ing!-which was mailed to the membership of No. 2 by its president:

"While I am a firm believer in the referendum and believe its retention necessary to our continued welfare, still, to be fair and honest to those who pay us our wages, I will oppose vigorously the submitting of the revised and codified constitution and by-laws in any other way than that twice attempted."

The quotation refers to a new local constitution which has been twice before the whole membership, and which has as often been defeated, the last time in such a decisive manner that no one but an egoist bounded by his own perspective would have the audacity to hurl such a flaunting decision at a major intelligence. Nor is this all. be fair and honest to those who pay us our wages." Amen! If this was the outcome of a conscientious purpose, how comes the blare of the personal pronouns regarding the constitution? Especially when it is a fact that the president of No. 2 draws his wages from the treasury of the local union! Is this being "honest to those who pay us our wages?" If so, it needs a more elastic philosophy and contortive imagination to be perceived than that possessed by a vast majority in our ranks.

It is this gibbeting of the membership that caused this article to be written. Nor is the writer alone in his chagrin at thus being exposed to the glances shot askance and the cynical smiles that are his due for being forced to acknowledge the leadership of such a blatant hypocrisy and to confess the cause of the inability to correct the disgrace.

"The Philistines be upon thee, Samson." So have they been. The trousered Delilah of the twentieth century has debauched her master, delivered him into the hands of her followers, and exulted at his degradation: and in their delirium they have rejoiced to their Dagon's delight: and in their drunken frenzy of power they are gath ering to make sport of and to taunt the captive; and then will they be slaughtered in the rotten structure of their own creation.

So much is a hint of the conditions as they have been and are in Philadelphia. Now, you are requested to again read pages 8, 9 and 10 of the last month's number of THE TYPOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL, to weigh well the statement, and not to forget to read between the lines, for inference is used as a vehicle to convey the impression that, if need be, further can be said that will not only be disparaging to the membership in general, but detrimental in particular to the powers that be.

But why this mantling? Why not raise the curtain and let us view the burlesque or tragedy, whichever it is, in all its ludicrousness, hideousness, asininity, or whatever the esoteric headquarter's knowledge may be, and not keep us in a state of anxiety?

To those unacquainted with Philadelphia methods it may be news; but to the indigenes, inured by long and incessant compulsion to suffer without opportunity to cure, it will not even cause a ripple

to disturb the placidity with which they have grown wonted.

This may be a glowing picture, but it is not overpainted, sentimentalists and apologists to the contrary notwithstanding; and if substantiation is desired, the only thing that need be offered is the mockery we have in Philadelphia for unionism. FRANK W. REED.

JERSEY CITY, N. J.

William Cox has been elected to represent No. 94 at the central labor union.

Agitation is on in Jersey City among the "prints." Organizer McLoughlin has spent some time here recently, going over the ground with the executive board. It is proposed to unionize every shop in this city, if possible, and the writer firmly believes this can be accomplished if all hands get out and hustle.

Three candidates so far mentioned for Toronto -Secretary Forbes, George W. Point, jr., and Thomas Quinn. All are good men. Let the best man win.

Membership, 120; in good standing, 89; in arrears, 31. Delinquent members should "get busy," and always have the International Typographical Union stamp on their cards for each month when due.

President Rice makes a very commendable presiding officer. Let's keep him there another term, at least.

George Heiland, chairman of the text-book committee, is on the go continually. He has accomplished much, and deserves credit for the results.

Jersey City is gradually awakening from a long slumber.

Every one should read THE JOURNAL. Always lots of good, interesting news. Don't throw it into the waste can. JERSEYITE.

SAULT STE. MARIE, MICH.

Sault Ste. Marie Union No. 359 celebrated the sixth anniversary of its birth by giving a “smoker" to its members, Monday, January 16. After the inner man had been satisfied, and he had split a bottle of the amber-colored fluid, "just for old time's sake," cigars were lighted, and the boys listened to many good stories of the good old days by the older members. Music was furnished by Victor Gabriel, a young printer, who is a wonder in the art of piano playing, while Alfonsus Taylor and Billy Watchorn favored the members with many popular songs. There were all kinds of dances, from the waltz to the famous old "Sugar Island hoe-down." The happy crowd departed for their homes with the feeling that they had had one of the best times of their lives.

The printers of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., have organized, and the boys all seem to be glad to be working under the International Typographical Union. Good luck to you, boys, is the wish of No. 359.

The members look forward each month with delight to the coming of THE JOURNAL, and they wish it would come oftener. JIM SQUIRT.

NEW YORK, N. Y.

Fully 1,200 persons went to St. Andrew's church, in Duane street, at 2 A. M. on December 25, to attend the special Christmas service for the night workers, most of whom are newspaper hands. A feature of the service was the presence of Father Luke J. Evers, who conceived the idea of the service for the benefit of the newspaper men. He had just returned from a visit to France and Rome. At the conclusion Father Evers communicated a message which the pope had instructed him to communicate to the church. It was: "Take to them [the newspaper men] my blessings from my head and from my heart; say to the night workers and printers of New York that I wish them a Merry Christmas." To this was added the blessing of the pope, which Father Evers had been instructed to bestow upon his congregation.

For some months the newspaper men in the Bronx have had under consideration the formation of a Bronx Press Club. Recently the movement assumed permanent shape, when twenty prominent newspaper workers met in the Hotel Bronxland, Willis avenue, and perfected a permanent organization. The following officers have been elected: President, Patrick J. Tracy; vice-presidents, John A. Hawkins, Anthony Stumpf, James A. Farrelly, John M. Haffen; chairman board of directors, Albert J. Volgenau; chairman executive committee, Jerome F. Healy; secretary, Herbert H. Reilly; treasurer, Albert M. Liebmann. The purposes of this club are purely social and fraternal. It is desired to get all the newspaper workers and their friends living north of the Harlem in close union and sympathetic relations.

At the annual banquet of the typothetæ of the city of New York, held at the Hotel St. Regis on January 17, the eight-hour question was uppermost. William Green, president of the New York organization, presided. George H. Ellis, of Boston, said, in part: "We are happy in being together, but there is a very serious aspect to our fun. We are confronted with the eight-hour-a-day demand of the men. It is perfectly known all over the country that the printers can not afford such a reduction. We are working on a narrow margin, and this means an additional cost of from 18 to 20 per cent to our customers. Will our customers share this burden, or will they stand stiff backed with us against this impossible proposition of our men? We are paying them all we can with a margin of profit to ourselves." Simeon Ford, who has some reputation as the funny man at banquets, said: "Franklin did not discover printing, neither did he invent lightning. Both were discovered by the Chinese 8,000 years B. C. That was the year they discovered pretty much everything, and apparently they haven't discovered anything since, except the art of pursuing soiled lingerie up and down a corrugated board. They are a decadent, worn-out race. Even their shirt tails are worn out. Several Dutchmen also discovered the art of printing from type along about the year 1400, chief among them being one Gutenberg. History records that when he struck off his first proof, the populace, with wild enthusiasm, cried, 'They're off at Guttenberg,' a

saying which is still extant. As a philosopher and epigrammer and aphorismer he was in a class by himself. He added much to the world's knowledge and something also to its sadness, for did he not invent that saying, which has ever since and will always embitter childhood's otherwise happy hour: Early to bed and early to rise,

Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. Job Hedges had a different idea of Franklin. He said that he was for him as the original grafter in the postoffice, having subsidized the post-riders before the days of steam. Mr. Hedges declared that he was for every printer, because he was capable of setting in type anything, even the prearranged speeches of Simeon Ford.

Messrs. Ellis, Green, etc., will grant the eighthour day next January.

The regular monthly meeting of No. 6 was graced by the presence of Mr. Hawkes, who asked for and secured the support of No. 6 for No. 2's proposed action. As that subject is doubtless referred to elsewhere in this issue, space will not be taken up here. It is satisfactory to state that the charges against W. S. Healy, a trustee, were declared not proven. Apparently this was a piece of business that should never have been brought before the union.

Messrs. Hunter and McMackin had their little say before the central federated union Christmas day, with the result that the latter would not commit itself to any action in the matter, being of the opinion that there was somebody hidden in a woodpile who would like to be labor commissioner. The battle against McMackin is still on.

Labor leaders and those in sympathy with organized labor are interested in the movement that has been initiated to secure such an amendment to the constitution as shall secure home rule to the municipalities. The amendment proposed gives every city the right to regulate the hours of labor on city work and establish the rate of wages to be paid by contractors, thus offsetting the effects of the court of appeals declaring the eight-hour law unconstitutional. When the opinion of the court of appeals was made public, opinion gathered from the leading lawyers and legislators of the city made manifest the necessity of an amendment to the state constitution in order to secure the establishment of an eight-hour workday, and it is found that the concurrent resolution for a constitutional amendment, introduced into the assembly on March 29 last, and which will be again offered in the new legislature, provides fully for the regulation of the hours of labor. Steps have been taken to secure an early introduction of the concurrent resolution as amended, and to pave the way for a mass meeting to be called by Charles S. Smith in the interest of the legislation as soon as it is before the legislature. In the meantime organized labor is preparing to give the movement its united support. The board of city record, the mayor, the comptroller and the corporation counsel met on December 31 and awarded the contract for printing the City Record for the ensuing year to the Martin B. Brown Company, throwing out the bid of Frank D. Harmon, of the Burr Printing House, which was 20 per cent lower. Counsel for Mr. Harmon

put up a vigorous argument, but Mr. Delany and Mr. Grout were against him from the start, and he had no chance. Mayor McClellan had appointed James Hughes (of the Tribune) to act as an expert and to examine the facilities of the Burr plant. Mr. Hughes reported that those facilities were inadequate, and that the printing house had none of the type called for in the specifications. Mr. Tracy, supervisor of the City Record, presented a report to the same effect.

Of 385,770 wage earners reporting to the bureau of labor statistics, according to the New York Labor Bulletin, there were 9,175, or 2.4 per cent, who were idle throughout the third quarter of 1904. This proportion, while larger than in 1899 and 1902, was smaller than in 1903 or any other year of the decade. But while the number of wage earners who had no employment at all was thus relatively small, those who were employed did not work full time.

The annual ball of No. 6 will be held February 27 at Grand Central Palace, the proceeds to be given to the hospital fund of the union. As the ballroom will hold about 4,000 people, and the ball is being extensively advertised, there will undoubtedly be a large attendance.

The new scale is now in force, every one being satisfied, except those who were receiving more than the scale before the increase went into effect and whose employers have not thought fit to again raise their wages in proportion. It is the talk of the trade that every one employed by the Williams Printing Company had his or her wages raised on January 1. The bosses are already figuring that they can not pay the new scale and give the eighthour day, and loudly declare that they will not give the latter. Some laths are painted to represent iron. THREE STARS.

CHICAGO, ILL.

The Bessette case is ended. Attorney Rooker lately appeared before the union, making a lengthy statement of its condition, the salient points of which I will condense as much as possible. In the Conkey strike a temporary injunction was granted, naming seventy-nine residents of Hammond as defendants. In the proceedings following, E. E. Bessette was arrested, thrown into jail and fined $250 for contempt of court. Bessette was not an employe of Conkey and was not named in the bill of complaint. Nevertheless, Judge Baker held Bessette as a party to the injunction, and it was this action that caused the bitter fight in the courts for the last four years. An appellate review was conceded by the lower court, and the matter was taken to the United States appellate court. That court being at a loss to decide several of the points involved, four academic questions of law were formulated and sent to the United States supreme court. Two of the questions were answered in such manner as to favor the contention of the defense (Mr. Bessette), and one adversely to his claim of justification for any acts he may have committed. The other point the court held it unnecessary to answer. These points being settled, the case was decided in chambers by the United States appellate

court. Oral argument was requested, but not allowed. In reaching a decision the recognized law of 400 years was overturned. Precedents established by old English jurisprudence from away back were revised and the law as laid down in this case will be well worth the expenditure, although neither the union nor Bessette will be the gainer unless the supreme court allows a writ of certiorari to correct errors that arose out of defects in the certificate of the circuit court of appeals to the supreme court. The boast of a former president of the United States that the decision in the Debs case would stand for all time held good for just three months, the decision in the Bessette case overturning the Debs decision and becoming the law of the land. The law now stands that to be a party to contempt for the violation of an injunction the accused must be named in the injunction itself. Blanket injunctions will not stand, and the legal technicalities involving everybody who aids strikers, even to issuing food and necessities of life, can never legally occur again. In contempt proceedings the party asking that a remedial fine be imposed must show damage sustained by producing books and contracts to show he has been injured to the extent of the sum asked as damages. The only other fine for contempt that will lie will be a punitive one, for an act committed in the presence of the court or so near thereto that justice is hampered. Mr. Rooker claimed this decision now be comes the law of the land. Its value to organized labor was apparent, and should it be as effective as he believed, No. 16 was deserving of the thanks of organized labor for its self-sacrificing effort and unstinted expenditure of money. He advised the application for a writ of certiorari in the supreme court, which would, if favorably received and decided, reverse the fine imposed on Bessette and enable him to reimburse the union for its outlay; but the law stands regardless of such decision. The union authorized Mr. Rooker to proceed on that line. In a communication to President Wright, dated January 5, Mr. Rooker says that a letter from the clerk of the supreme court informs him the petition has been denied. So that settles it. If the reader can extract any comfort out of the fact that the union has spent $8,000 for the purpose of overturning English law 400 years old, he is entitled to all the comfort he can get.

After two and a half years of arbitration proceedings, the contested points between the union and the typothetæ have been decided. The typothetæ contended for apprentice proofreaders, and one apprentice in the composing room to three journey. men or fraction thereof. The union maintained there could be no such thing as apprentice proofreaders and that the proportion should be one apprentice to ten journeymen or fraction thereof. Prof. George E. Vincent, of the Chicago University, was the arbiter, and his decision was as follows: That the existing agreement contains no provisions for apprentice proofreaders as distinguished from other apprentices. That the ratio should be one apprentice to six journeymen or major portion thereof, without any limit as to the number of apprentices that may be employed in a single office. By mutual agreement it was decided that setting

Professor Vincent refused compensation for his work, which was in strong contrast with the way most professional men soak labor unions for like service. I have in mind an instance wherein Rev. Dr. Lawrence, a noted and most estimable Baptist divine of this city, lately removed to New Jersey, was requested to act as arbiter in a labor dispute. He rendered a decision not very favorable to the union, and sent in a bill for $100. When the union recovered from the shock it voted him the same pay per day he had awarded, which netted him about $18. No. 16 tendered Professor Vincent a vote of thanks.

The annual dinner of the Chicago Tribune on January I was attended by about 450 of the employes from all departments. The retirement from active service of Leo Canman, popularly known as "Bismarck," an editor for thirty-four years in different departments, was the occasion of much rem. iniscence. One story was that when holding a high office in the National Union his attention was called to the letting of a contract for printing to a non-union office in Toledo. While it was too late to remedy the present contract he caused notice to be served that unless the office was unionized they would not have the opportunity of bidding on the work again, and the office was unionized forthwith. While marine editor he was always at war with the foreman for leaving out some of his matter. When changed to railroad editor he was equally insistent, his dictum being "leave out that marine stuff-it don't amount to anything anyway." After many calls on a railroad president, who never gave up any news, he went to him and said: "Any news today?" "Nope," said the president. "Well," said Bismarck, "I have some news for you; you are go. ing to get fired." And he was. "Judge" Fullerton made some interesting comments on the progress of newspaper making, reciting a few instances.

The hundreds of friends throughout the country of Harry S. Streat, an employe of the Tribune since the war, will be surprised to hear that after sixty-four years of bachelorhood he has taken unto himself a wife-Mrs. H. A. Redner. The lady is an old friend; in fact, has been considered a member of the family since childhood, and what could

be more fitting than that they should be a comfort to each other the balance of life. Here's to you, Harry. If you come anywhere near making as good a husband as you have been union man, you will be a model.

We are now known as the Typographical Union of Chicago, Cook county and Hammond. The executive officers lately made a trip to Evanston, and during a conference with the proprietor of the Index succeeded in unionizing the office. The tenhour day will give place to the nine-hour day. The scale was slightly increased at once, and a 50-cent advance every month granted until the Chicago scale is reached. A continuation of this policy will do much toward making No. 16 a champion heavyweight in union matters outside as well as inside the city.

The Chicago Daily Review is the latest publication to appeal for support. It is an eight page pa per which proposes to cut out everything in the nature of criminal and sporting news, confining its columns to the higher class of events of a local or national character. The plant has three machines and will employ nine or ten men for the present. Long may it live and spread.

Another case of "frenzied" unionism lately occurred on a Chicago daily. The mailers employed in the office took exceptions to a change in the foremanship and threatened to hold up the paper. The management made a demand on the president of the union for men, according to the contract, and the rumpus was squelched. A few hot heads who have no regard for agreements can make endless trouble. The conservatism of the president is to be commended, especially in view of the fact that negotiations are on tap for unionizing all the mailing rooms in the publishers' association. Unwarranted arrogance is what gives Parry and his cohorts their most effective powder. Honorable dealing would rob them of it.

My oft-repeated contention, that the typothetæ is of a Hyde and Jekyll character, has received a new illustration. The organization has issued a circular commenting on the provisional scale made by the union for possible future use. The strictures are largely misleading, and go a long way toward proving that while the typothetæ is always active in "knocking" the union, it confesses it has no power to compel its membership to abide by any agreement it may make. If it would devote some of its activity in promoting trouble to the more beneficial labor of keeping its members in line with union agreements, there would be less cause for speculation or anxiety over future negotiations.

All the electrotyping establishments in town signed the new scale with the union of that craft, except Rand, McNally & Co. When the scale was sent to arbitration and the decisfon made in favor of a shorter day and increased pay, Rand, McNally & Co. withdrew from the electrotypers' association, repudiated the arbiter's award and locked out twenty-seven men. The electrotypers' union num bers some 305 members, and there are twenty-seven shops in the city, all unionized with the above exception. Rand, McNally & Co. assert that they will sign no more agreements with the printing trades, but whether they include the typographical

union or not remains to be seen. One would suppose that with their former experience in conducting a non-union composing room on two or three different occasions, that firm would hesitate to try it again. But some people seem willing to pay a good price for trouble. I am told the electrotypers have a non-sympathetic strike clause in the new agreement which binds them hand and foot from aiding kindred organizations.

William M. Nelis, of R. R. Donnelly Sons Company, has announced himself as a candidate for delegate.

Edwin R. Wright is probably one of the busiest men in the labor movement. He is president of Chicago Typographical Union, president of the Central Competitive District Eight-Hour Confer ence, and also president of the allied printing trades council. Also on the executive committee of the Chicago Federation of Labor, and legislative committee on prison industries, Illinois State Federation. Besides these, he finds time to attend union committee meetings as ex-officio member, especially the executive and scale committees, and the balance of his time is spent in pounding the keyboard in the Inter Ocean office. "For the glory of God and the advancement of the interests of Chicago Typographical Union No. 16."

Harry Chirpe's lecture to apprentices on "Lost Time and Energy in the Printing Office" was a pertinent exposition of the slovenly habits so prevalent in the business, warning the boys against them, and pointing out the advantages of a due regard for the little niceties that go toward making a neat workman, and his value to the office. Every one knows the extent to which one becomes addicted to slouchy workmanship, but when those little habits are brought out as forcibly as Mr. Chirpe presented them they become doubly abominable. The samples submitted by one, two and three year apprentices were shown on a screen, the good ones commended and the faulty ones criticized. The lectures are a valuable adjunct to a boy's training. G. J. K.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.

In looking over the editorial columns of several labor papers which come from as many parts of the country, we are amused at the way some of them take a "fall" out of THE TYPOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL. The Union Advocate, St. Paul, Minn., takes up the fight as handed out by "Brer" Kennedy, of the Western Laborer. "Brer" Guiney of fers this sage suggestion to his esteemed contemporary of the Caw city: "Brother Kennedy: Leave THE TYPOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL alone. It knows its business, and its editor and his advisers know theirs. It is not in your class at all. You and the rest of us have to get out and hustle day after day and week after week to keep the pot boiling and incidentally to do some good for the cause. But THE TYPOGRAPHICAL JOURNAL-well, that's a different story. You and the rest of us union printers have to dig up 5 cents every month to enable our official journal to give over those fifteen pages in its forepart, of which you speak, to the innocuous stuff therein contained. What would you have?

For goodness' sake, keep still, and remember that you have not yet reached the high eminence of editing a monthly magazine, the cost of which your readers undertake to pay." The cause of all this is not far to seek. In a recent issue of THE JOUR NAL, "Brer" Bramwood said some of the labor papers of the country were firing their ammunition in the air when they used all their literary efforts to advertise the Parry outfit. Brother Guiney waxeth warm nearabouts the throat-latch, and "Brer" Kennedy is nursing a very choleric complexion. Now, will "Brer" Bramwood "hang onto himself."

Some years ago the Tribune of this city inaugu rated a family circle page, and in the upper lefthand corner there was safely ensconced a box head, with the following lettering inside: "Thoughts on Things, Material and Immaterial, by Ralph W. Wheelock." This in itself is nothing out of the ordinary, but the result-well, that's different. With the advent of a republican mayor into the chief executive chair of the city, he had a few thoughts himself. His form of thought took to something material, for as a result the fellow who thought on things material and immaterial has secured a position which to him is very material, as the mayor is not so immaterial as he might be. Now Ralph W. Wheelock, ex-printer, reporter, editor, and an active, fully paid-up member in the good fellows' society, thinks thoughts for the mayor as his private secretary, and grabs the larger dollars that are coined by the mayorrather than by his corner in the "Family Circle" page. Of the 100,000 subscribers and 500,000 readers of ex-thoughts, every one of them will unite in congratulating "Thoughts on Things" for having laid aside "Immaterial" and becoming more "Material."

Labor commissioner-yes. But then, you see, if you can do a fellow a good turn and you don't do it, people will sometimes find fault; especially is this true when the performing of a good act costs the performer nothing. There were several candidates, and one of them was told to harmonize his home crowd, and when he had done so he could rest assured that the plum would land in his city. This was on Monday; a special committee waited on the governor Thursday, Friday evening the plum was ripe enough to pick, and inasmuch as William H. Williams was the first one to cast his eye into the political tree-top, he pulled down the plum-$2,500 per year. We don't take all the credit, Billy, but it helped, didn't it?

Another one of the progressive followers of the art that educates as well as remunerates, according to rumor, is none other than Thomas E. Lees, expresident of No. 42 and a holder-down of one of the fanning mills on the Journal, who landed the private secretaryship to the chief of police. Tom gets into the hands of one of the best criminal chasers that ever wore a police star, and if he does not emerge from office with more to his credit than Sherlock Holmes, it will be no fault of offenders against the public good, judging from past records. Here's to Jim Doyle and Tom Lees, when they come, the burglar flees; its a case of Lees and Doyle, and rogues will play according to Hoyle. In the ninth biennial report of the state labor