The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-05-09

Lear, the Star became so rotten and
treacherous to the workers and farm
ers. that It simply was unbearable. 1t
sabotaged farmer-labor candidates
running for office. 1t published news
against the striking shopmen. More
over, it actually assisted the railroads
to break the strike.
The management of the paper was
directed to the end of destroying it
financially. For instance, four fore
men were employed where only one
was needed In the mechanical depart
ment. This was sheer extravaganza,
which was cut out as soon as the cap
italists got the paper. The Office staff
was too large by five hundred dollars
per month. This item was also cor
rected as soon as Frizzel, the finan-
cial agent of the banks, took charge.
A new press costing sixty thousand
dollars was purchased. There was
about as much need for this press as
there is for fifth wheel on wagon.
But somebody needed a fat commits
sion off of the purchase price. This
white elephant of a press was sold
soon after the farmers and workers
lost the paper.
The paper, moreover, published
twenty-four page editions, when eight
pages would have suficed. This was
criminal waste of paper which
drained the cash of the Star.
All this reckless expenditure was
calculated to wreck the Star financial
ly, so that the fiat boys" to use Van
Lear's own expression, would get it.
And they did.
All this brazen treachery to the in
terests of the farmers and workers so
enraged the stockholders, that their
annual meeting held November s,
1923, took the form of general indig-
nation meeting against Van Lear, at
which meeting he was jeered and
hooted.
They came to this meeting organ
lied to dethrone Van Lear. They pro-
tested loudly against all Of his shady
manipulations. The farmers and
workers learned at this meeting the
exact nature of the Stars cooperative
basis. 1t was a fraud. Van Lear and
John Thompson owned one thousand
shares of common stock bought at one
dollar per share. These shares repre-
sented an investde value Of one
thousand dollars, equalling the voting
strength of about six hundred thous-
and dollars invested by the farmers
and the workers. Some cooperation!
When Van Lear was asked how it
was that he owned five hundred
shares Of this common stock "in the
name of labor" he replied: II bought
and paid for them with my money"
When this raw deal was put over the
workers, the local labor takers were
interested in their pie cards, and not
in the welfare of the workers whom,
theoretically, they pretend to love.
At this historic meeting Van Lear
was licked. A new board Of directors
was elected. openly hostile to the in
terests which Van Lear represented.
The new board elected was as fol-
lows: Van Lear. Judge Han old Baker,
John Thompson, A. B. Gilbert, and
Thomas Sullivan who, at the first
meeting OF the board, resigned. Mrs.
Minnie Cederholm was unanimously
elected by the four other members Of
the board to succeed Sullivan Van
Lear was elected to the new board on
compromise and not because the
rank and file wanted him.
Van Lear Takes the Last Step.
On January Z, 1924, the new board
held a meeting. Among other pro-
posals, the board submitted what fol-
lows, and which facts we're issued in
their letter to the stockholders on
Jan. 10, 1924. quote:
proposed Program Of Economy"
list. The establishment of bud
get system. under which costs OF op-