Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-01-03
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Lecture 10 IEahoring Men.

article written by j, J. Clark, $3.50
Jackson street. Omaha. Mr.. Clark
heads his article by asking who are
the public?" He seems to think that
the public does not include the
laboring class, but that only they
who ride in automobiles are consid-
cred to be the public,
| would ask Mr.. Clark who was to
blame for the street car strike. You
say YOU had to walk. Those Of the
public whom you encountered were
heart and soul with the strikers
Mr.. Clark, you have no cause to COM
plain; you upheld the carmen in the
striking. if you and other laborlng
people had to walk four or five miles
medicine the same as the rest of the
people had toFfor nine days.
What did they strike for? What
was, their grievance? Why We're
they not willing to arbitrate their
differences with the street car COM
pany? The company was willing to
do this. But President Short Of the
carmen's union is quoted as saying:
Were going to win this strike. We
are not willing to submit this case
to arbitration, and If soldiers are
sent here. we are not afraid Of them;
they won't fire on laboring men,"
How dear this sounds to law-abid-
ing citizens. Doesn't this sort of
talk sound like might makes
right?' Did they strike for higher
wages? No: they seemed to be sat
isfied with their WAGES. Then what
did they want? They wanted to
force the company to recognize their
union. Mr.. Clark. do you think this
is right? Do you think it is right
to place pickets around the COM
pany property? BY so doing you de-
prive those men of their constitu-
tional rights. as free American citi-
Zens. Under our laws they have a |
right to hire whom they please and |
discharge whom they please The
laboring man has the same rights |
before the law. He doesn't have to
work for any man against his will
Now, I believe the laboring men
have right to organize for their
own interest and protection against
greed and unfair treatment. But
don't believe in the methods that
the unions use. / don't believe in
using force for this is the rule that
Germany used in Belgium and |
France: "that might makes right"
This is what our boys are fighting
against and fighting against the
union is wrong when they place a |
premium on the lazy shirkers who
belong to the union. They tell the
employer that he must pay this man
as much wages as the man who |
mo II ernnI TT hn dido thic |
man. the union will call strike I'M
til the lazy man is reinstated. Is |
there true justice In this?
Now + want to say in conclusion |
that I am a friend of the laboring |
man. and when I say this I mean |
the man who gives value received |
for the wages he receives from his |
employer But I have nothing but 7
contempt for the lazy shirker. Now
want to say to Mr.. Clark and all |
other men who belong to a union,
that If you want to keep public SEN
timent with you, you must keep |
within the law: you must be willing |
to arbitrate your grievances: you |
must get rid Of those hot-headed ag- |
itators and put cool-headed men
with good Judgment in their places. |
Public sentiment is always with the
laboring man when he has a lust |
cause. M M. CAMPION.
Boys of the Civil War.
Marley, Neb., Dec. 27.-To the
Editor Of The Bee: In The Bee Of
December 26; it was with some
amusement that I read the letter
signed another Mother I am an
old soldier of three years service in
the great civil war that ragged for
four long years. Her first complaint
is that there shall be no more pro-
motions. That surely brought a
smile to the old veteran of the long
ago sixties. We boys of the blue
never thought of such a thing as
that. Our term of service had ex-
pired when the war closed, and what
we wanted was home with mother
and father and friends. I cannot see
how he could have spent SO much
time in the trenches and go to
school, and get no pay. / cannot
see how he could write home such
bitter letters. In all my three years
service 1 never wrote hoRe a bitter
letter.
= We were always busy, and never
drew a dollar pay the last
nine months we were in the service,
nor got it when we were dis
charged; and 1 never heard one
word of complaint from the boys
about not, getting it. If we were in
need of little money, all we had
to do was to write home for it and
we soon got it. We expected to be
fed and clothed by the government,
and generally we were never disap-
pointed. We got our bareback, got
our meat and coffee and took it
without complaint We never
heard of Red Cross or X. C. or
Y. M. c. A. If we needed anything,
We had plenty of friends to send us
what we needed. We had nights
without sleep and 10 days and :
nights without chance to change :
clothes. Why. dear me, / have gone
weeks without change, but when
We would stop to rest Gas we did
ome marching) we would wash
what clothes we could in some river
,r creek nearby and hang them on
ome bush to dry, and then take a
plunge if not too cold.
When l went into the service I
vas but 10 years old and 80 per
ent of my company and regiment
we're under Fl years. We went into
he service pure and clean boys.
nd those who were spared to come
lone came home the same kind of a
,oys, and we did not need " D. a
'amphlet No. "a as sent out few +
lays ago from the L. S. p. Fl. S. of :
28 First street Washington, d. c. .
Suph I know we did mot need and u
ur people at home knew we did not 3
eed. Now to close, 1 will say with
ut fear of contradiction that the Z
oys of the blue and the boys of the y
rey made one Of the greatest armies +