Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-12-05
The Department Below Consists of Matte
Edited for Publication by the National
Farmers Non-P Partisan League
LABOR and farmers
DRAWING CLOSER
Denied Right. to Organize, II
Dor Demands Government
Ownership Of Mills.

As the result of the stubborn re-
fusal of the officials of the great -four
milling companies to permit their
workers to join labor organizations
and their further refusal to reinstate
men who had been discharged for this
offense, the Minneapolis Trades and
Labor Assembly has declared for gov.
endeavor to have this stand indofsed
by the American Federation Of Labor.
If this is done organized labor and the
organized farmer will be fighting for
the same demands. 1t is another sign
of the growing harmony between tho
city workers and the farmers, who
rapidly are coming to realize that their
economic interests are closely inter-
locked.
The stand by the Minneapolis
Trades and Labor Assembly was precf.
plated last week when the -four mill
owners discharged several old and
and faithful employees whose sole Of
tense was to join the Flour and Cereal.
Mill Workers union. Minneapolis
unionists appealed to the government,
and Oscar Nelson, federal mediator
from the Department of Labor, was
sent to Minneapolis He held q con-
terence with the heads of the Pills
bury, Washburn-Crosbya and ConsoH-
dated mills, but they refused to REIN
state the men or submit their cases to
mediation, despite his request.
Labor Assembly Takes Action.
The Minneapolis Trades and Labor
Assembly at once held a special meet
Ing and went on record as favoring
q nationwide movement for the gov
eminent ownership of all -four mills
The Trades and Labor Assembly also
decided to back the mill workers in
their demand for the right to belong
to unions and to continue organization
In the mills in the effort to finally
force recognition of the union.
The labor situation in the Mime
apolis mills has been coming to head
for some time. Early in August organ.
lzers commenced to work among the
5000 men in the mills and in less
than month the Flour and Cereal
Mill Workers union had 300 members.
The mill owners soon realized the
growing strength of the movement and
sought to head it of by granting e
cents per day increase. But the union
kept on gaining and the owners de
cided upon more vigorous steps.
Union President Gets "Fired."
They commenced discharging men
who were known to belong to the
union, and ]. F. Voelker, president Of
the union, was one of the first to be
let out Voelker demanded the rea.
son for his dismissal. He has been
employed In one of the mills since
1884 and is an efficient worker. He
finally got an audience with the super
lntendent.
There is no use beating around the
bush, Voelker,'' the superintendent
said. "You got fred because vou5
belong to the union. We don't intend
to have any unions in these mills and
we don't intend to have any trouble
Ike the street. car company had. II
we had a strike 1t would mean gov
eminent ownership, and we don't pro-
pose to run any risks"
Voelker could get no other satisfaG,
ton. He is a skilled workman and
three men are said to be doing the;
work that he was doing when he was
discharged for the crime OF belonging
10 union.
Union intended No Strike.
Union officials make It plain that
they Intended no strike to force recog.
milton of the union. They know that
the Minneapolis flour mills are the
bread basket of the world, and they
would not sanction q strike at this
time when food is vitality needed. They
merely asked that the mill owners and
men submit their differences to afed-]
eral mediation board 6hd this fair
proposal Vas rejected by the owners.
The Minneapolis mill owners have]
been depressing prices for the pro-
Queer by price juggling and unfair
grain grading and at thu, same time
charging exorbttant prices to tho con-
sumner for q commodity that ii one OF
the prime necessities of-lfe. yet they
deny their workers the right to organ
lie and discharge faithful emploxes]
/ who exercise that right
But in this case the abuse Of their
autocratic authority may have far
reaching consequences. The craanixed
farmers already are demanding public
ownership Of the mills through the
National Eon-Partisan league program
and now the organized workers are
swinging into line. The discharge Of
Voelker may be the shot that vas
heard around the world" so far as the
mill owners are concerned.
resentatiQp In the government Of the]
state in which they compose ma
jority Of the population. This means
a truly representative government-a1
government ''of the people ana for the
people government conducted
by professional politicians who too
often are secretly responsible to Big
Business instead OF to those uho1
elected them. $50
stockholders Have Good Thinp.
Net earnings of the Carbon Steel
Company of Pittsburgh in the year
ended Sept. 30 were equivalent to $40
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