davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-28

as he pleases and to run it as he
pleases. He fails to grasp the idea
that there Is no title to property that
is not a law-created and law-protected
title. Society has allowed private in
dividuals or corporations to hold GER
tain rights only for It's protection and
development. Now if society has
created the title. for its protection. So
ciety can modify that title whenever
1t deems necessary for it's protection.
Therefore when the employer claims
the factory as his own to do with as
he pleases, he fails to realize that he
has no title to the factory except in
so far as society permits"
THAT would mean that society has
the right to change the regulation OF
any such piece of property at Its own
will?'
That condition already exists in law
and that right has always been re-
served by the governing power. 1t is
the title of eminent domain, the right
of the government to determine that
certain things are of such eminent good
TO the community that the community
can take them over and manage them
itself. The railroad, in getting its right
of way, is able to condemn property
through that principle, and It is SO
with other things The average man
fails to realize this and the employer
cannot see that property is only law
cerated and law-protected and that its
regulation can be changed by society
as the conditions of society demand"
The conversation here turned to some
of the live labor questions of today and
I
a minimum wage. He replied:
II have pronounced views on that
subject, but it would not be wise for
me to discuss them"
"Do you think the Industries of tho
United States can be run on an eight
hour day?"
81 have no doubt OF 1t and l believe
that there are many industries In
which the workman will produce as much
in eight hours as he did in ten While ]
was chairman of the committee ON labor
In the House | received a communica-
ton from a large employer in the gran
ite industry. giving the results of his ex-
periments in his works as to the product
as affected by the hours per day per
man. He kept records OF the hours and
the output. When he began his men were
laboring ten hours a day. He reduced
then to nine and found that the product
was greater than when they worked ten.
He then reduced the hours to eight. and
found that he got more work out of the
men at eight hours than he did at nine.
He expected to continue the reduction
and said that he believed the highest
output would be reached when the hours
of labor We're reduced to the point where
the workman came back to his work
every morning fully refreshed
"Will the time come when we will have
an eight-hour day everywhere in the
United States?'
.That is the condition now in most of
the states in many industrial occupa-
tions In Arizona we have the eight
hour day law in underground mines and
workings In California the same is true
as to mines, smelters and public works
of any kind and it is likewise so in Coo-
cado. In Connecticut the hours of labor
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-28

are eight unless otherwise agreed. and
engineers. firemen and maehinists and
other mechanics employed in state insti-
tutions may not work more than eight
hours except in cases of emergency. In
nearly all the states eight hours is the
rule upon all public works, and it is
nearly everywhere SO. in the mines and
smelters. 1t is so in Illinois in all me-
ehaneal employments and It is so on the
public highways Eight hours is the rule
in Indiana, and it is so in Massachusetts
as to all laborers and mechanics employed
by or on behalf OF the state. l might go
on and show the same for nearly every
state in the Union"
How about work on the farms? Take
your farm in Pennsylvania. Could you
run that on an eight-hour day?
Il do not know about that. There is a
difference between the work on the farm
and the work in the various industries.
The most of the state laws make a differ
enee as 10 the work ON the farm and in
many cases such labor is especially ex-
empt from the regulations as to other La
Dor. The reason for farm work is limited.
and it is SO affected by rain and other
conditions that it cannot be as closely
regulated as the work of a factory or in
the various industries. As to our ether
industries however, there is no doubt but
that the eght-hour day is practical and
beneficial both to the employer and the
employee"
do you think we will ever have less
than an eight-hour day?"
THAT is possible There ara some in
dustries in England where the day is
now less than eight hours. This has been
fI,.a fg,. %
mines of Northumberland, where the men
have been working only six hours a day
Are the conditions of labor improv-
ing2''
Yes, there Is no doubt of that"
What would you say about organized
labor as a trust? Why should it not be
handled on the same ground as other
monopolies?"
II have already answered that question,
but | would say that an organization
should not be opposed or destroyed SIM
ply because it is organization. The
laws for centuries have permitted the or
ganization of corporations and such per-
missions will be continued. The opposi-
tion to trusts and monopolies arises be-
cause they enable a few men to dictate to
the producer what he shall receive for his
production and to the consumer what he
shall pay for the things he consumes.
Inns Sai HONet nc thS CdSe WITH idDof Or
ganizations Such an organization cannon
be composed of a few individuals. Ir
must be an organization OF the multitude
and it must be always for the purpose OF
endeavoring to secure for the producer an
equitable share of that which he produces
and at the same time it can never be an
organization which will regulate the price
to the consumer. The labor organization
is thus founded upon an entirely different
basis from the capital organization. 1t
should not be regarded as a trust. 1t cam
not be a monopoly in that sense of tho
word"
"Then you think it should be governed
by different laws?'
Yes The laws should be adapted to
it, and based upon.the difference of con-
dition which actually exists"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-28

good English; and his talk throughout
was more like that of college-bred man
than one whose life had been spent In
hard manual labor. I wondered and
asked him where he got his education He
replied
Il could not go to school on account of
my work. but | was fortunate In that
my father was one of those argumenta-
tive Scotchmen who not only loved to
debate, but goried in having his facts
backed by the best of authorities He
was not an educated man. and could not
read very well, and SO made me read to
him. My mother, who had common
school education. taught me my letters.
and I soon learned to read After that
father kept me reading to him every night
and by the time 1 was or 10 years of
age, | had read the whole of Smiths
Wealth OF Nations" and other books
on political economy. l had read great
deal of Chambers "Inforuration for the
sPeople, The Science of the Bible' some
works of Drummond and a little later
on | read Burns and Campbell, Shelley
and other poets. We had also Scott and
Dickens, and I got to know them. AS to
the Bible, father was a rigid Presby-
terian. In Scotland he belonged to what
they called 'the Wee Kirk" and of
course, we read great deal of the
Scriptures. AS l look back upon those
days I can see that this was good liter
ary training, and can realize how much
effect 1t had upon my mind / had a good
memory, and this was stimulated by my
father calling upon me TO corroborate
his quotations from the authorities used
in his arguments"
shortly after | began work in the
mines, the Secretary continued, "our
community arranged for a night school.
Every pupil paid dollar a month to the
principal. and for time | was able to
attend that. did also considerable study
ing at home, and so in one way and am
ether | have gotten what little educa-
tion | have. l was for a time a printer
and stuck type for the Bostwick Adver-
tiser. This taught me punctuation and
gave me some insight into grammatical
construction. But altogether, as you can
see, my education has been very little.''
when did you first become connected
with labor organizations?"
Il can hardly remember when was
not part of them / became n limited
member of labor union when | was
13. and | have been more or less asso-
ciated with unions ever since. [ am a
union man now. and have my union
card. When | was 1S / was viotimized
for my activity in the mines as "A trade
unionist. and was ordered to leave.
That was what drove me to the west
and made me fireman on railway
locomotive. After my return to Penn
sylvania | did what L could for the
interest of the miners. and later on l
was secretary OF the United Mine
Workers That organization has over
100000 members and has done much
to better the conditions of labor in the
mines all over the country
You were elected to Congress as a
laborlng man, were YOU not?"
Yes II was largely the support OF
the workingmen that brought about my
nomination and election, and it is. l
suppose, my Identification with ard in
terest in labor matters that has put me
here"
is there any story connected with
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-28
Uncle Sans Industrial Djpon,at--J Jan1es B. Wilson

(copyright. 1913, by Frank G. Carpenter
Washington, d. c.
IL ERE in brief is the story of the
man who represents the twenty
= odd million horny y-handed labor
ers of the United States In the cabinet
ssof President Wilson. Born in Scotland
90 years ago, the son of a miner. Coming
TO the United States at the age of eight.
and at nine delving In the coal pits of
the Allegheny mountains. From that
time on until he was 36, his boyhood and
young manhood spent in the darkness.
swinging the pick, drilling and blasting
and loading the coal on the cars Then
. fireman on a railroad locomotive and
2 worker at odd jobs, at sawmiling and
ditching. Then mining between times
and tilling mountain land on shares. At
last a petty farm owner of 100 acres Of
hills and hollows, and finally. to cut
short the story, a member of Congress,
who was reelected again and again as a
representative of labor and now a cabinet
minister with salary of $4,000 year
This sounds like a story of the days of
Aladdin. 1t is only the plain, simple
annals of the evolution which is con-
\ stantiy going on in our American life. 1t
y SHOWS what a boy can. make of himself
and how, with everything apparently
against him. he need not despair
so much by way of introduction to my
interview with Mr.. James Bauchop Will
son, the head of the department of labor.
l give it to show you that he has a
n ant ba II
United States in our national government.
The information came from the Secretary
upon my asking whether he had ever
worked with his hands. lie replied:
The greater part of my life has been
spent in hard, manual labor. swung
pick in the coal mines for q years
and that as a MINER not as a boss
entered the mines as a boy to help my
father load coal. My father was a mi
ner and all the money we got came from
the amount of coal he could mine He
was paid by the ton and upon the out
put depended our living. This was the
situation when | reached the age of .
years. Then father had a bad attack of
lumbago. His back. was so weak and so
painful that he could not lift the coal from
the floor of the mine to the cars Do
was all right from his waist upward and
could still sit on the floor of the mine
and undercut the coal with a pick, but
ne could not stoop to load it. | was taken
down into the mines and did the loading
Later on, he taught me how to aid him
In drilling, and finally learned all kinds
OF mining. Father and | worked to-
gether for seven years, and after tnat
l had PLACE for myself continued
mining coal for 20 years longer. and later
on mined coal in the winter, time and
worked on the farm in summer"
Your wages must have been small in.
those days."
Yes, they We're small. Until I was Sc
years of age | do not think | ever made
as much as $40 month the year round.
! sometimes made as high as $50 a month,
but lean seasons always succeeded the
fat ones and kept down the average"
These words of the Secretary were in
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-28

this while your father lived. You had
hard lesson Maybe it will be for the
best"
Jim, wet-eyed and confused, tried to ex-
press half dozen ideas in the same SEN
tence lie couldn't understand what he
had ever done to warrant such regard as
Kenyon had shown him all his life. The
big man stopped him.
There's a reason for everything, my
boy lie said, as he put his arm around
Jim's shoulder. Maybe it is just as well
that you should know this one. Your
father married the woman | loved"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-28

advisory department than an executive
department. Tt might be called depart
ment Of Industrial diplomacy. Its object
capital and labor in case of dispute, and
/ believe that it will be beneficial to the
community at large to just that extent
that its diplomacy succeeds"
But is the laborfng man willing TO ac-
cept Uncle Sam as his arbitrator"
II do not mean that Uncle Sam is to be
the arbitrator. but that he is to bring the
parties together and to get them to mu-
tually submit their differences to other
arbitrartors to be chosen themselves. 1t
would not be wise for the governmet
to act as an arbitrator, for the reason
that wrong precedents might be estab-
lished. The conditions in one place might
not be suited to the decisions to which
the arbitrator had committed itself In
other places. Again. the decision of today
might be unjust In the changed condi-
tions of tomorrow. Progress is always
being made. and situations are contin-
ually changing. II this department were
tied down to a line of decisions, along
a given direction, 1t would stand in the
way of progress ITSELF.
but lust what can you do?"
I'VE can only bring the parties together
and perhaps suggest plans of settlement
] suppose I could answer your question
better by telling you what we have done
within the past few months. We took
up the adjustment OF the trade disputes
connected with the New York, New Ha-
ven and Hartford railroad, and succeed
ed in bringing the employees and the COM
pany together, SO that they have adjusted
their dispute in way satisfactory to
both parties We have arranged the same
way difficulty in the forge department
at Erie, and we have brought tho shop
men and the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road company together. We have avert
ed number of strikes and we are do
ing that right along
Suppose the strikers at Paterson had
asked you to step in?"
'T cannot say what would have been
the result. We might have succeeded
in getting the parties together. We could
only have suggested and advised. We
are. as have said, merely a department
of industrial diplomacy"
How about strikes In the United
States? Are they increasing?"
NO l believe we have fewer strike
now than we had in the past. There
are more members to each strike and
the strikes are better organized. The
trades which are the best organized
have the fewest strikes. and as the or
ganization of labor becomes more COM
plete the strikes become less and less.
The reason for this is that collective
bargaining is more easily possible un-
der that condition. Both parties to
the contract are better able to fix terms
and carry them out
"Do YOU think that a general strike
all over the country is posslblo?
mo"
What is the ideal condition that
should exist between the employer and
the employer"
"A condition of partnership and of
equal rights. There is an implied part
nership now, but the Difficulty is that
the employer does not recognize 1t. lie
assumes that his plant is his property,
and that he has a right to do. with 1t
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-28
Self Made Guarantee

From the Philadelphia Bulletin.
Lispenard Steward. at a dinner at
White Lodge, his Newport residence.
praised the self-made men of America.
Quiet. reserved. dignifed." he said.
"our self-made men are not like those
of England.
There's one amusing thing about our
self-nade men, an Englishman once said
to me. a
And what is that?' said l.
You get,' he answered, a mapufacS
turer's guarantee with every one Of
them.'"
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-28

division of the profits that their inter-
ests begin to diverge.
'At that point the workmen can only
act collectively to any advantage If
they act individually the individual la
borer who objects is at great disad-
vantage as compared with his employer
If the man is dissatisfied and declines
to continue work, he is out OF a job
and is crippled to 100 per cent of his
producing capacity. On the other hand
the employer is crippled only TO the
extent that that mans work represents
in his total output. Now If the en-
ployes act collectively and they stop
work. the whole machine must stop,
The employer is crippled to 100 per
cent of his producing capacity, and the
employees are likewise crippled in the
same amount. They are then on an
equal basis and there is a chance to
make settlement. The trades union is
absolutely essential to the rights OF
labor"
What can this department do to better
the relation between labor and capital?"
,.f,, t.1.. l..
The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-28

the relation between labor and capital?'
THE department of labor is rather an
The Wrangell sentinel., 1913-04-24
Wireless Umbrella
 Came Down.
Sunshine Premise Of Weather didR' Go With Signal Corps. However, And it vas Put Up Again.

Sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday, the umbrella of the [. 5. Telegraph Wireless station came down with d rush. Not@ith- standing the sun came out Wednes- day about noon, the local Signal Corps boys were not hoodwinked into thinking that the umbrella was not needed. and Private Dale donned the armor of the electrician; climed the staff and threaded a new rope through the bully at the top. The old rope, chafed throug by wind and weather, was inc cause of its temporarily down. fall.
The Wrangell sentinel., 1913-04-24
New Petition.

A new petition for a new walk on Front street but only taking in the portion between the power house and M. C. Marshal's property has been signed by the principal prop erty owners along the street and is now ready to present to the coun- cil at iheir first meeting. IL calls for a 12 foot walk or wider. The first petition took in the street to the City Store and since the DOT ton from Marshal's property to the City Store should be full width the property owners on the lower end did moi wish to pay the pro rata and not receive full width streets. The division has been favorable and it IS now up to the people on the full width part of the street to get a petition out and have a safe street where now the blanks are decorated with danger signals:
The Wrangell sentinel., 1913-04-24
School Treasurer's Report

April 7th, 1913. Balance on hand April
 1912 s8S7.78 Received from Treasurer 5,2oI. .66
The Wrangell sentinel., 1913-04-24

268 Miss Pritchett, teacher 1000 26o Miss Mary Haley, ' 8o,oo 27o Mrs. K. NJ. Burke, teacher and janitor I45,oo 27I St Michael Trading Co.,, supplies SIS 272 F. Matheson, supplies 6.5o
 January.
 2z3 Mrs. k. Burke, teacher I25,oo 274 Miss K. Pritchett ; 10000 275 Miss Mary Haley " 8o,oo 276 St. Michael Tdg. Co.,.
 Supplies 3.Io 277 ]. c. Grant, Coal, 72.oo PTS Palmer X Ensley, lights 1000 27o City Store, Supplies 12.45 28o Mrs. Walsh, service 26.oI 281 Walter Coulter, janitor 500 282 Frank Nye, service 6.oo
 February.
 2S3 Mrs. k. Burke, teacher I25. .oo 2S4 Miss k. Pritchett ; 100. co 285 Miss NJ. Haley ' 6o.oo 296 D. Johnson, wood 500
 March.
 287 Mrs. k. Burke, teacher I25.oo 28S Miss k, Pritchett. ; 10000 28o Miss Mary Haley '' 5000 200 Mrs. Walsh, janitor 25.oo 2oI Palmer ], Ensley, lights 1000 2o2 J. c. Grant, coal I2o.oo POS F. Matheson, supplies 7.9o 2o4 Wrangell Drug Co. s4.85
 Total S5.422.66
 Balance 756.5
 -EpNIN HoFsTAD.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-08-02
Argus Branch Offices

For the accommodation OF its patrons
IN various parts of the city, The Argus
mas established n system OF branch Of
fees, whore subscri ptiCns and want af-
vertising may be received and any in
formation left that nay pertain 70 any
department OF the paper, news or eus!-
ness. J: IL also planned 10 have at each
OF these branch Offices every evening
supply 81 copies Of The ArCus OF the
ony, 80 that any subscriber who NAV
have failed under any circumstances 10
receive the paper. VIII be~supplied free
OF charge.
The Argus chain OF branch Offices
includes tho following:
]. j. Kipp's notion store. 1915 fifth
avenue.
II. Y. Rowe's pharmacy. ais Four
tecnth avenue.
schneider's drug store. Twenty-sev-
enth street, Seventh avenue.
Lilemeyer's drug store, Eleventh ave-
nue.. Fifteenth street
Dailey's lunch room. 403 Fourth ave-
nuc.
Mrs. London's notion store. Seventh
Btreet, Fourteenth avenue.
Helm eck's pharmacy. 922 Third ave-
nue..
Ernest Eber;s' grocery 925 Eleventh
avenue.
Rudert drug store. Thlrtieth street
and Fifth avenue.
College pharmacy. Seventh avenue
and Thirty-eighth street
Olson grocery. Thirteenth avenue ane
Thirtieth street.
Steiner drug store. corner Fifth ave-
nue. aad Twenty-thl-d street.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-08-02
LINED WITH GOLD.
Alaska's Enormous Deposits Will Last
Thousand Years.

Alaska's Enormous Deposits viii Last
Thousand Years.
Like a tale out of the Arabian
Nights" is the opinion given recently
by an expert on the future of Alaskan
gold mining, only this expert bases his
opinion on facts, whereas the oriental
story teller specialized in fancy.
But the testimony given by Falcon
Joslin is doubly interesting because it
exceeds the imagination Of the widest
fancy while being based on the facts
In the case.
I'm my Judgment" says Mr.. Joslin.
"the placer mining industry in Alaska
will last a thousand years, the 'rea
suitable for placer mining is so enor.
nous. What we are working there
now is only the gravels that will carry
from So to $40 a yard. You cannot
work gravels that carry less than that,
but once we have transportation there
and can work gravels such as they do
in California, which carry z cents a
yard, we have got SO nearly an unlim.
tied area of it that no man can foresea
the end OF that industry in Alaska.
zone great thing is that. nearly the
whole area of Alaska is gold bearing.
There are placers and quartz. 1t has
been said, and | believe the statistics
and explorations of the geological sur
vey show it, that you could go from
the extreme southeast Of Alaska at
KetchiHn, where there are important
mines, along this route by way Of
Hams clear out to Nome, n distance Of
1000 miles in a straight line, and that
in every twenty mile section along
that route you could develop gold
mines. 1t is infinitely greater than
any other area of gold country that
has ever been found in the world
Engineering and Mining Journal.
Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-08-02
LEGAL.
Notice of Publication.

To All Persons Whom 1t May Con-
Germ:
Notice is hereby given that the un-
dersigned, Francis Is. Webster, guard
ian OF Louis Vaughn Webster, minor
VIII make application TO the probate
court Of Rock Island county. at a reg
ular term thereof, to be held at the
court house in the city OF Rock Island.
in said county, on the first Monday OF
August, A d. 1913, being the fourth
day thereof, for an order and decree of
SAID court, directing her, as said guard
ian, to sell the following real estate
belonging 10 said minor, OF so much
thereof as snail seem TO said court 10
be to the interest Of SAID minor, situated
IN the county OF Schuyler and state OF
Illinois, to-wit: The undivided cne-
tenth interest in lot No. eleven IJ;
the north one-haif OF lot No. ten llO),
and FIVE feet off the south side of lot
No. twelve l12), all in block three Of
William McCreery's addition TO the
town (now city, Of Rushville, except
eighty feet off the west end OF ali of
said tracts; lot No. two Cd IN block two
90 OF James g. McCFeerys First addi-
tiOi to the town (noW city) OF Rush
Vile, in said county and state; for the
support and education of gaid minor,
and for the purpose of investing such
OF the proceeds OF said sale as shall not
be Immediately requisite for said sup
port and education, In other real estate.
or OF Otherwise investing the same
FRANCIS K. WEBSTER,
Guardian or said Minor.
H ID. Lewis aHd Walker, Ingram &
Sweeney. solicitors.