Denver labor bulletin. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1915-19??, 1918-07-06
! Optimistic
Philosopher

NOW THAT THE WAR SAVINGS
stamp campaign in Denver, the thir-
teenth drive for war funds of various
kinds during the past thirteen months,
has gained the usual record of sue
cessful achievement, the o. p. again
takes a place in the sun with a more
expansive degree of genuine optimism
than ever before. 1t was a great
campaign, lasting ten days, and it was
some job to raise Denver's quota of
$5,300,000 in SIS stamps, no single
pledge for which could exceed $1,000.
Not that there was any appreciate
degree of slackers, but the great num-
Der of pledgers required made the
task one of magnitude, and approxi-
mately 100000 separate pledges in
duplicate were canvassed and made
out by the team workers. AS usual,
the wage earners of the city were
practically 100 per cent loyal, and
pledged their entire savings for re-
mainder of the year in addition to
large amounts of stamps purchased
before the campaign started. For a
couple of days last week it appeared
that Denver would never reach her
quota, but the period was extended
from Friday till Tuesday noon, dur
ing which the entire city was combed
over a second time, with the result
that at the noon luncheon Tuesday the
workers went over the top with a
shout that went ringing to our boys
with General Pershing's crusaders in
France. The hard work required made
the final victory all the more joyful
:. :. I.
THE o. P. WAS CAPTAIN OLA
team in General Horace Hawkins
division, and we were on the job all
the time. Our able lieutenants (every-
body had a military title) were John
j. Connor, chief state plumbing in
specter; Fred Vessel, business agent
of the Trades Assembly; Frank Null
len of the railroad brotherhoods; P. ].
Devault, treasurer of the Trades As
sembly, and Robert Currie, secretary
of Carpenters Union No. 55. The city
was divided into districts, the men
canvassing the downtown area and
the women in the residence section.
1t was daily race between the women.
and men for high returns, the honor
banners travelling back and forth at
the noon luncheons in the big Cathe-
dral room of the Albany hotel. One
thing is certain, the saving habit has
been well planted, and after the war
a whole lot of us plain people are
going to have money and bonds who
never had 'em before.
:. :. :.
AT ONE OF THE NOON LUNCH
cons of the war savings army Captain
Hutcheson of the London Irish Rifles
told story of sacrifice. 1t was about
the revered canary girls" of Great
Britain employed in the government
T. N. T. plant at Gretna Green, just
over the line in Scotland. This is the
original Gretna Green of romance,
and for several centuries before the
war had a population of 200 souls all
told. Today there are $4,000 people
in Gretna Green and $4,000 of them
are women employed in making T. N.
T., the most violent and dangerous
explosive known to science. Each of
these women has lost a husband,
father or brother, killed by the Huns
in Belgium or France. After working
for a short time in the T. N T. chemi-
cal fumes their faces and hair be-
come yellow, and will ever remain
this color. They know the penalty,
and freely make this supreme sacri-
flee to aid their nation in fighting the
Huns, feeling that in this they are
taking up the cause for which their
dearest ones gave up life on the bat
tlefield. "Thus it is today in England
and France" said the captain, "that
when public reference is made to the
canary girls of Great Britain, men
doff their hats in tribute to those
women who are making the supreme
sacrifice for humanity"
{. :. {.
ROBERT GRAF, A WELL KNOWN
Denver lad now in France, who gained
considerable repute here as an all
round athlete, writes letter which
emphasizes the indomitable spirit that
will eventually lead the American
army across the Rhine and to the gates
of Berlin. He writes from a hospital
bed in this true American soldier boy
fashion: 81 have been in the trenches
several weeks and enjoying the time
of my life. suppose you have heard
of me getting shot up. l only have
eight holes in me. A shrapnel shell
lit about a foot from me and insisted
on tearing my head and legs a bit.
Some of them are wicked cuts, but,
all in all, / consider myself very
lucky boy escaping with my life and
not receiving any very serious wounds