Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 February 1905 — Page 2

THE WEEKLY HISTORIAN

One Hundred Years Ago. The London institute for the advancement of literature vas founded by Sir Francis Baring. French soldiers sold at public auction the cargoes of English manufactured goods which they had confiscated at Amsterdam. The Emperor of Russia ordered that the city of Keif should be the residence of his Majesty, Louis XVIII. of France. Charles Manners Sutton was elected Archbishop of Canterbury. Seventy-five Years Ago. The Episcopal diocese of Alabama was orgailized ut Mobile. A large tire at Constantinople was extinguished by the crew from an English ship. The Emperor of Morocco demanded an annual tribute from the towns of Bremen and Hamburg. General Bolivar resigned all of his military and political offices. The Provincial Parliament of Lower Canada opened at Quebec. Father Mathew, an Irish priest, announced he had administered the total abstinence pledge to 2,C00,000 people. fifty Years Ago. A riot occurred on the Buffalo -and Brantford Railroad between Irish laborers and men employed by the company to protect the road. Seventeen locomotives were frozen In and buried in snow on the Chicago and Mississippi Railroad. Violent earthquake occurred near Wellington, New Zealand, the land being raised between three and four feet. forty fears Ago. The House of Representatives voted to repeal tlie duty on paper. rJßold fcJLdwb points, wheat 15 cents i oushel, andjiork .$2 a barrel because of Union > . -esses in the South. The Smithsonian Institution at Washington, D. was partly destroyed by lire. The Illinois Senate voted to repeal the so-called ‘•black laws." prohibitive of negro immigration and placing other restrictions on the privileges of the colored man. The King of Sweden, through his minister, assured President Lincoln of bls sympathy with the cause of the Union. The War Department reported 43,900 Union prisoners in Confederate hands and 78,000 Confederate prisoners in Union custody. thirty Years Ago. Garibaldi, traveling through Italy, was feted by the authorities and cheered by the’ laborers. " Francis M. Cockrell was elected United States Senator by the Missouri Legislature. Eleven other States elected Senators. President Grant’s message asking for additional appropriations for fortifications revived a belief that a break with Spain was impending. • Witness Irving told the Pacific Mail (Investigators how he distributed "corruption money." The trial of the Tilton-Beecher suit to New York attracted great crowds to the court room. One hundred and forty-eight sisters of charity. expelled from Mexico, found refuge in Cuba. Twenty Years Ago. Two deaths occurred in St. Louis from what the health department believed to be Asiatic cholera. Committees were being formed in Paris and Berlin to honor Bismarck on his seventieth birthday. England was under a great strain awaiting definite news from General Stewart in Africa, concerning Whom dire reports had been spread and contradicted. A conflict seemed imminent between Oklahoma boomers under Captain Couch and the United States soldiers. London was in a state of great excitement over two dynamite explosions in the Parliament house and one. in "•tee tower. The Eastern railways were engaged ta a freight rate war. utarted by the Pennsylvania lines, lea Years Ago. The House, by a vote of 197 to 51. recommended a new postofficr building for Chicago. Wreckage from the missing steamer Chicora was found In quantities off Booth Haven, Mich., and fte fate of craft was certain. The packet State ’of Missouri, with «v*w and passengers, numbering twen-fip-tva, went down In the Ohio near Mptovme.

IS THE PULPIT DECLINING.

Quality of the Men Who Are Preparing . for the Ministry. After a thorough investigation of the question. "Is there a decline in the ministry?" Everett P. Tomlinson, in. the World's Work, sums up the results of his inquiries' among men of all denominations and most of the professions. lie says:: From those opinions, facts and figures certain conclusions can be drawn that shed light upon the problem. There is no real "dearth" of students for the ministry. There is a slight back-set at .the present time, but it is not so great as has occurred in other years, ami reports of attendance of students- in -the theological seminaries, when compared with similar reports of twenty-live years ago. show a marked and marvelous increase. In some quarters there is a deteri-

Result of Boycott.

The only place in the United States that guarantees freedom from strikes, lockouts and labor warfare is Battle Creek, Mich. The story? The work people, merchants, lawyers, doctors and other citizens became aroused and indignant at the efforts of tbe labor unions throughout the country to destroy the business of one of our largest industries —the Postum Cereal Co., Lt’d, and at the open throats in the official union papers, that the entire power of the National and State Federations of Labor was being brought to bear to “punish” the Industries of Battle Creek, and particularly the Postum Co. This sprung from the refusal of C. W. Post to obey the “orders of the unions to take the Postum advertising away from various papers that refused to purchase labor of the labor trust—the unions. Mr. Post was ordered to join the unions in their conspiracy to “hiin” and “put out of business’ these publishers who had worked faithfully for him for years.._aud' helped to build Up his business. They had done no wrong, but had found it inconvenient and against their best judgment to buy labor of the labor trust. It seems a rule of the unions to conspire to ruin anyone who does not purchase from them upon their, own terms. An ink maker or paper maker who failed to sell ink or paper would have the same reason to order Post to help ruin these publishers. So the peddler in the street might stone you if you refused to buy his apples; the cabman to run over yon if you refused to ride with him: the grocer order the manufacturer to discharge certain people because they did not patronize him, and so on to the ridiculous and villainous limit of all this boycott nonsense, in trying to force people to buy what they do not want. If a man has labor to sell let him sell It at the best price he can get just as he would sell wheat, but he has no right to even intimate that he will obstruct the business, or attempt its ruin because the owner will not purchase of him. The unions have become so tyrannous and arrogant with their despotism that a common citizen who has some time to spare and innocently thinks he has a right to put a little paint on his own house finds he must have that paint taken off and put on again by “the union” or all sorts of dire things happen to him, his employer is ordered to discharge him, his grocer is. boycotted if he furnishes him supplies, his family followed and insulted and his life made more miserable than that of a black slave before the war. If he drives a nail to repair the house or barn the carpenter’s “union” hounds him. He takes a pipe wrench to stop a leaking pipe and prevent damage to his property and the plumbers "union” does things to him. He cannot put a little mortar to a loose brick on his chimney or the bricklayers, plasterers or hod carriers "union” is up in arms and if he carelessly eats a loaf of bread that has no “union” label on it the bakers “union” proceeds to make life miserable for him. So the white slave is tied hand and foot unable to lift a hand to better himself or do the needful things, without first obtaining permission from some haughty, ignorant and abusive tyrant of some labor union. It would all seem rather like a comic opera, If it did not rob people of their freedom: that kind of work will not be permitted long in America. Some smooth managers have built up the labor trust in tbe last few years, to bring themselves money and power and by managing workmen, have succeeded in making it possible for them to lay down the law in some cities and force workmen and citizens to “obey” implicitly, stripping them right and left of their liberties. They have used boycotting, picketing, assaults, dynamiting of property and murder to enforce their orders and rule the people. They have gone far enough to order the President to remove certain citizens from office because the "Unions” weru’t pleased. That means they propose to make the law of the unions replace_the law of this government and th€~union leaders dominate even the Chief Executive. This is a government of and for the people and no organization or trust shall displace it. But the unions try it every now and then, led by desperate men as shown In their defiance of law and support of law breakers. The “union” record of assaults, crippling of men and even women and children, destruction of property and murder of American citizens during the past two years is perhaps ten times the volume of crime and abuse perpetrated by slave owners during any two years previous to the Civil War. We are in a horrible period of lethargy, which permits us to stand Idly by while our American citizens

oration in the quality of students, but the reports are not altogether unanimous. Methodists and Episcopalians report a decided Increase in numbers and in quality, and other religious bodies .vary in localities and colleges in this respect. There is a marked change in the sources of supply. The West and South provide a much larger proportion of students than the East? The response is greater in the newer regions than in the old, in the country than in the city, in the small churches than in the larger. Thebe 4 s also a steadily increasing drift away from the seminaries located in the-country to those that are located in. or near the large cities. The chief causes keeping young mon from the ministry are the poverty of the calling, the fear of the lack of intellectual and moral freedom, the conviction that the potty outweighs

are abused, crippled and murdered In dozens and hundreds by an organization or trust, having for its purpose, thrusting what it has to sell (Isibor) upon us whether or no. Suppose an American in a foreign city should be chased by a mob, caught and beaten unconscious, then his mouth pried open and carbolic acid poured down his throat, then his ribs kicked in and his face well stamped with iron nailed shoes, murdered because he tried to earn bread fcr his children. By the Eternal, sir, a fleet of American Men of War would assemble there, clear for action and blow something off the face of the earth, if reparation were not made for the blood of one of our citizens. And what answer do we make to the appeals of the hundreds of widows and orphans of those Americans murdered by labor unions? How do we try to protect the thousands of intelligent citizens who, with reason, prefer not to join any labor union and be subject to the tyranny of the heavily paid rulers of the labor trusts? Upon a firm refusal by Mr. Post to join this criminal conspiracy a general boycott was ordered on GrapeNuts and Postum all over the country, which sot the goad red blood of our ancestors in motion, bringing forth the reply that has now passed into history: “We refuse to join any conspiracy of organized labor to ruin publishers, nor will we discharge any of our trusted employes upon the orders of any labor union. If they can make their boycott effective and sink our ship, we will go down with the captain on the bridge and in command.” This set the writers in labor papers crazy and they redoubled their, abuse. Finally one of their official organs came out with a large double column denunciation of Battle Creek, calling it “a running sore on the face of Michigan,” because it would not become “organized” and pay in dues to their labor leaders. The usual coarse, villainous epithets common to labor union writers were indulged in. The result was to weld public sentiment in Battle Creek for protection. A citizen's association, was started and mass meetings held. Good citizens who happened to be members of local unions, in some cases quit the unions entirely, for there is small need of them there. The working people of Battle Creek are of the highest order of American mechanics. The majority are not union members, for practically all of the manufacturers have for years declined to employ union men because of disturbances about eleven years ago. and the union men now in the city are among the best citizens. No city in the State of Michigan pays as high average wages as Battle Creek, no city of its size is as prosperous, and no city has so large a proportion of the best grade of mechanics who own their own homes. So the work people massed together with the other citizens in the organization of the Citizen’s Association with the following preamble and constitution: Whereas, From 1891 to 1894 the strikes instigated by Labor Unions in Battle Creek resulted in the destruction of property and loss of large sums of money in wages that would have been expended here; and, Whereas, These acts caused serious damage to the city and in a marked way delayed its progress at that; time; and, Whereas, Since the year 1894 the citizens have been enabled, by public sentiment, to prevent the recurrence of strikes and Labor Union disturbances which have been prevalent ehiewhere; and, Whereas, The employers of this city have steadfastly refused to place the management of their business under the control of I/abor Unions, but have maintained the highest standard of wages paid under like conditions anywhere in the United States, and hereby unanimously declared their Intent to continue such policy; and the employes of this city, a large percentage of whom own homes and have families reared and educated under conditions of peace and the well-efirned prosperity of steady employment, have steadfastly maintained their right as free American citizens to work without the dictation and tyranny of Labor Union leaders, tbe bitter experience of the past offering sufficient reason for a determined stand for freedom; and. Whereas, The attitude of the citizens on this subject has been the means of preserving peaceful conditions and continuous prosperity in marked contrast to the condition existing in other cities suffering from the dictation of Trades Unionism; it is therefore Resolved, That the continuance of peace and prosperity in Battle Creek can be malntafned, and the destructive work of outside Interference avoided under the combined effort and action of all our people, by the formation of a Citizens’ Association.

the larger in- the work, and the suspicion of the present “beneficiary” system” which ettsts a blight over all. “Heresy,? or the fear of its smirch, is the greatest obstacle. There is a practically unanimous report of a higher type of life and of more Christian students in our colleges than ever before. The deepest interest of the communities now is in questions that might be termed spiritual rather than religious, certainly not theological. Theology as a “science” has given piace to Christianity as a life. Tbe church as an organization has a weaker hold, while at the same time there is a greater interest in all vital questions and affairs. As a consequence what our forefathers heard as a distinctive “call to the ministry” is now finding expression in other and widely varied forms of service. There is a blotting out of the for-

CONSTITUTION. ARTICLE I.—NAME. ARTICLE 2.—OBJECTS. First—To insure, so far as possible, a permanent condition of peace, prosperity and steady employment to the people of Battle Creek. Second—To energetically assist in maintaining law and order at all times and under all conditions. Third—To protect its members in their rights to manage their property and to dispose of their labor in a legal, lawful manner without restraint or interference. Fourth—To insure and permanently maintain fair, just treatment, one with another in all the relations of life. Fifth—To preserve the existing right of any capable person to obtain employment and sell his labor, without being obliged to join any particular church, secret society, labor union or any other organization, and to support all such persons in their efforts to resist compulsory methods on the part of any orgailized body whatsoever. Sixth—To promote among employers a spirit of fairness, friendship and desire for the best interests of their employes, and to promote among workmen the spirit of industry, thrift, faithfulness to their employers and good citizenship. Seventh—To so amalgamate the public sentiment of all of the best citizens of Battle Creek, that a guarantee can be given to the world of a continuance of peaceful conditions, and that under such guarantee and protection manufacturers and-capitalists can be induced to locate their business en? terprises in Battle Creek. Then follows articles relating to membership, oilicers, duties, etc., etc., etc. This constitution has been signed by the great majority of representative citizens, including our work people. A number of manufacturers from other cities, where they have been suffering all sorts of indignities, inconvenience and losses from the general hell of labor union strikes, picketing, assaults and other interference, proposed to move, providing they could be guaranteed protection. The subject grew in Importance un til it has reached a place where absolute protection can be guaranteed bjthe citizens of Battle Creek on the following broad and evenly balanced terms which guarantees to the workman and to the manufacturer, fairness, justice, steady work and regularity of output. The new-coming manufacturer agrees to maintain the standard rate of wage paid elsewhere for like service, under similar conditions, the rate to be determined from time to time from well authenticated reports from competing cities. The tabulated wage reports issued by the Government Department of Commerce and Labor can also be used to show the standard rate, and it is expected later on that this government bureau will furnish weekly reports of the labor ffiarket from different centers, so that the workman when he is ready to sell his labor and the employer when he Is ready to buy, may each have reliable information as to the market or ruling price. The new-coming manufacturer also agrees to maintain the sanitary and hygienic cqnditions provided for by the State laws and to refrain from any lockouts to reduce wages below the standard; reserving to himself tbe right to discharge any employe for cause. Tbe Citizens’ Association on Its part agrees to furnish. In such numbers as it is possible to obtain, first-class workmen who will contract to sell their labor at the standard price for such period as may be fixed upon, agreeing not to strike, picket, assault other workmen, destroy property, or do any of the criminal acts common to labor unionism. Each workman reserving to himself the right to quit work for cause, and the Citizens’ Association further pledges Its members to use its associated power to enforce the contracts between employer and employe and to act en masse to uphold the law at all times. The new industries locating in Battle Creek will not start under any sort of labor union domination whatsoever, but will make individual contracts with each employe, those contracts being fair and equitable and guaranteed on both sides. Thus from the abuses of labor unions and their Insane efforts to ruin everyone who does not “obey” has evolved this plan which replaces the old conditions of injustice, lockouts, strikes, violence, loss of money and property, and general industrial warfare; and Inaugurates an era of perfect balance and fairness between employer and employe, a steady continuance of industry and consequent prosperity. The entire community pledged by public sentiment and private act to restore to each man his ancient right to “peace, freedom and the pursuit of happiness.” Other cities will be driven to protect their work people, merchants and citi-

mer false distinction between. “secular” and “sacred.” Whatever men may think as to certain men or peoples, all history is now believed to-be “sacred” and every day and every honest work as "holy.” This fact has led many earnest young men who in former years might have believed themselves to be “called” to the work of the ministry now to believe that they can make their lives'count for as much, perhaps more, if they give themselves to other lines of work that at one time were termed "secular,”

Willing to Quit.

First Poker Player—l say we quit the game, now we’re even. Second Poker Player —Even! How do you make that out? First Poker Player—Why, you had all of my money a while ago and now I’ve got all of yours!—Kansas City Times.

zens as well as their industries from the blight of strikes, violence and the losses Jjrought on by labor unionism run amuck, by adopting the “Battle Creek plan,” but this c|ty offers industrial peace now with cheap coal and good water, first-class railroad facilities and the best grade of fair, capable and peaceable mechanics known. Details given upon inquiry of the "Secy, of the Citizens’ Association.” Identification. The public should remember that there are a few Labor Unions conducted on peaceful lines and in proportion as they are worthy, they have won esteem, for we, as a people, are strongly in sympathy with any right act that has for its purpose better conditions for wage workers. But we do not forgot that we seek the good of all and not those alone who belong to some organization, whereas even the law abiding unions show undeniable evidences of tyranny and oppression when they are strong enough, while many of the unions harbor and encourage criminals in their efforts to force a yoke of slavery upon the American people. As a public speaker lately said: "The arrogance of the English King that roused the fiery eloquence of Otis, that inspired the immortal declaration of Jefferson, that left Warren dying on the slopes of Bunker Hill was not more outrageous than the conditions that a closed shop would force upon the community. These men burst into rebellion ‘when the king did but touch their pockets.’ Imagine if you can their indignant protest had he sought to prohibit or restrict their occupation or determine the conditions under which they should earn their livelihood,” and to assault, beat and murder them, blow up their houses and poison their food if they did not submit. The public should also remember that good true American citizens can be found in the unions and that they deprecate the criminal acts of their fellow members, but they are often in bad company. Salt only hurts sore spots. So, the honest, law abiding union man is not hurt when the criminals are denounced, but when you hear a union man “holler” because the facts are made public, he has branded himself as either one of the law breakers or a sympathizer, and therefore with the mind of the law breaker, and likely to become one when opportunity offers. That is one reason employers decline to hire such men.

A short time ago Inquiry came from the union forces to know if Mr. Post would “keep still” if they could call off the boycott on Postum and GrapeNuts. This is tbe reply: “The labor trust has seen fit to try to ruin our business because we would not join its criminal conspiracy. We are plain American citizens and differ from the labor union plan In that we do not force people to strike, picket, boycott, assault, blow up property or commit murder. We do not pay thugs S2O to break in the ribs of any man who tries to support his family nor S3O for an eye knocked out. We try to show our plain, honest regard for sturdy and independent workmen by paying the highest wages in the State. We have a steady, unvarying respect for the law abiding peaceable union man and a most earnest desire to see bin* gain power enough to purge the unions of their criminal practices that have brought down upon them the righteous denunciation of a long-suf-fering and outraged public, but we will not fawn, truckle, bend tbe knee, wear the hated collar of white slavery, the union label, nor prostitute our American citizenship under "orders” of any labor trust. You offer to remove the restriction on our business and with "union” gold choke the throat and still the voice raised in stern denunciation of the despotism which tramples beneath an iron shod heel, the freedom of our brothers. You would gag us with a silver bar and muffle tbe appeal to the American people to harken to the cries for bread of the little children whose faithful fathers were beaten to death while striving to earn food for them. Your boycott may perhaps succeed in throwing our people out of work and driving us from business, but you cannot wrench from us that priceless jewel our fathers fought for and which every true aon guards with bls life. Therefore, speaking for our work people and ourselves the Infamoue offer Is declined.” • POSTUM CEREAL CO., LTD.

Note by Publisher: The Postum Company have a yearly contract for space In this paper which they have a right to use for announcements of facts and principles. Such use does not necessarily carry with It any editorial opinion.

WASHINGTON GOSSIP

Whenever the Senate debates develop into personal colloquies; when one man after another joins Ifi the discussion and remarks are made from the seats of Senators and the presiding officer is ignored; when the Senate becomes disorderly and needs to be admonished—then does? President pro tern. Frye call the venerable Senator Pettus, of Alabama, to the chair and watch the result. Pettus will not allow one Senator to interrupt another without first addressing the chair and through the presiding officer obtaining the consent of the Senator entitled to the floor. A running debate is very difficult under such conditions, and the colloquies are interspersed by interruptions of the chair, who declares first one anil then another Senator out of order. The Alabama Senator performs this duty with such an air of gravity and an evident desire for decorum that no Senator can take offense. The United States government, through the Department of Justice, has brought suit in the United States District Court at St. Paul to enjoin the General Paper Company from further operations. . The suit is brought under the Sherman anti-trust law, and its object is to break up a combination which is alleged to control the production. sale and distribution of paper in nearly the whole country west of Indiana. This conspiracy in restraint of trade, as described in the petition of tiie Department of Justice, is carried on through a selling company of nominal capital, the stock of which is held by 25 manufacturing companies. This selling company—the General Paper Company—is the exclusive selling agency for the product of all the companies, and limits the output, fixes the prices and allots territory. When United States Senator Philander C. Knox purchased the tine farm on which he now resides at Valley Forge lie engaged in the milk business, supplying his neighbors with the product of his thoroughbred herd. Miss Frederick, daughter of Dr. Charles Frederick, -who resides about a mile from the Knox farm, had for quite a number of years been supplying the villages of Valley Forge, but when placed in competition with the Senator’s herd the custoffiers of Miss Frederick began to fall off very materially. When it came to the ears of Senator Knox that he had as a competitor in business the pretty daughter of the aged country physician he proceeded to dispose of his cows, and since that time Miss Frederick has had an undisputed monopoly of the milk trade of Valley Forge. The total issue of the commemorative series of postage stamps for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition reached only 287,990,200, as compared with a total for the World's Columbian exposition at Chicago of 2.014,233.10 t). The issue was even less than of the special stamps for the Pan-American exposition at Buffalo', which was 324,070,000. The total issue of special stamps for the Omaha exposition, covering the two-year period, was 252,532,440. The only reason for the falling off in the number of these special stamps issued given by Major Reeves, chief of the stamp division of the Postoffice Department, is that such newness soon wore off, and the people were satisfied with the ordinary regulation stamp. One thing which Postmaster General Wynne mentioned in his annual report ought surely to receive prompt attention. That is the peril to railway mail-clerks through the use of mail-cars that are of lighter construction than the other coaches in the train. During the last fiscal year twenty-one clerks were killed and four hundred and thirty-nine injured. The position of the mail-ear in the train is necessarily dangerous. The government pays the railroads liberally, and has a right to insist that the cars lr> which the mail is carried shall be strong and safe. Russia has been informally notified by the United States government that owing to the limited time at tiie disposal of tiie short session of the American Congress further negotiations on the subject of the proposed RussianAmerican arbitration treaty will be postponed. Only those treaties which are of uniform model can be laid before the Senate this session. The gross postal receipts for the fifty largest postoffices in the country for December. 1904. as compared with December, 1903, show a net Increase of about 9 per cent. The highest increase was 2 per cent nt Peoria, 111. The receipts nt New York Incrcnsed almost (J per cent and Chicago almost 14 per cent. Secretary Ilay sent a second circular note to the powers last month regarding the second peace conference proposed by the United States. Practically nil the powers addressed have accepted the invitation in principle, while leaving open the questions of date and acope. Secretary Hay suggests that a further exchange of views be effected through the international bureau under tbe control of tbe permanent adtululatratlve council of Tbe Hague.