Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1940-08-29

His animosity tickled me. 1t
made me think of an old Ver-
mont farmer | knew once who
used to say 81 don't know what
it's all about, but whatever it is
Pm agin it,"
A man came along, saw me
and walked in step for several
turns. "This is my boys birth
day." he told me. "He is Boy
Scout and this is the only store
in town that handles Scout
equipment. That would please
him more than anything, but |
don't want to walk through a
picket line to buy it." | stepped
aside and the man went into the
store. When he came out with
a package he waved and said:
Good luck to you, Buddy"
A nicely dressed lady stopped
squarely in front of me. "Why
are you picketing this place? l
do not understand" "I'm sorry,
ma'am, but picket is not per-
mitted to discuss controversy
while on duty. We have strict
orders from the union not to en-
gage in dispute, argue or even
answer any question that con-
Germs a labor dispute while on
picket duty. Sorry"
A white-haired old man with a
reassuring CLEAN in his eye
passed and spoke: GIVE carried
a card for thirty-five years, Mis-
ter, and Pm retired and drawing
a union pension now. | know
what this is all about"
School must be out. The
youngsters fill the sidewalk. A
couple of mischievous big boys
grabbed my sign and whirled it,
catching me unprepared. The
ropes twisted tight around my
neck and l darned near stran-
gled before / could get them un-
wound.
Three shabbily dressed kids
scanned the sandwich sign"
front and rear. One said: 81
wish l had sign like that. l
would go over in front of the Y.
M. C. A." Pm still wondering
what he meant by that.
A messenger boy scooting by
on his bicycle braked speed and
yelled; "Hey guy, if you get
tired walking in front of this
place come and walk a while in
front of the joint where | work.
My boss pays me cents mess
age"
"You get paid for this?"
man asks. "Sure. Union scale
dollar an hour. Union labor
never asks something for moth
ing"
A little girl, about S, walking
backward in front of me is
puzzled by the words and figures
on the sign: what are you do
ing that for?" why, little girl,
I'm advertising ice cream"
"That's not the way to do it
just walking round and round.
You do that by putin an ad in
the paper!"
A fellow in work clothes sug-
gesting the oil fields: "Gosha-
mighty! | owe this store forty
dollars and came down here to
pay it. | wouldn't think of go
ing through a picket line.
Whoopeew He walks off, patti
ing his pocketbook affectionate-
ly.
A railroader pauses and says:
Brother, you didn't have a
picket on this place an hour be-
fore we heard about it in Dodge
Cityw
Well, we'll! Some bright boy
has had an idea. A colored wom-
an is coming out of the store
wearing a sign in big letters
"Just Marriedw She starts
picketing me, step for step, in
front of the store. That stunt
was funny when it was new, but
it's an old gag now. Still, it's a
little funny yet. A crowd begins
to gather. Some laugh, but most
don't. The "jolly" crowd inside
the store is getting a dirty look
now and then from passersby.
Apparently the joke is backfir-
ing a bit. A colored man pass
ing mutters something | can't
quite catch about "stirrin' up
the races" A little man speaks
to the negro woman with the
"Just Married" sign: LADY, if
he's your husband you got beat!"
After a while the colored woman
disappears. Guess the gag didn't
work the way they thought it
would. Oh, we'll, that's all in the
picket's days work. Gags and
cracks don't change the merits of
the case. Fair dealing and
square labor practices are ideals
that can't be smudged over with
cheap humor. That's why the
picket stands on the firing line
for I1niOn labor