The Oklahoma Labor Unit (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 8, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 13, 1910 Page: 1 of 8
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I
THE COAL MINING OPERATORS MAY STARVE OKLAHOMA'S STRIKINGL MINERS INTO• SUBMISSION BUT
IT WILL BE AFTER THE OTHER UNIONS OF OKLAHOMA HA\ H hXHAUS I LD^ TH ^
by BuiUmc Trmdtm C
A1W1 Prrotoi; Tr«a C«o-J
C«nlMJ Trades and Labor
DTVOTTD TO THE INTERESTS OF QRCAH1ZED LABOR AND THE FARMERS- ON.QN OF OKLAHOMA
NO tt
VOL. :i.
JAPS TI) BE
ASIATIC EXCLUSION DOMINANT
ISSUE IN LABOR'S POLITICS
ON COAST
(By l'an-Amerii an I'ress.i
San Francisco, t'al., Auk. s- ">'•
ports from Honolulu quote Secretary
ol Hi.' Territory E. A. Mott-Siiiith, as
raying that tlie Japanese residents
will politically control Hawaii within
a period of live years. Over l.- u
birth certificates of Japanese have
been made out ill the secretary's office
ill the last four weeks and there is no
legal bar to the native Japanese ex-
ercising the right ot sutfrage. Begin-
ning their invasion of Hawaii as early
as 1 stilt—the great rush, however, tak-
ing l lace in l!"111 the Japanese now
number between TO.uOO and 80,0(10
throughout the islands.
The dominant political note in the
California state election is Aslaticex
elusion, and every candidate is being
forced to declare himself unequiv-
ocally upon this issue. Homer A.
('ran:, i rganizer for the Farmers' Kdu-
eat ional and Co-operative I'nion. speak-
ing at a mass meeting of trades un-1
ionists and citizens in Ibis city, said j
I r>
se
Su
vvai
(str.
Th
ings i
umbus
MINERS NEED HELP
UNIONS TO RESCUE
Four months of idleness has reduced i sin.in the mines The> went out on
the striking miners of Oklahoma to a a strike I luce the "ti '
state of distress that few people in . tr:i. I with the mine operate,s. w111.
the state, even union members of o<her had been in effect t«., >cars. earned
,ay * OIIIIHU1J "... f, ......ijy,. The union men i' Ok at that time, md the miners made do
disorderly conduct, .--oldiet s j ' learning of conditions j mauds tor iu"tv..sed wages and ollici
In the miiung (listri.-ts this week, how I' oncession.- which the operators re-
enue teport that th. tiring ^ a personal representative ot fused to grant.
District No 21 Mr. .1. 1.. Britton of! The miners knew n would I" a l..n_
McAlester, has b€en in Hi.' city all the ; struggle. Hut til. > thought ml. da> s
week and lias addressed nearly every
union in tlic
nient, has denied tlio story that he had
commanded his troops on Monday
night to tire into the weeds near the
West Goodale street bridge where riot-
ers were supposed to he hiding- 1 his
statement tame from the adjutant
general's office, where it was reported
' that the order to tire had been
u and later that it had been car-
out.
soldiers have reported that the
< (strikebreakersi ot' a Sullivant
"v. •>. '.oi:. placed obstructions on
,. tracks. T. McQueen, assistant
"lident of the Columbus Light
way Company has been
ntirely by the new carmen
ers).
f: ward of arbitration's And
plain the fact that the Col-
Light and Railway Company
had violated two compromise agree-
ments with its union men.
IN SEATTLE
LABOR PARTY
HOLDS MEET
ORGANIZED WORKERS TO MAKE
AN INDEPENDENT CONGRES-
SIONAL CAMPAIGN
city
He states the conditions as they
really are. and nearly every union be-
fore which he has appeared has voted
a substantial sum out ot" its treasury
and guaranteed a weekly or month 1>
assessment to the members in « ase the
strike continues to any great length
of time. The attempt is being made
by the mine operators to starve the
union miners into submission, but the
union men Oi the other crafts, com
Forty
that lie did not believe that any
Bidecable number <>t orchardists oi (B> Pan-American Prei
vineyards preferred Asiatic help to Seattle, Wash., August
that of white labor. ^ . unions have sent delegates to a < on-
Labor Commissioner MacKenzie s | terence for the consideration ot politi
report favoring Asiatic labor is being | rai action, the unanimous decision is
denounced by Californians who assert IO launch a labor party in this city
that Mm iigures gathered for the gov whose candidates will he "cr.-nl men.
enimei.' were obtained principally! fhe platform of demands give prom
from Japanese sources. j incut place to the initiative, reteren
California congressmen who voted <ium and rt call, exclusion oi- .".Malic
to apply the Sherman anti-trust act to 11 labor, income tax. extension o. public
the trades unions and made an appro-j domain (() include mines, quarries, oil
priatioi of $200,000 to put the law in j wells, forests and water power, not
operation, are being everywhere op- more than eight hours labor a day I >r
posed by organized labor. The editor j females nor to employ them undei six-
iif the Coast Seamen's Journal, Walter teen years of age, and the S' oaration
Maearthur, is running for congress , 0f the i*nj
agains* Itepresentative Kahn. whes< .from tin
labor record is black, and the good merce and Labor.
government candidate, Kent, is oppos I The financial committee has agreed
ing Representative MacKinlay, who Upon the levying of a .Vceni per capita
helped kill the seamens' bill because j tax per month, to furnish funds for the
it would have stopped the 1
Mail's employment of Asif
would see it over. The} were prepaicd
for that much idleness. Hut it lias been
more than twice sixty days, and no
settlement yet is in sight As soon ; *
the miners qui' they eoninienccd to
seek other work. They found desul
tory employment in a lew instances.
Some tried farming. But most ot th« in
are unfamiliar with any kind of work
except mining. Consequent l> those
who did not gel out of the country at
o„( e have lived as best they could for
union men 0* tne otner eraiin, cum- J months, unt ii. according 1" V, t 1^"
posing the State Federation of Labor, I t he women are without ad u, t < lot
are coining to the rescue of their broth j ing. and many are on the \eiM ot
er union men in distress and will con- hunger. ,
tinue to assist then, until such time as Local labor- unions in :W a
the operators agree to pa> them living ot her union ci tes out si leol "^'.hoinu
w ages and guarantee to them decent Cit> have been asked to . < hi it.
unrkinir conditions to ,lie aU(* ino8t °" , .
In addition to contributions by the I sponded promptly with money wileh
Oklahoma City unions, many business j I hey had on hand for just su<_l e. e
men of this city have contributed sub-1 getieies, or have set aboilM. iiUlnMlielr
statilial sums, and over $:ilih was sub- assess!.,, nt in vatious '
scribed bv delegates to the democratic ! labor leaders say that l e s a w ill
convention in this cil v this week. j take care ot the situation and tha
Five thousand millers walked out . they will keep tile miners Iron) sutle.
the ma mines on the first da\ of | ing for a yen . i it is necesbai;
April. They have not worked an hour keep the fight up that long.
fflMTlMCOlil TO
ASSISTS OKLAHOMA STRIKERS
The Oklahoma Labor I nit an
nounces that it is two years old. that 1
it is putting on tiesh, and that it ap-
preciates the sustenance given it in
the way of advertising patronage and j
through the subscription rout To
our contemporary of the Far West, we
extend congratulations, and could our
voice reach the tried and true men of
that immediate locality, we would ad
motiish them to still further rally to
ithe support of a fearless champion ot
[those who toil in labor's vineyard.
I \i;,v ihe Labor Unit go foriard to
, greater things, and ma> it prove to be
I that bulwark behind which the prlnei
I pies and effort8 of organized labor will
ever tind refuge and a linn, steadfast
I exponent. 'Tls but meet that the war
rior who champions your lights and
I battles should in return be given the
hearty hand of fellowship, t incinnati
Chronicle.
BOSSES m
Win LEWIS
WAS IN JAIL:
SAY THINGS WILL "BE SERIOUS.'
LETTER TELLS A QUEER
STORY
ed States Bureau of Labor
present Department of Com
•J the Pacific
of Asiatics. In
southern California, orgaiii*"d labor is
strongly supporting .T. St it t Wilson,
the socialist candidate for congress,
who is for Japanese exclusion.
OHIO CITIZENS
WITH STRIKERS
REFUSE TO BECOME SPECIAL PO-
LICE AND CALL ON COMPANY
TO GET RIGHT
t By Pan-American Press, i
Columbus, Ohio, Aug 8. \ ainl.v ap
pealing to citizens to act as specif
poli< e, i Hrector McCune
Mayor Marshal that he has succeeded
in getting but live additional men who
are willing to swing clubs in the street
car strike district.
Sheriff A. H. Sartaln says lie will
compel citizens to act as deputies ii
i hey refuse to volunteer.
Public opinion in tills city expressed
itself vigorously in a mass meeting,
held on the arrival of the five regi-
ments of state troops, calling on the
Columbus Light and Hallway Com
pany to come to an agreement with
the union car men. The demands of
1 ti vision 538, of the Amalgamated As-
sociation of Street and Electric Hail
way Employes, are for recognition of
union. 2-". cents an hour for the
year and 27 cents for the set
year.
While Major General (Senator)
Dick, author of the notorious "Dick
military law," was in command in this
f the militia, the state ol Ohio
ed the following daily expense:
Mi,j. '.en Diek gets $22.22 a day;
brigadier generals, $lt' .6T each;
$11.11; IS lieutenant col-
; 30 majors. $H.33: a hun-
captains, $ *>.67; 9< first lieuten-
<r' 7 second lieutenants,
campaign.
In the preamble to the platform the
farmer, small merchant and producer,
are invited to take part in the cam
palgn and support the labor party in
the following terse lines:
"The small farmer who is today e\
ploited by large capital, more indi-
rectly but not less effectively than is
the wage worker, and the small manu-
facturer and trader who are engaged
in a desperate and losing struggle lor
economic independence in the lace of
the all-conquering power of centralized
I capital, need look for no redress from
itlie old political parties.
i Last spring the political efforts ot
I members of organized labor in Seattle
| was more of an individual one than
I the expression of the whole body of
the workers, and workingm< n (lid not
take kindly to the move. This fall it
is by the unions, and effective results
are confidently expected.
. i I The citizens of Seattle have been so
as specu" |Q boss-ridden and ring robbed that
reported to ,i:ti,...i he:ide<l bv organized
the
first
city
fac<
t wo
a political revolt headed by organized
labor seems to be possible of accom-
plishment at this time.
DECLARES HE IS CANDIDATE
You can't alwavs tell, says an ex-
change, what will happen. For in-
stance, there is a story of a man who
determined to commit suicide. He
went to tlie store and bought a rope,
a can of coal oil, a box of matches, a
dose of arsenic and a revolver. He
went down to the river and pushed
the hoot from the shore and waded
to where a limb hung over; saturated
l\is clothing with the coal oil. lighted
la match and set fire to his clothing,
•otid j,ook the dose of arsenic, put the muz
zle of the revolver to his temple, push-
ed the boat from under him and cut
the rope above him and lie fell ker-
flop into the river; the water put the
fire out and he got strangled and
coughed up the arsenic. He rose and
waded out. and declared himselt
candidate for the legislature on tin-
re form ticket. The Wayne Register.
onels,
dred
ants,
LEFT AT HOME
and 3.000 privates, $2 each; a
of $7 64" °4 i dav | Bird McGulre has made hi* Hire
this date"the troops have killed! to cut the number of rcpresentativ
one "i'i Miss i'essie Newburgh, shot i ill the new apportionmci. .
in the head l>\ the accidental dip-1 may look for a big cut in his
$4.72,
total
To
Following up affiliated loc als oi ie
Typographical, • arpenters, 'I canisters.
Barbers. Electrical Workers. Cas Fil-
ters, Plumbers and many other Okla-
homa City unions that have eitli r
voted money out of their treasuries « i
assessed their members, the Oklahoma
City Central Trades and Labor Council
voted $100 to the striking miners oi
Oklahoma at their meeting Thursda>
night. In addition the delegates to th
Council assured the representative ol
the miners, Mr. J. L. Britton, ot McAl
ester, that further amounts would b -
donated if the strike continued and '!■■•
miners felt the need of additional help.
To encourage the union men of the
state of Arizona who have formed a
labor party for the purpose of procur-
ing beneficial provisions in the consti
tution soon to be written for that new
state, the Council also voted $1-.. Mon
ey from many unions in Oklahoma is
being forwarded into Arizona with the
hop.- that the leaders there will be ahh
to duplicate Oklahoma's excellent con
stitutlon.
Many committees reported upon
plans being made for the big Labor
Day celebration. Within the week the
committees on Entertainment. I io-
gram and Parade will make iurthei 11
ports and the sporting events and
speech making that will lie annouin . d
for the celebration, to be held at tne
Siate Fair Grounds, will no doubt
draw many laboring men from ov
corner of the state.
The parade will be held at 10 o'< 1"- ,
011 the morning of Labor Day. as umi
all the organizations in the city will be
ill the line of march, and many of the
unions are contemplating features that
will be out of the ordinary.
As a means to secure more nnu
for the council, the receipts ot whi'
will go toward the erection of a Labor
Temple, plans have been made to •
lect a queen for the day. Each union
that desires may seb'oi a Candida'•
and a voting contest w ill be held. I :
votes are to cost one cent each ami
the union having 'he largest numbe:
for its candidate will be given the , . -
of honor in the parade immedia"
following the queen who will b-
tired in a handsome gown and ri«!<
a monstrous float attended b>
maids oT honor.
For the purpose of more full'
meeting of all of 'he committer
he held at ti*- Trades Coui ' il ban ■- in
day morning at 9 a. m.
Credentials were- received >
meeting and delegates seated as !<
lows: Bakery Workers Fred M
n« rt I'pechuich. Carilietlt W'" 'O'l
Miss M v rt le West; Hod Carrif
RULES GOVERNING LABOR DAY
QUEEN CONTEST
Rules governing the Labor Day
Queen voting contest of the Oklahoma
Trades and Labor Council, for Labor
Day parade, Sept,, 5, 1910, are as fol-
lows :
Rule I. Candidates.
Candidates to be any lady carrying
a card, wife daughter or sister, not un
der 10 years of age, of any white union
man or woman living in Oklahoma
City, nominated by the local union.
Rule II. Voting.
To be open to everybody. Votes
shall be one ill cent each. The can-
didates receiving the largest number of
votes shall be declared Labor Day
Queen.
Rule III. Manner of Voting.
Bank deposit boxes to be iurnlshed
by the Labor Day committee, the same
.to be placed in an> business house or
houses designated. Contents ot the
box to be deposited in some reliable
bank selected by ihe Labor Day « om
mlttee every Thursday to the credit oi
the Secretary Treasurer of the Trades
Council, deposit sii 1 > to lie furnished
the Labor Day committee each meet
ing night and number of votes re
corded. Each deposit slip to show for
whom the votes were cast, therebv
making double check on ballot I hose
boxes shall be in charge of a commit
tee appointed by the Central I rades
and Labor Council.
Rule IV. Time of Voting.
Voting to begin Frida>. Awum-' 11
and close at 11 o'clock. Saturday,
Sept. 3.
Rule V. Queen s Gown.
The Labor I)a> committee agrees to
pa} for the Labor Day Queen's gown
(expense to be limited by the Labor
Day committee) the dress to belong to
the Queen after Labor Day. A «!> or
ated float shall be furnished b> tin-
Labor Day committee. The Queen
shall be privileged to select ten at-
tendants, all to be dressed in white.
Rule VI. Parade.
The union receiving the largest num-
ber of votes for its candidate shall lead
the parade preceded by the Queen s
float, and shall be followed b> the
Springfield, III., Aug. 10. The confi-
| deuce which the Illinois miners feel
; 1,1 the hope that the special conven-
tion now in session at Indianapolis
will stick to the terms of the agree-
ment formulated by the state con
.-ntion of Illinois miners at Peoria
was strengthened today.
mi intercepted telegram from A. .1.
A-.'.-, coal operator, to another coal
operator whose name is known reads
as follows;
i ndPi'Blund that Join's iftd Adums
have sin'"1' "l1 "I'lli1 "r "I" 11
positive statement ol Lewis. Serious if
■, .
This telegram is taken in eonjunr
tion with a communication from an
Illinois district to this effect
"The operators of the third and
fourth scale district met and were
ready to sign the sc ale presented by
■
1 ■
came to the meeting and said, 'Lewis
has said that he is going to depose
Walker at the convention and then we
will have clear sailing."
IS RELEASED
VICTIM ARRESTED AT BEHEST OF
ENEMIES OF A PROGRESSIVE
CONSTITUTION
(By Pan-American Press.)
Tucson, Arizona, Aug. K. I\ H.
iilighton, editor of the Labor party's
official paper, Voice of the People, has
been the victim of an assault by his
political enemies whom the police re-
fuse to arrest, iilighton, however, was
jailed, released under $1,000 bonds,
and then declared not guilty by the
judge. Ills trial was attended by the
entire lon e of union machinists work-
ling in the Southern Pacific shops at
this place, who left their work and
inarched to the court room in a body
without stopping to take off their over-
ills. The acquitted was carried from
the court room on the men's shoul-
ders.
The contract for printing Bllghton's
paper has been abrogated by a local
newspaper office whose stock is said
to be owned in greater part by Post-
master (icneral Hitchcock.
That the republican national admin-
istration is to take a most active part
in the campaign for Arizona's consti-
tution, is more than a matter ol mere
rumor, as friends oi Postmaster (•en-
era I Hitchcock are openly asserting
111at he will soon arrive in Tucson and
make known his candidacv for the
senatorshlp.
Republicans in Washington have
long had I his political plan under con-
' id< ration and It was decld* <i just be-
fore Hitchcock left for Kurope 'bat
upon his return he should take person-
al charge of the Arizona campaign and
accept a candidacy for the senator-
ship. The sudden and unexpected ad-
vent of a political labor group, that
threatens to make another Oklahoma
out of Arizona, cut. short the postmas-
ter general's trip abroad, reports hav-
ing reached him that international la
bor organizations were preparing to
back the tight for labor statutes in the
new constitution with funds from their
t reasureries.
the
char re of a militiaman's rifle—arrest
ed Mies Louise Soiithworth for ad
dressing a strikebreaker as a "scab
and jailed many persons on the eli
of "loitering
Colonel
1 ♦- ■ . *«.
Vollrath of the 8th regi- Wave.
.this district. He will have ;i good
chance to remain at home after his
I present term expires. In othei words,
rge'lHrd lleQuire will he defeated at tin-
| nidls this fall 1a Judge McNeil.- Enid
Hird Building Laborer. K. ('. Perkir
c In O'Daniel, 1). ' Flowers, WW. (
son. , , ... ,
l!y request of Electrical Wmlo
Union No. 456, the Corbett ('lotIt
Company was placed on the untaii
The rules governing the contest
Labor Day Queen are as follow
crafts affiliated with the department
eh ' ting the Queen
Rule VII. Proceeds.
The net proceeds accruing from the
contest shall he turned ever to the
Secretarv of the Trades Council.
Buy union made goods all
Don't spend your nione> tor
whatever it is it has been
under fair a.nd sanitary cotid
v eil paid labor and of good
materials This anneal
specifically to
ions and their
advice for al
people All can tolh
tage to themselves
' public —(Minn.) I nl
Not Credit to Lewis
It is the opinion here that the op
erators are pinning their faith to
Lewis in a way which does no credit
to Lewis.
ii in confidently asserted bv men
in close touch with the Illinois situa
tion that the delegation which Illinois
will send to the special convention at
Indianapolis on Thursday will be solid
against the Indianapolis compromise
;ts prepared by President T. L. Lewis
iii! the hi'ernaiional executiv" bo.ird
of the union and that the convention
will vote for the Peoria scale.
The telegram and letter quoted to
day are to be held as reserve am-
munition in the fight which the Illi-
nois delegation will wage
A FRIEND IN NEED
IS A FRIEND INDEED
Writing to this paper from Coal
gate. Okla., Henry I'h K. secretary
oi Local No. 102f>. I*. M. W. of A.,
says as follows:
•The Coalgate Miners I t.ion, No.
1026, was honored at its last meet-
ing by Miss Kate Barnard, who ap
pea red before the members and de
•
her an unanimous vote of thanks tor
t lie good work she has accompli -l ed
along the Atoka track, as well as
over the state at large It' there ever
vas a friend to organized labor, and
, the miners in particular, Kate is that
ia.elv quit campaigning in the south
of the state and ' tine to
ion in order to render as
WIPERS mis
IHE INJUNCTION
SAYS WERE HE INVOLVED HE
WOULD REFUSE TO RECOG
N1ZE WRIT
(By Pun-American Press.)i •
Washington. 1). C„ Auk. 10.- Declar-
ing that were lie om' of tlie union men
by Judge Hitchcock, of
tun, In- would refuse to comply with
the provisions ot the rest ruining ol-
der, Sumuel Oompers, president ol the
American Federation ot habot de-
nounced the Injunction just issued
uuainst the Boston l'lioto Kngravers'
1'nion, forbidding it to continue with
a strike and prohibiting the payment
of strike benefits
: M> '1 l'>
Hitehcock Of Boston.'' said Mr. <!om
pei-s. "is an invasion of personal rights
and liberties guaranteed b> the Coil-
n of the I'nlled States and or
ion is repugnant to every concep-
suines t hat
emplo
prop-
e this
IS THIS TRUE
members of
■
< 1 need the label shoes,
ied "What union do
printers or plumbers'
| the purchaser was
added "You see. th
' plumbers are the onl>
' st ore.
t h re
be contested
on arises and men
order • s. r issu.nl
is the life of labor
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Wilson, Ollie S. The Oklahoma Labor Unit (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 8, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 13, 1910, newspaper, August 13, 1910; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc106907/m1/1/?rotate=90: accessed April 24, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.