The union times., 1941-07-05
I Remember
 By Richard E.. CrOskey
 Local 4O4 Cooks & Walters Union
BASEBALL TALK

and culinary unions while sta-
 toned in Illinois. Bloomington
 had been a tough town I was
 told when | butted in there.
 There was a Local Option fight
 on and the bartenders were look
 ing for labor support to keep
 the city wet, so they were easy
 to organize. We had that done
 in short time with every bar
 i'm town displaying our card.
 But the cooks, walters and waitres- ses were a different proposition and took a lot of time and work. They had retired big league pitcher run ming good place and I was told he was extra tough. The man had also pitched for the Denver League team and had pitched that team into the pennant of the Western League. I had seen him pitch many times so 1 laid my plans to approach him at an opportune moment and see if my line of gossip would interest him.
 After eating breakfast one morn ing he was at the cash register and not busy so 1 said to him with a laugh, Hello, Bull Moose (his base ball name), I have seen you pitch many times when you pitched the Denver team into the championship. He shook my hand and we gossiped for a long time on baseball matters and then l sprung my union. He was agreeable and signed up his place without further ado. I doubt if would have got him any other way.
 We had about everything signed in that city from the hotel to the chii places. I will recite many other instances where l used psy- chOlogy to gain my point.
 REPLYING TO VIM. J. BRYAN
 As stated, there was a Local Op- tion Election pending and I had cam paigned through the states of Mon- tana and Wyoming on this prohibition issue and so addressed the Liquor Dealers Campaign Committee on in vitation, being fairly we'll informed on the moral and economic points of the prohibition question.
 BRYAN AND SUNDAY
 My object then, of course, was to organize the saloons and bartend- CTS. The late Billy Sunday was brought in by the drys to make an election speech and the liquor dealers brought in some good speaker from Chicago paying him $500 for his talk. Then the drys had the great William Jennings Bryan come i'm and talk. I was a great admirer of Bryan on political issues so I attended his meeting and the thought came to me that this speech was the poorest I had ever heard him deliver.
 SAVE THE BOY' STUFF
 took notes on the points of his talk and thought to myself, he has said nothing but the old shop worn save the boy stuff. In fact, it was the only poor speech 1 had heard him make. Most of the liquor men also sat and listened to him and were of the same opinion, so they came to me and asked if I would answer him.
 I imagined it was a big job to fill but told them I would do my best. 1 was advertised, had the same hall, the same band, and I expect the same crowd. The place was packed to its capacity of 1500 I had prepared my self I spoke for one hour and a half and was we'll received and got much newspaper space.
 WHO CONTROLS UNION?
 Of course I had an advantage in that 1 had listened to Bryan and took notes on his talk and it is always easier to answer than to make the opening address. I would not have been presumptious enough to talk against him on political questions be- cause on that he was a master. It was easy to organize our people after that meeting.
 This was 1917, the draft was on and many, in fact, nearly all my walters went to the war and the waitresses got control and have held it since.