the conditions; it fore
casts the activities of the steel world
OF America and begins to fling it's
shadow over Europe. And it makes
only half off the steel itself! This is
the cheapest and most profitable kind
OF monopoly-one hundred per cent
control and fifty per cent responsible
lty. Moreover, this fifty per cent
decelves the people as to the facts.
mere are not wanting indications that
1t even deceived a President. You
can see, too, why the little indepen-
dents love the big mama-bear of steel.
t lets the little Independents live-ac-
tually lets them live! Also it must
have high prices for itself, so it can
pay dividends on it's enormous CAPT.
tallzat1on, and high prices are very
convenient to the little Independents
because of the handicap they are un-
der IN manufacturing as against the
greater corporation with it's conse-
quently greater economies of produc-
ton. Yes, it works very beautifully
this golden rule of steel-to the ad-
vantage ofHeVerybody except the men
who work with their hands to make
the Steel and the people of these
United States who consume steel"
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28
The Money Question
By Dr.. Karl F. M. Sandberg
Author Of "TEIE MONEY TRUST"
Iarl F. M. Sandberg
Author Of THE MONEY TRUST"

/ nowadays We rarely connect this
idea with our paper money and the full
dllment of the promise Il seldom ask
ed for, The notes have assumed an
independent position as a popular
medium of exchange. Gold rests in
the vaults.
Still another medium of exchange
has come into use, the credits One
mans credit is entered upon a book
and exchanged for the credit of others
This method is easy and has great
possibilities. The credit does not
really represent money, neither metal
nor paper, neither does it necessarily
represent wealth, but it represents
working power either as labor or the
product of labor. Or it is expressed and
measured in terms Of money, dollars
but It might as well or more appro.
priately be expressed in working
hours.
One unable to work gets no credit
(unless he possesses wealth, the pro.
duct of labor stored away. A large
corporation commands large credit be
cause it has command of the working
powers of thousands of strong indiHid
uals; its credit represents the work
ing hours of these. A working houl
is not absolutely staple or uniform
but it is more SO than a certain weight
of gold. We have seen the same
weight of gold at one time buy one
bushel of oats, at another time four
or five. A rather unstable measure
of value. Labor produces all wealth.
Wealth is working hours in storage.
Definite quantities of gold serve mere
ly as names for certain quantities of
labor time" Karl Marx.
Credit is now our most used medium
Of exchange. It represents IS per cent
to only 5 per cent of money. Properly
organized and regulated it undoubtedly
would make an ideal medium. As we
use it now it, is private property ex-
clusively and used for private profit
only.
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28

= 1V4kA7H7 fAbRllED
THE MAN AND THE MULE

-OA
Mule-say, Mister, who are yo2
working for?
Man-I'm working for Smith.
Mule-Why. that's the same fellow
am working for. What are you get
ting for your work?
Man-Why, am getting two and a
talf day.
Mule-What do you mean by two
nd a half a day?
Man-Why, that's my wages with
7hich l pay for the house l live in,
w my food, etc.
Mule-Oh. / see, you have to pay
Or the house you live in and buy
your own feed, which means quite a
OF of worry to you. Our Master"
treats me so much better that he does
you. 1 must be much your superior
Man ION his dignity)AYou fool, you
have no brains. How could you be my
superior?
Mule sure must be your superior
for "Our Master" looks after all these
things for ME. Besides, I need not
IVORY about my job, as "Our Master"
will not turn me of until he has Sc
cured another master for me. On the
quiet Mister, don't you think you had
>etter step out there, turn your back
me, stoop over, and let me kick
lem brains out?-Justice.
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28

tim whom want and hunger made a
social outcast.
Some of these reiormers in the
various large cities have shown their
Christian spirit by assuming a belli-
gerent attitude, and uttering their ulti-
matum that the prostitute must go, u
that "she must be driven out" but
where she is to be driven these menal
nonentities and brainless nbels on
Christianity, do not say.
If the declaration of Christ: Let
him who is without sin cast the first
stone" commanded any respect or
reverence, not a single so-called re-
former could hurl any missile at the
woman from whose brow has been
snatched the crown Of virtue. The
Social Evil is all over the earth the
result of an economic system that
leaves the legacy of poverty to the
worker and bequeaths millions to the
indolent parasite.
Sin is but an effect, and until the
church and its preachers focus theil
vision on the cause of sin, evils thai
deprecated will grow in magnitude
prove conclusiyely that religion thai
does not reach to the root of evil doeS
not deserve the serious consideration
of intelligent men.
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28
Tafts Farm Loan Proposition

II any number of farmers want to
start cooperative banks with the in
tent1on Nof loaning money at lower
rates OF interest than existing banks
charge, why should there be any need
OF action by the President or Con-
gress to make it possible for them to
do so? President Taft shas suddenly
discovered that such banks are neces-
sary and hastens to suggest that some
governmental action be ,1kaken to .au-
thorize their creation.
This is nothing more nor less than
an admission that existing laws are
keeping out of the banking. business,
persons who would otherwise embark
therein. Such laws must tend to
create a banking monopoly and be-
come a supporter of a money trust
Nothing more is needed to enable
farmers or any other class to establish
cooperative banks, if such banks are
wanted, than the unconditional repeal
of all restrictive legislation. But that
method would evidently not please
some beleiciaries of restricted COM
petition. Perhaps this explains why
Taft does not recommend it,, or pos
sibly' he has become so accustomed
to needless legal restrictions that he
can not conceive the notion of dis:
pensing with it.
The .Raiffeisen banks of Germany
were formed without government aid
and flourished for many years without
it. There is lRaitfeisen guild in sue
cessful operation in this country att
Arden, Delaware. 1t gets along with
out any public aid or supervision
whatever. Possibly because it is
small institution and its field of opera
ton necessarily restricted so that 1t
does not make its competition felt by
ordinary banks, is why no one has yet
dug up some useless law to suppress
If
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28

On being asked to write an article
on the use of the union label, it oc-
Cured to me that a personal confess
sion would be of more benefit than
an essay.
The reason why any one, particu-
larly al union man should be insistent
upon the label may be stated in very
few words; ought to be sure that,
when employ labor. as as fair to
my employees as l want my employers
to be to me. When buy any article
which is the product Of labor, employ
labor. The only way can be sure that
the labor which employ Is enjoying
the best conditions and paid for at
the best rates which collective bargain
ing has been able to obtain for it, is
by seeing the label of the union which
exercises Jurisdiction over the produc-
ton of that article.
And there you are. So If you have
seen the light and become convinced
that it is your duty>and your privilege
to work against the men who are
striving to better their condition in life
you can spare yourself any further
perusal of creed which you may find
more or less tiresome. If not, perhaps
you can benefit by the experience of
one who, after a considerable number
of years as member of union, and
considering himself a pretty good un-
ion man, has gradually awakened to
the knowledge that he could qualify as
first class hypocrite.
What kind of unionism Is it when a
man contents himself with paying his
dues to his union, attending its meet
ings when it is not too much trouble,
never kicking about necessary assess
ment and obeying the laws of the I'M
ion? These things are all right to do,
but the union pays US cash for doing
them, whether we do them or not. If
we do these things we do only our
duty If we do them not, we are reap
ing where we have not sown. .
In all these years during which I
have been calling myself good union
man, have only looked at things from
the standpoint of the Typographical
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28
REMOVE THE CAUSE FIRST
"WeIfare" Movements of Little Value
Which Fail to Remember the
Need of This


Mr.. c. H. o+Ingersoll, of dollar watch
fame, is preaching sound political
economy to the reformers of New
Jersey It seems that some of these
reformers are badly in need of a teach
er, judging by remarks they have made
to the effect that they are more inter-
ested in treating symptoms of social
disease than attacking the cause Mr..
lngersoll presented some truths which
they have overlooked, in a letter to
the Newark News. He said as follows:
"The practical question is what
chance is there for child welfare while
children and parents as we'll are be-
ring robbed by an Ubiquitous system Of
taxation, one of the first items Of
which is tariff taxes. Have che CoIbys
and Roosevelts discovered a way Of
dissociating child welfare from the
material conditions which surround
children? Can there be child welfare
when children are obliged by hard eco
nonlc conditions surrounding their
parents to go into factories and depart
ment stores. when they should be at
school?
1--WE have thought that great men
like these have finally come to q
realization that child welfare was q
part of general welfare, and as such
indicated an attack on the strong
holds Of special privilege, but we find
after years of observation of them
that when it comes to the point Of
attacks they fail back on the jingIing
phrases Of child welfare and become
mealy-mouthed and spineIess with
reference to the first work at hand, !.
e.. destruction of special privileges
which have built up the trusts and
doubled the cost Of living.
~ have just received a. large and ex-
pensive volume, the report of the Cen
ference of Charities and Corrections,
and have diligently searched through
for anything indicating intelligence az
to causes and prevention of poverty
and crimes; the appeal always being
with fine-spun theory to this sentiment
Of relief and alleged efficient handling
of the ever increasing output of a sys-
tenn that badly needs radical change.
"This is no surprise to me as have
long known that charity Is organized
into a business and makes its own
food, but | supposed our statesmen
had gotten beyond the viewpoint that
child welfare was fundamental and i'm
dustry mere detail."
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28
THE SOCIAL EVIL
by John M. o'NeIII.)

During the past several months, the
superficial reformers have had much
to say about white slavery and redlight
districts, but these retormers seem to
be helpless in finding solution to this
one evil among the many that are but
the products Of the profit system.
The reformers- are moral towards
and do not dare to assault the cause
that produces the prostitute. Long
haired preachers and short-haired wo-
men will thunder their lurid denuncia-
tons against the victim whom poverty
drove to a "redlight" district, but
these frothing hypocrites who hurl
their malignant investives against the
scarlet woman of the brothel will not
dare to stand in the presence OF man
ayers Of department stores, bosses OF
mills and factories and other Industrial
bells where girls and women are en-
ployed, and raise their voice for q
wage that will place the armor OF
sanctity around the purity of woman
hood.
No. The higher ups" Of society will
not be arraigned by the "whited
sepulchres"wh advertise their religion
for revenue only" The higher ups
are the exploiters of labor and are
immune from censure from the lips OF
the fawning sycophants, whose knees
bend in the presence of the masters
OF profit The victim Of starvation
wages whom desperation forced be
mind the crimson curtains OF shame
cannot strike back, for she has nc
standing In society and as a general
rule. belongs to that class that is held
N wage slavery to produce profit for 9
siass of privilege. whose contribu
IONS and donations to churches, pros
titute preachar s and MALI me verJ
lame Of relieion 4 nneIrrI:v Is The VIC
Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1912-11-28
CHOOSING A HOBBY

Writing on the advantage and enjoy
'ment that busy man will derive from
hobby, Arnold Bennett says in the
December Metropolitan:
I'm choosing a distraction-th is to
say, in choosing a rival to his bust
ness-he should select some pursuit
whose nature divefs as much as pos
sible from the nat&re of his business,
and which will bring into activity
another side of his character. If his
business is monotonous, demanding
care and solicitude rather than irregu-
lar, intense efforts of the brain, then
let his distraction be such as will
make a powerful call upon his brain.
But if on the other hand the course
of his business runs in crises that
string up the brain to its highest
strain, then let his distraction be
foolish and merry one. Many men tall
into the error of assuming that their
hobbies must be as dignified and ser
ious as their vocationS, though surely
the example of the greatest phllosoph-
ers ought to have taught them better!
They seem to have taught them better!
continually be improving themselves,
in either body or mind. If they take
up a sport, it is because the sport may
improve their health. And if the hob
tby is Intellectual it must needs be en-
ployed to improve their brain. The
fact is that their conception of self,
Improvement is too narrow. In their
restricted sense Of the phrase, they
possibly don't need improving, they
possibly are already improved to the
point of being nuisance to their fel,
low creatures; possibly what they need
is worsening. In the broad and full
sense of the phrase self-improvement
course of self-worsening might i'm
prove them. have known men-and
everybody has known them-who
would approach nearer to perfection
IL they could only acquire a little care
Ilessness, a little observation-disclosures, 9
little fliogicalness, little irrational
and infantile gaiety, d little unscrupu
llousness in the matter of the time Of
lday. These considerations should be
weighed before certain hobbies are
/ dismissed as being unworthy OF a plair
mans notice" IS