Milford chronicle., 1919-11-07
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
Current Events for the Children
ard Grown Ups, Too
STRIKES, WORK AND GERMANY

Now what in the world is the mat
ter with Jack this time? You look
as If you'd lost your last friend. Come
on Brace up and tell me all about
it,"
As usual, it was Uncle Ted, who. see
ing his nephew with a face clouded
with gloom, was trying to bring back
the sunshine.
An, there's nothing so terribly
wrong, Uncle Ted answered Jack.
But I've just had another fuss with
Hermann Schwartz. He's always max
ing me sore the way he talks about
our country and thinks Germany is
about right He doesn't seem to know
that Germany was licked to a frazzle
and I'm tired telling him. You see,
this morning being Saturday l went
to buy some things to eat for mother
don't like to go into Schwartzs $
butcher shop but they have such good
meat. So / watched until / thought
Hermann was gone and then went in.
But like he always does, he had just
gone in the back of the store and when
l got up to the counter he came run
ming in. Your country's in a fine
mess he said. After you beat Ger
many then you start fighting among
yourselves. If you don't watch out
Germany will be doing more business
than the United States. Her workmen
are working long hours each day and
with lots of goods stored away she
will very soon be ready to do business
with the world. If all the workmen
keep striking in this country there
won't be anything to SELL. Well, of
course, Uncle Ted, l couldn't think Of
anything mean enough to say and l
didn't want to fight because you told
me not to, so l just told him to mind
his own business and walked out
Now what I'm worrying about is, was
what he said true q
"Of course, Jack began his Uncle,
as he drew up a chair, Hermann
should not talk that way, no matter
how much of what he says may be
true. He and his father are making
their living in this country and they
should forget Germany and be loyal
Americans But it so happens again,
that some of what he says is true. l
will explain the matter as best l can.
For a lolg time the various labor
unions in this country have been go
lllE on ELIAhE. udL 49, IL AAEg want
more money or shorter working hours, Z
or both, and their employers feel that
what they are getting is enough, they
quit work. We have had strikes in .
this country for years and years but .
as a rule they have been conducted I
quietly and after a time the troubles /
were settled and the men went back to .
work as before But during the past
year, especially since the end Of the
war, the various unions have been
striking and some of their members
who act like the bolsheviks of Russia
or the Reds, as they are sometimes
called, have used bombs to blow up
houses; have fought on the streets and
destroyed property in general. They
are not all that way but many of them
90 so far as to threaten to destroy our
government. Right now there are
some 800 strikes going on in the Unit
ed States. A great many Of the men
who work in the steel mills are strik-
ing and rioting. Troops had to be
called out in Gary, Indiana, big steel
town. to protect property and the lives
of the people The soldiers found
MANY of these Reds" there who were
irving to overthrow our government.
The men who work on the piers IN
New York City where the ships are
loaded and unloaded are on strike.
That means tying up the food that is
coming and going. And so it is the
country over. The laboring men are
getting bigger wages and shorter
hours than ever before, yet they want
more and more money and want to
,rorlr lnee and less hOurS"
What happens to the things these
men make or do when they are strik-
ing?" asked Ruth who had just re-
turned from play.
"That is the worst part of it, Ruth,
answered her Uncle. while all OF
these men are away from their work
causing trouble. they are not produc-
ing. They 90 on eating and living but
they are not giving anything to their
country in return Now right here is
where the things Hermann Schwartz
said come in. Men who know more
about the condition of things in Eu- [
rome and especially in Germany than
myself say that within ten years Ger
many will be on the same business
basis she was before the war. That
means she is working very hard be-
cause the country was torn to pieces ]
after the years of fighting. She has
great quantities of manufactured
goods stored away and the plants ,
where things to sell are made were /
MANNED so that they could start them
going lust as soon as peace came. All /
Of the German workers, the laborers {
and mechanics are, without being told +
working at least ten hours every day c
when most of ours are not working
more than eight hours and many OF q
hem less. Our men are striking for I
shorter hours and more money right f
,t a time when the only thing that will Y
ave this country is for everybody to 7
iorget their selfish interets and work +
lard and produce in large quantities. Y
"But. Uncle Ted, wnat has Germany 1
,ot IN do with us even if she is work C
ng harder?" asked Jack.
"Just this. The German money IS D
IN low that it is to the advantage OF S
,ther countries to buy the material v
he has ready for the market. If she
,as goods ready because she is work a
NO night and day with all her energy S
hon she can sell to the world while
ne are not only going 20 sleep but hav- a
no labor war right in our own al
oIntry. You see that is what Ger il
oanv Is doing while in this country
he chief labor leader says, I will tie ia
n every industry in the United States Il
v ordering all workmen who belong C
: the unions to quit unless you give L
6 what we want To surrender to E
1em would mean that about 100000 HI
eonIe in the United States would tell C,
early loo. 100000 people what they
,onld or would not do. The great les cC
=. -. oti of this is that neither Con-