United labor bulletin., 1914-10-03

tAAEAl o p. had the pleasure OF
meeting this distinguished
labor chieftain and of swapping remin-
iscences. This was Jim's first visit to
Denver since 1871, when he was the
only printer sub in town and after he
went away it left the regulars the only
alternative of working every day or
night or chucking up their jobs. Quite
in contrast with the present situation.
When Duncan made his entry TO Dem
yer in 1871 it was by stage coach, as
the nearest railroad then stopped at
Cheyenne. Speaking of this experience
he said: Il was walking up the street,
n perfect stranger to the place, when
a man overlook me, all out of breath,
showed a printers composing rule and
a gold coin in my hand and told me
to go over to the News office and work
on his cases. just then another fellow
came up and a scrap followed as to
which should have the sub. They must
have known from my gait or garb that
was a printer, for / had not spoken
n word to either. However, / retained
the rule and coin presented by the first
conner, whom ! afterwards learned was
John Hill, known to the boys as One
Eye john by reason OF having lost
one optic. In those days the boys only
worked long enough to grubstake them
selves and then hike TO the mountains
on prospecting tour. The Rocky
Mountain News had then been estab
lished two years and boasted of eight
cases. but didn't always have the men
to fill the jobs. / went from Denver
TO Pueblo. and just to accommodate
regular who wanted to return to Penn
sylyania and get married, worked two
months for him. Bob Higgins, who Is
now reading proof on the San Fran
cisco Examiner, is the only Other
printer then working on the News that
/ can remember. / was some hobo in
those DAYS. for / recall that in Janu-
ary. 1870, / was charter member of
Pottsville pa Union and in Deeem-
Der Of the same year was also a char
ter member Of the Santa Fe IN. M
Union"
President Duncan confidentially con
iided that for the past score or more
years his principal business had been
running for and holding office, having
repeatedly been honored by Big Six"
-of New York before being elected first
vice president of the l. I. u, and sue
ceeded TO the presidency when James
NJ Lynch was appointed labor commits
sioner of New York by Governor
Glynn. He said he expected 10 retire
permanently after turning over the Of
flee he now holds to President-elect
Marsden G. Scott on the first of No
vember. He will then return to his
desk on the New York Herald as proof
reader and relieve his sub, whom he de-
clares has been working steadily for
long while and needs a rest
While here Mr.. Duncan had the pleas
ure of meeting some of his cronies of
younger days. Among them were W. H
Milburn, formerly foreman of the Den
yer Post and now in the real estate
business and residing at 1901 Logan
street, with whom he worked 35 years
ago on the New York Evening Tele-
gram. He also called on w. II. Cres-
singham. linotype operator on the
Times, who was an alley mate at one
time in New York printing office.
Finding that he was qualified for mem
bership by reason of having worked in
this state as a printer prior to 1855,
Duncan Joined the Colorado Pioneer
Printers Association. paying his I'M tia
tion fee of 81, and can now be recorded
among such immortals as Hank
Smith, Frank c. Birdsall. August Hoes
ter. Angelo Noce, Tom Egan, Joe Brown,
John +. Coilctt and other congenial spir-
its yet living.
In his opening campaign speech at the
Auditorium the other night former
Senator Thomas NJ. Patterson expressed
the wish that the people of Colorado
would make him birthday gift of the
governorship, as he will be 15 years
old on November 4, the day following
the state election when the important
decision is to be made. Judged by the
way 500 people present applauded, the
old war horse will receive the gift. No
matter how the people regard Patterson
in other ways, they all admire him as
fighter. Sometimes he has been charged
with raising a disturbance just TO sat
isfy his love for conflict. Be that as
it may, it has been healthy diversion,
for even now, at his advanced age, he is
as full of NiSor, with alert step and
clear. ringing voice, as the average man
of so. 1t is real pleasure to see him
on the platform and hear him score the
Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, which
corporation he says is alone RESPONSE
BILE for the, present industrial trouble
ard bringing of ridicule md shame
to the people of this state. One point
brought out by him in his brief talk
preliminary to the main address by
Senator Charles S. Thomas, was that he
had knowledge, and would furnish the
proof later on if necessary, that the
c. +. & l. left orders with its employ
ing agents to secure so many men of
one nationality and SO many OF another,
evenly distributed among foreign born,
none Of them able to communicate with
any other groups of employees or under
stand the English language. This was
for the purpose of preventing any inter-
ing conditions. Patterson announced
that at some future date he intended to
rent the Auditorium and devote one en-
tire evening to expressing his views on