The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-11-15

eral feet beneath the ceiling. Every
inch is covered with framed photo
graphs, and of course there are TOO
many of them to catalogue. here. But
when he tells you that every man there
is special friend Of the owner of the
room, as is natural, you wonder how
one man can have so many kinds OF
friends.
HOW HE MET
LABOR UNIONS
There are portraits Of some men in
high places, and sandwiched closely
among them are the photographs OF
men never heard of outside their
home towns-shop superintendent,
round house foremen, mechanics OF
all kinds, and every one with face
full of character. They are all men
worth while, from New England mag
mates to Iowa mechanics-and after
a little while one comprehends that
is the reason they are friends of j.
F. Deems and looking down on him
constantly at his work in his home.
Out Of the wealth of warm sentiments
written over autographs on those
photogra phs, one cannot forget this
one:
I Friend Deems: In great apprecia-
ton, sincerely yours, Samuel Comp
ers. August 5, 1905"
There is another of James O'Con-
nell, president for years Of the ma
chinists' union When one could not
repress curiosity about how this man
Deems could spend so many years
as railroad executive, in those
troublous times, and earn the deep
regard expressed by the nevy of lead
iers Of organized labor looking down
from the walls Of that room, he re-
piled with a little setting of the jaw
toward the end: Rs
! II always kept faith with them all.
and when we fought, we fought in
the open"
THE LESSON OF
: THE LOVING CUP
/ It is pretty clear by this time that
]. F. Deems is always on good terms
with people who are willing to be
fair, and that when he fights, he
fights In the open.
Every man, especially every really
great man, has some one thing that
he values above all eIse among his
chattels. Deems has one. 1t Is q
loving cup OF solid silver, made by
Tiffany, a work of art in hammered
metal, couple of feet high, lined
with pure gold. and holding little
less than four gallons. 1t would fit
tingly ornament the palace OF a
prince-but Deems valves its art and
value in metal, and hardly gave me
opportunity to admire it's beauty of
craftsmanship, he was 30 anxious
that / see the inscription it bore cut
into it's massive chalice. Wondering
what railroad magnate had presented
1t to his efficient executive, one
reads:
ITO J. F. Deems, superintendent of
the American Locomotive Company
by the following lodges:
Boiler Makers and Iron Shipbuiid.
ers, No. 202;
international Association OF Ma.
chinists, No. 80 and No. "a;
international Brotherhood of
Blacksmiths, No. 1885,
international Association of Al.
lied Mechanics, No 1856;
Iron and Brass Molders Union, No.
100;
December 30, 1902"
The one tinge of pride discovered
in J. F. Deems was over the fact that
bllS LueIl III OIhploy lVlt llhc CIV
ing him that inscription by six diff
ferent labor lodges represented in the
shops of which he was executive He
treasures that inscription even more
than the one by Gompers and others
on autographed photographs And 1t
Is pretty evident that Deems had
plenty Of arguments with them In
those days. But he likes best OF all
to tell of the times when disputes
and disagreements were nipped in
the bud by few frank statements
he made and the men believed. He
became convinced early In life that
capital and labor ought to work in
double harness, and efforts to make
them enemies he dismissed in two
words:
4 Its rotten"
WHEN WORK
is NOT TOLL
He has no patience, It appears. with
those who act and talk as though
work is something to be avoided, like
disease. and with those who assum
that the less work man does the
nearer he is to Utopia.
Not even the tremendous RESPONSE
bility and enormous WORK of the Rig