The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-22

the world that the Brotherhood Of
Locomotive Engineers had bought
I 10000 acres Of choicest Florida land.
Here a model city-Venice--would
arise. This year swamp and
wilderness 20 miles from the nearest
town. Next year the Miami Of the
Florida Gulf Coast.
Bravely the mud scows, the ditch
diggers. the stump pullers set to
work. Within a few months avenues"
and "boulevards" had been staked out
in the wilderness. A few more months
and a lonesome but imposing Span
ish" hotel graced the site, along with
tumble down shacks and more shacks
to house non-union Negro labor.
But back home the brothers" were
grabbing up choice lots six miles from
the seashore. All the best real estate
promotion tactics, blurbs, pictures Of
/. fairy city, rapture over the Riviera
Of America, dream homes, farm lands.
manufacturers, busy industries-all
the wild, idiotic nonsense of the
Florida promoters done over for the
benefit Of locomotive engineers and
others.
And lots sold. Not so many as had
been expected, but still some.
And then
The Big Smash.
, Blooie-and the bubble Of Florida
! real estate promotion collapsed over
, night. The roads were clogged with
autos seeking to escape the ruins.
Nrore koc-o,, - ,,.or,, -, A. tf~4~an4-V
Of million dollar promotions. The real
. estate gentry escaped Florida in a
flood which swamped all the Pullmans
which could be rushed from the North.
And there was Venice--disconsolat
! by the waters. Millions sunk in the
city, millions more to be sunk before
a penny could be realized.
Scab Labor Builds On.
There was nothing for Webb to do
, but keep at it. Orders went ahead for
the non-union building mechanics to
continue work. The construction COM
, pany demanded cash. No more credit.
And Webb bravely went along, sign
ing checks in the six figures and send
: ing out hurry up calls for the "grand
officials" back home to order the
, membership to kick through for lots
\ and do it damned quick.
q 1t got 80 that every one of the
: 10000 members of the Brotherhood
' of Locomotive Engineers knew he
/ would receive mail every day-from
Venice. A flock of lot sellers sailed
into every railroad town. pestered
division meetings, buttonholed bronzed
old engineers, told them their last
j cent should go into Venice "for old
!. age"
! Then the New York banks had to
= be sold. Had to be sold to raise the
! cash to pay the relentless contractor.
J No cash, no work. Millions just sunk
= in the ground Work had to continue.
The few lousy millions lasted a
! while, then more were needed. Very
well, the various Brotherhood holding
: companies and securities corporations
began passing dividends.
Tenantless Scab Houses.
Not enough. not enough, cried the
contractor as Venice began to assume
the prospects Of real sure-enough
city. Hotels, apartment houses, bust
ness blocks arose. Tenantless. The
town dead. But change would come,
Florida was Sound" if only we can
hold out a few years, everything win
go all right.
Then another bank had to be let go.
Philadelphia, it was, with the notori-
Gus non-union Mitten Management,
sworn foe of the Street Car Mems
union. taking over that bank.
Then a suit started out in Seattle.
| Investors were afraid the elaborate
Pacific Coast financial edifice of the
| Brotherhood was shaky.
Workers Ask Questions.
And then the convention, the trien-
NAL meeting with angry delegates
from every division in the country de-
handing to know what the hell is the
matter Plain, honest workers. Didn't
know much about finance but they
could see something was rotten. No
dividends from the West Virginia coal
mines. None from the securities
corporations. None from the hold
/ ing companies. .????
And now the final stroke. Mitten
Management. princes Of "labor man
agement," friends Of the toilers, the
better-than-union experts. Well take
over your banks. Wen rescue you.
Wen let YOU have few more mil
lions for Venice.
An alliance between the Brother
hood of Locomotive Engineers, Oldest
Of the regular labor unions, and Nit
ten Management, most successful Of
the anti-union tabor managers"
Trade union capitalism has flower
ed at last into full blossom.
Brother Engineers. Kick out Prem
ter, Daugherty, Webb and the rest Of
the rotten, corrupt gang. Take them