The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-07-02
FoSTERED BY FACTORY HEADS
Men Have Opened Club House in Base
nent of Big Building, Have All the
Equipment of Best Regulated Clubs
Idea Appeals to Others,

q uhll punQred or the men EN-
ployed in the plant Of the Cooper I'm
derwear Company are conducting an
experiment which promises to be de-
cidedly interesting to other factory
workers in the city. They have form
ed a club known as the K. K. X. Club
This club has it's club rooms in the
basement of the big underwear fac
tory for the present, but it is grow.
ing so rapidly that the members de-
clare that within couple of years a
portion Of the land adjoining the big
plant will be bought for site for a
club house for the organization.
The X X. x. Club is an answer to
the question, "What is the working
man who does not care for the saloon
going to do in his unemployed hours?'
There are a lot of clean young men
at the underwear factory and the big
majority of them never spent nickel
over the bar, but at the same time
they had the desire for club life Just
the same as the other kind Of men who
spend all their time away from home
and boarding house. These men got
together sorse time ago and formed
club. When the managers Of the big
underwear company saw the spirit dis
played by the men they fostered the
idea and at once suggested that the
men take an unused portion of the
basement and make it into club rooms.
AS the work progressed on the club
rooms support for the movement grew
and in little time something like
three thousand dollars had been con.
tributed to the club room fund. With
this money the unsightly basement was
converted into club rooms and better
club rooms than these have not been
opened by any other Kenosha organi-
cation. The boys now have place
TO play pool and billiards, they have
library and a club sitting room shower
and tub baths and the walls of the
basement are now being torn out to
make room for two tournament bowl
ing alleys which are to be ready for
Che rollers by the first Of August
Every night from twenty to thirty
from the family of the employees of
the company gather at the club rooms
The men have their own organization
and Charles Boylan, the superinten-
dent of the plant, has been elected
president of the club With every
club meeting some new plans. are de
veloped to foster the club spirit. The
members of the club are making sun
day morning hikes out into the
country, they have a baseball team
and plans are on foot for the organi.
cation of an athletic team and the
opening of gymnasium.
The club is going to be self support
ing Dues are only twenty-five cents
q week, but with the generous dona-
tions that have been made toward the
first cost of installation these dues
will be sufficient to provide for the
upkeep of the club. The membership
Of this club is limited to the men EN-.
ployees and a few former EMPLOYEES
OF the company, but the bylaws pro.
vide that once each month the rooms
shall be turned over to the wives
children and sweethearts of the mem
bers of the club It's a real club and
club along right lines. No gambling
OF any nature is permitted in the club
rooms and il is an offense for expul-
sion to bring liquor into the club
rooms or to 60 to the club rooms
when intoxicated
The enthusiasm shown bv the. cmh
members in the organization IS also
reelected in their loyalty to the EN-.
ploying company and the club has
made of the men at the Cooper Under
wear Company great big family
with real interest in everything con.
nected with the company, no matter
whether it be the addition Of new
garment to the list or the forming of
baseball team The officers Of the
club are:
President--charles F. Boylan.
Vice Pres.--John Phillips.
Secretary--John Reder.
Treasurer-M L. Dowse. I
Directors-R. Y. Cooper, H. NJ. Vein
stock, Albert Meyer, Gus Schneider
and Nelson Cooper.
One of the first donations to be re-
eeived from the club was a gift of
large package of books from Elmer
Patterson Of Golfers Weekly These
will prove a nucleus for the club
library.