The Oklahoma Labor Unit (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 42, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 10, 1909 Page: 1 of 8
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NE1 # OF OKLAHOMA CITY CRAFTS ON PAGE 4
DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF ORGANIZED IABOR AND THE F. E. C. U. OF A. OF OKLAHOMA
Endorsed by the
OKLAHOMA CITY BUILDING TRADES COUNCIL
Endorsed by the
OKLAHOMA STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR
Endorsed by the Oklahoma City
CENTRAL TRADES AND LABOR ASSEMBLY
VOL.
OKLAHOMA CITY. OKLAHOMA. SATCKDAY, AIM*IL 10. 11)09.
NO.
CHARITIES CONFERENCE
'CANDIDATES ARE CHOSEN
MUCH GOOD ACCOMPLISHED
NEW ORLEANS MEETING
AT ;
NEBMS HERY MUCH IN EVIDENCE
Official Recognition Accorded Kate
Barnard and Senators Colvilte
and Taylor and Oklahomans
Are Banquetted
ThP Labor Unit is pleased to record
that Oklahoma was on hand at tlu-
charities conference held recently in
New Orleans to discuss ideas look-
ing to unifofm child labor laws
throughout the south. The resolu-
tions which were finally adopted were
practically those which the Oklahoma
delegation wanted. They were, in
fact, drawn after the ideas ot State
Senator L. K. Taylor, of Chickasha,
who was made chairman of the reso-
lutions committee.
Senator Frank M. Colvile, of Calu-
met, and editor of the Calumet Chief
tain, was elected secretary of the or-
ganization, and Miss Kate Itarnard, \
Oklahoma commissioner of charities J
and corrections, was elected vice pres- J
ident for Oklahoma. Senator Taylor I
was elected permanent chairman of
the executive committee.
Fourteen years was agreed upon as
the minimum age limit, and nine hours i
as the maximum working day. Most |
of the southern millers agreed to this, j
While this is not what we really i
ought to have, si ill It is a long Uep in ;
the light direction and the Labor V nit j
congratulates the Oklahoma delega- j
tion for its splendid work before and
during thi? conference and hopes the
good work wil continue.
Ten Oklahomans were present at
the conference: Miss Kate Barnard, !
11. Tluson. assistant commissioner of j
charities, A. E. Bowerman, of Shaw-1
nee, president of the state federation [
of labor C. L. Dougherty, of Guthrie, j
Mrs. Delross Bailey of Muskogee, Mrs. j
Graham of Marietta, Mrs. Webb, of
Ardmore, Miss Olive of Ardmore, Sen- |
ator F. M. Colvllle of Calumet and Sen- j
ator L. K. Taylor of Chickasha.
Tin Oklahoma delegation were giv- ;
en a reception and banquet 1 hursda> ,
night by the Trades anil Labor Coun-
cil of New Orleans, at which speeches |
were made by the Oklahomans, and j
Miss Barnard was tue recipient of a i
handsome bouquet of American Beau- |
tv roses. Senator Colville distinguish- i
..'.I himself oil Ibis occasion and mailt j
a great hit by reading bis poem. "TTie
Child of the Man With the Hoe." The ,
poem follows:
The Child of the Man With the Hoe. i
"man with
OF WHAT BENEFIT IS SUCH A
MAN TO ANY ORGANIZATION
If a union man wears a Stetson hat, smokes non-union cigars, subscribes for The Ladies'
Home Journal for his wife and the Saturday Evening Post for himself, has his meals cooked
with a Buck range, eats Egg-O-See or Grape Nuts at his meals and drinks Postum, uses
Parkin's soap to cleanse himself, allows his wife to have her clothes made by Butterick pat-
terns, gets shaved for five cents—if a union man doas all these things or any part of them,
just how much benefit is that man to organized lab >r? The trades union is of vast benefit to
him, but what benefit is he to the trades union.—Ex. If we knew what paper originated
this'we would gladly give proper credit.
OKLAHOMA CITY
HELD TUESDAY
PRIMARIES
LAST
WAGES Of FIFTEEN
THOUSAND REDUCED
Steel Company Make Announcement
of a Decrease of Ten Per
Cent April 1..
COMPERS REVIEWS MODIFICATION
Decision of Appeals Court and Accompanying Opinions
From Most Important Addition to History of
Judicial Action in Relation to Pabor.
Youngstown, Ohio., March 29.—No-
tices were posted in the local mills
of the Republic Iron and Steel com-
pany, Friday, of a 10 per cent wage
cut, effective April 1. Locally 4,000
employes, from salaried men to labor-
ers, are affected. Only members of
the Amalgamated Association of Iron,
Steel and Tin Workers escape, be-
cause of their scale agreement.
Similar notices have been posted In
other mills of the company. The cut
in all the company's plants, nine roll-
ing mills, nine furnaces, and a steel
mill, will affect 15,000 men.
great
That grind out the grist in thf
money mill,
And pile up the wealth of the few.
What wreck, if that heart never iCnow
a love thrill.
If only his task he can do.
On March 11th the Court of Ap-
peals of the District of Columbia ren-
dered a decision upon the appeal of
the American Federation of Labor et
al against the temporary injunction
which Justice Could of the Supreme
Court of the District of Columbia had
issued December 18, 1907, upon the
petition of the Buck's Stove & Range
Company; made permanent by Justice
Claybaugh.
The decision greatly modifies the
original injunction, writes Samuel
Gompers in American Federationlst.
It eliminates the prohibition of free
press and free speech as to printing
or discussing anything in relation to
the Buck's Stove & Range Company
or discussion of the injunction itself.
as notice to their friends that the em-
ployers whose names appear therein
are regarded as unfair to labor. This
list may not only be procured and
kept available for the members of the
association and its friends, but it may
be published in a newspaper or series
of papers. To this extent they are
within their constitutional rights, at
least, where a court of equity can not
intervene.
I conceive it to be the privilege of
one man, or a number of men, to in-
dividually conclude not to patronize
certain person or corporation. I
is also the right of these men to agree
together, and to advise others, not to
extend such patronage. That advice
may be given by direct communica-
TEACHERS WILL FORM
INTERNATIONAL BODY
American and Canadian Educators
Plan League of Half Mil-
lion Members.
It, however, still restrains freedom of tion or through the medium of tin
"man with
This
is the child of the
the hoe"—
A creature so weary and worn.
a victim of
A thing of the toil mills,
woe,
'Twere better he'd never been born.
A frail figure bearing the weight of a
cross,
A wreck, a degenerate child.
White slave of the system and count-
ed but dross
In the rush of the money race wild.
This is the child of the "man with
the hoe"—
Doomed to forever look down.
No high ambitions, no future to know,
Driven by blow and by frown
Penned in the toil stall from daylight
'till dark,
Plying a dull round routine,
Lost to emotions that spring from
the heart.
Merely a human machine.
This is the child of the "man with
the hoe"—
A product of civilized lands.
Unlettered, uncultured, with thoughts
vile and low.
Useless, save only the hands
This is the child of the
the hoe"—
Here in this land of the free.
What wonder then if grim anarchy
grow
When around us are
he
Tear down the sehoolhouse, send boys
to the mill,
Greedy the maw of the rich.
Why give them a schooling? They
can only till
Work places down in the ditch.
the press in that it forbids the publi-
cation of the "Muck's Stove & Range
Company'' on the "We Don't Patron-
ize" list and enjoins the boycott.
This decision of the Court of Appeals
and the accompanying opinions form
| a most important addition to the
history of judicial action in relation
to Labor.
Justices Robb and Van Orsdel con-
cur 5n the decision, though giving
vvidely different opinions, and Chief
millions like I justice Shepard dissents.
The reasoning of Chief Justice
I press, so long as It Is neither in the
nature of coercion or a threat. As
long as the actions of this combina-
tion of individuals are lawful, to this
; point it is not clear how they mn
! become unlawful because of their sub-
! sequent acts directed against the
j same person or corporation. To this
j point, there is no conspiracy—no bov
• cott. The word "boycott" is here
| used as referring to what is usuall.
j understood as '"the secondary boy-
cott;" and when used in this opinion.
I it is intended to be applied exclusive
Shepard, who dissents from Justices
Robb and Van Orsdel, shows that
study of modern industrial conditions
which is so often lacking on the part
of the judiciary. His argument on
free press and free speech is a verita-
1y in that sense. It is. therefore, onh
when the combination bccomes a con-
spiracy to injure by threats and to
ercion the property rights of anothe .
that the power of the courts can bo
invoked. This point must be passed
Boston, April 1.—An effort to or-
ganize the half million teachers in the
UnUted States and) Canada will be
made by the North American Teach-
ers' League, accordig to announce-
ment made yesterday by Frederick A.
Tupper, head master of the Brighton
school.
The league has the patronage of
leading educators. An energetic cam-
paign is planned to establish branches
throughout the country. The object
is to extend the scope of the league,
obtain higher salaries, pensions and
national and state aid to education.
IN OUR NAME.
"The toweling purchased by th 1
Committee oil Ways and Means of me
House of Representatives Is marked
'Made in Great Britain.' The chairs
are marked Made in Vienna,' and the
carpets are from Brussels. 'It is re-
called that during the discussion of
j the present tariff schedules the author
of the Dingley i>i 11 was wearing a hat
which was made in England, but that
had no deterrent effect, for the com-
mittee went right on doing business
1 in the name of the 'worklngmen of
America.'" — Washington (D. (\)
Trades Unionist.
j ble classic and will live for all time-. before tlie unlawful and unwarranted
This is the child of the "man with
the hoe"—
Merciful Father look down,
'Twas for such souls that the Saviour
bowed low,
Suffered and wore a thorn crown;
Died, for this thing of the sweat ami
the moil,
Died, for this weak broken reed,
Died, for this slave of unsatisfied toil,
Died, for this victim of greed.
This is the child of the "man with j
the hoe"—
A being of brains and of heart,
Down with a system that makes him ;
bow low,
And carry a slave's burdened part; \
Give him a hand, let him waken and
live,
Health in those wan cheeks let
glow.
He's human, my brother, a chance let
us give
To the child of the
hoe."
MITCHELL ON TRADES UNION MOVEMENT
and though the minority opinion in
this case, yet we believe its reasoning
will at no distant day become the
ruling of the courts on the isues in-
volved.
On account of the fundamental Is-
sues of free press and free speech,
which were involved in the original
' injunction, we preferred to stand up
j on the unconstitutionality of th-4) in-
I junction rather than obscure this
| great issue by going into the details of
I the original trouble with the iBuck's
Stove & Range Company and the
| manner in which the boycott was car-
i led on.
Justice Van Orsdel in defining a
I legal boycott says:
"Again, we do not assume that it
will be contended that, a citizen has
not perfect freedom to deal with
whom he pleases, and withhold his
patronage for any reason that he may
deem proper, whether the reason be
one originating in his own conscience,
"man with the i or through the advice of a neighbor,
| or through the reading of an article
in a paper. Neither would it be un-
lawful for such citizen to advise an-
other not to deal with a person with
whom lie has concluded not to con
acts which the courts will punish and
restrain are committed."
The absolute fact is that this point
; never was passed in the boycott of
i the Buck's Stove & Range Company,
j The union men and their friends
expressed their intention not to buy
. Buck's stoves and ranges because that
j lirm refused to grant its employes the
equitable conditions and hours which
| the unions could obtain from other
j iirms in similar lines of business,
i Union men notified local dealers
that they did not intend to buy any
more Buck's stoves and ranges. Also
stated that they would transfer their
j patronage to first which did not
earry the unfair stoves.
| Never anywhere in the history of
this boycott is there the slightest rec-
' ord of the union men or their friends
I attempting to "coerce" ,third parties
against their will to quit buying the
| Buck's stoves anil ranges.
Under Justice Van Orsdel's defini-
tion of the boycott we state most
.truthfully, earnestly, and sincerel>
that at no time has any action of the
unions exceeded what lie lays down
as perfectly legal.
A notice from the union men to the
retail dealer that there was a boy-
WAGE CUTS.
Bethlehem, Pa.—The companies op-
erating the iron furnaces in the Le-
high Valley have decided to reduce
wages of furnacenien 10 per ct) t.
This reduction will apply to 3,000 or
4,000 workers. The proposed reduc-
tion wi'l put wages back to the level
of 1905.
Dover, N. J.—The Wharton Steel
Company has announced a 10 per
cent reduction in the pay of its blast
furnace employes and miners, to go
into effect April I. The cut will af-
fect between 500 and 600 men, day
laborers who get. from $ 1.25 to $1.30
a .lay being exempted.
OH, PICKLES!
People from all points are perplexed t
and pained by the peculiar provisions I
of the pending protective policy pro- |
mulgated by the Payne propaganda,
which particularly protects people not
entitled to protection and pilfers from
the pitiably unprotected. Profuse pro-
election promises and pledges were
plausibly and purposely predicated to
THREE TICKETS NAMED FOR OFFICES
Democrat j. Republicans and Social-
ists Select Standard Bearers—
Several Candidates Belong
to Local Labor Unions
The labor men named were as fol-
lows:
For police judge—High ley, member
of typographical union.
For street commissioner—Will R.
Walters, member of painters' and dec-
orators' union.
The primaries held Tuesday last did
not call out a very large vote. Less
than half of the voting strength of the
city was cast.
The chief feature of the balloting
was the race for the republican nom-
ination for mayor. George H. Dodson
was successful over Thomas R. Har-
per. his closest rival, but to defeat
larper It was necessary of City
Clerk Hess to withdraw in the mid-
dle of the afternoon and throw his
strength to Dodson. It was feared
that Harper, by reason of being the
choice of the law and order league,
would lead the party to defeat. May-
or Scales almost had a walkaway
with the democratic nomination.
Chief of Police Post had a hard
race but succeeded in landing the
democratic nomination for chief, while
John Hubatka will be his republican
opponent.
The line-up for election day will be
as follows:
City Clerk—Bob Parman, rep.; W.
F Jones, dem.
Police Judge—J. T. Higley, dem.;
A. W. McWllllanis. rep.
City Treasurer—E*. C. Trueblood.
dem.; L. L. Land, rep.
City Attorney—G. W. Lindsay,
dem.; Jas. Twyford, rep
City Assessor—Kzra Offut. dem.; J.
S. Cooley, rep.
Street Commissioner—Sam Newell,
dem.; W. R. Walter, rep.
Treas. School Board—W. F. Vahl-
berg, dem.; Will S. Guthrie, rep.
A complete socialist ticket was
nominated, but there were only a few
votes cast for that ballot.
Now for the election, which will be
I held April 27. And union men should
begin right now to work to secure
the election of those candidates who
are card men, and of others who are
known to be friendly to organized la-
bor.
We can elect our own boys if we
get a hustle on.
FOOD FOR THE NON UNIONIST.
Do you know that when wages are
reduced in times of panic they never
rise again among unorganized work-
ers?
Do you know that each succeeding
I panic has left the wages of the unor-
ganized workers smaller than they
were before?
Do you know that in spite of all
panics the wages of organized labor
( have steadily advanced and hours of
labor shortened?
Do you know that if the wage
earners wore all organized, panics
would be less frequent and less se-
vere ?
Do you know that the recent cut
in your wages will never be recovered
until you organize?
Do you know that the long hours of
labor lessen your pay? How will you
increase it?
j Do you know it is a duty you owe
I your family and your fellow-crafts-
I men to join the union of your craft?
Do you know that the longer you
pacify and persuade the plain people ! delay joining the union of your craft
for political purposes; hence the pres- I the longer you will be in bettering
cut panicky, perilous, and preposter- your present condition, shortening
ous predicament. Pshaw!—Washing- your hours of labor per day, and in-
ton, I). C., Trades Unionist. ! creasing your pay ?—Exchange.
New York.—"The trade union move-
ment is the best medium through
which the great national problems of
labor can be intelligently solved,"
said John Mitchell, the labor leader,
to the congregation of the Free Syna-
gogue on West Eighty-first street.
New York City, where he spoke on
"The Industrial Unrest."
He had been introduced by Rabbi
Wise as the "sanest, wisest, most
statesmanlike leader of the industrial
forces in America."
"What a paradox it is." he con-
tinued, "that we, the richest people
on earth, should allow thousands of
strong, able-bodied workmen to stand
shoulder to shoulder on the "bread
line" while their little 7 or S year old
daughters are working 12 or 13
hours a day in the factories.
"There should be no legislation to Pe,son against
curtail the labor movement. If the
men were not allowed to shape their
course in the open where everybody
couMi^hat wero doing, they
wounr Wfcu the
countries have done under the same i lair to labor. It may procurc
conditions—they would do it under j keep a list of such employers not
cover." i only for the use of its members, but
tinue his patronage. If this advic ■ 1
may extend to one, it may to a hyn- on jj1#. puck's stov s and range
dred; and the thing done will not
be actionable so long as it is an ex
pression of honest opinion and not
slanderous, however much the inter-
course between this citizen and his
neighbor may operate 10 injure the
whom the advice is
directed.
"No one doubts, I think, the right
of the members of the American Fed-
PROTECTION A SHAM UNDER FORM OF LAW
! was the only means of reaching the
! article as it came in contact with the
retail purchaser. To notify the firm
itself would accomplish no purpnse,
since it already knew the fact and
had every reason to hide it from the
j retail dealers, and thus keep them in
: ignorance that organized labor and its
friends would no longer buy lie
stoves.
eration of Labor to refuse to patron- The sum of Labor's offending s m*
people in other j ize employers whom it regards as un- ; to be that it has been too open and
■ same i fair to labor. It may procure and I frank in its dealings. It could have
ceased Its patronage with precisely
(Continued on Page 5.)
Protective duties, say protection- [
ists, are for the benefit of "American" ;
workmen, to enable them to maintain j
the "American" standard of living and j
to maintain for them the Ameri-
can" standard of wages. All of which
is a pretty dream, and nothing but a
dream, for Canadian lumbermen,
whose products are largely shut out
of American markets by the false pr
tense of protection for American
workmen, are now busy taking photo
graphs of Japanese working in Ameri-
can lumber mills in the states of Ore-
gon, Washington and Idaho.
It is claimed by our patriotic lum-
bermen in these states that Canadian
lumber should be shut out of the
American market because Orientals
are employed in Canadian lumber
mills. Now the Canadians are tak-
ing photographs of Orientals working
In American lumber mils, which are
protected "for the benefit of American
workmen." Protection is a sham, a
delusion, robbery under the forms of
law, a congressional license to pick
pockets.—The Star, San Francisco.
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Smith, H. W. The Oklahoma Labor Unit (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 42, Ed. 1 Saturday, April 10, 1909, newspaper, April 10, 1909; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc107613/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.