This Paper is Owned, Controlled and Published by Local 240 of the L U. M. M & S. W
VOL M.
JfOMK, ALASKA. THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1918.
NO. 1508.
LABOR TO BE
CONSCRIPTED
I
BETTER CONDITIONS OR
ELSE WILL STRIKE
WASHINGTON, D. C., March
Nine hundred munition workers em
ployed at the Wagner Electric Co.,
struck today for a ten per cent in
crease in wages, recognition of the
Union and an eight hour day. Lead
ers of the Union claim that if the
c.impany does not grant their demands
that ovtr five thousand mer will be
out in ; v. o more days. The men be
fore ca ling a strike, held a meeting
appointed a Grievance Committee who
when they requested the management
to investigate their grievances were
told that the company didn't consider
that the men had any kick coming
and that they must remember that
they were now being employed on
government contracts and the com
pany would report the leaders of the
strike agitation to the government for
attempting to delay much needed sup
plies. The men answered that if the
company thought by such threats they
could intimidate the men to work for
starvation wages they were surely
much mistaken and they ordered a
strike immediately. The Chairman
of the Grievance Committee, Frank
Burke, said that if the government ex
pected the men in this and other
plants in St. Louis to work for such
wages the government must first take
over the plants, better the working
conditions and grant the eight hour
day, then he sai<% there would be no
more trouble but that the working
mien of St. Louis at least would not
stand for being conscripted as slaves
for private profit.
WASHINGTON, D. C., March 6.—
William Hutcheson, President of the
Brotherhood of Ship Carpenters and
Caulkers, after attending a conference
of the Shipping Board during which
the controversy of the Ships Carpen
ters and Metal Trades was discussed
without coming to any satisfactory
agreement, said that they had decided
to appeal to President Wilson. Tho
appeal is now being prepared. Hut
cheson says that his Brotherhood is
not being given a square deal by
either the Shipping Board, the Wage
Board or the Metal Trades and that
since the men went back to work with
the understanding of a promise of
President Wilson, that they would re
ceive fair treatment and as they feel
satisfied they can prove they haven’t
been fairly dealt with, they will neith
er hold any more conferences nor
make any m?>re suggestions until the
President has considered their appeal.
They have held all along that as t'10
carpenters and caulkers represent al
most as large an arm of the ship
building industry as the Metal Trn 'i s
they should be represented on the
Wage Adjustment Board and that they
should pass on the applications of
ships-carpenters and not the Metal
Trades.
IRISH STATESMAN PASSES
AWAY, REDMOND TO REST
WITH O’CONNELL & PARNELL
DUBLIN, March 6.—Whilst under
going an operation, for intestinal trou
ble here today,John Edward Redmond,
statesman and politician, was seized
with heart failure and died on the
operating table; thus quietly into the
great beyond pus'sed the spirit of the
greatest Irish leader the Emerald Isle
bas produced since the Immortal Par
nell. Throughout the length and
breadth of the country the sad blow
has fallen. Ireland and Irishmen;
the world over, are cloikwl ;« mourn
ing for the great chieftain who has
marshalled the o.Monalist party anil
t id destinies of t.v» country for the
past twenty seven years.
Born at Waterford on the banks of
the Blackwater—sixty seven years
ago, John Redmond first saw the light
of day. Educated at Trinity College,
Dublin, he took up the study of law
and was called to the bar in 1886. His
fearless denunciation of the policy of
Lord Beaconsfield on the Irish ques
tion at that time put him In the lime
light and he was returned to the Bri
tish house of commons representing
Wlexford. Here for six years he did
yoeman service allying himself with
the great Parnell, the then leader of
the Irish parliamentary party.
On the death of his chief in 1891
Redmond assumed the leadership of
the Nationalist party and succeeded in
cementing it. He was instrumental in
dispensing with the "veto” power of
the. House of Lords—which was the
greatest obstacle to the Irish Home
Itule Bill—and he also caused England
to grant to Ireland many great privi
leges heretofore denied her.
At the outbreak of the present war
lU'd'mond made a memorable speech
in the House of Commons on the atti
tude of Ireland with reference to the
war, a quotation of which is as fol
lows:—“In past times when this em
pire has been engaged in these enter
prises it is true—and it would be the
utmost affectation and folly on my
part to deny it—that the sympathy of
Nationalist Ireland, for reasons down
deep in the centuries of history, has
been estranged from this country.
But, allow me to say that what has
occurred in recent years has altered
the situation completely. I must not
touch upon any controversy o. iopic,
but this I may be allowed to say:
That a wider knowledge of the real
facts of Irish history has altered the
view of the Democracy of this coun
try towards the Irish, and I honestly
believe that the Democracy of Ireland
will turn wiith the utmost anxiety and
sympathy to this country in every
trial and danger with which she is
faced.
"Whilst Irishmen are in favor of
peace, and woull desire to save the
Democracy of this country from all
the horrors of war, whilst we will
make any possible sacrifice for that
purpose, still if dire necessity is forc
ed upon this country we offer this to
the government of the day: They
may take their troops away, and if it
THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF ALASKA
*r .-—— ...—
Washington, D. C. Mar. 6,=Pres.
Wilson today Nominated Thomas
Riggs for Governor of Alaska.
be allowed to us, in comradeship with
our brothers in the north, we will
ourselves defend the coast of Ireland
from the enemies of the Allied Pow
ers.”
A national funeral will be accorded
the mortal remains of this great lead
er whose body will be laid in Glasne
vin cemetery alongside the remains of
Charles Stewart Parnell and under the
shadow of the great monument erected
over the immortal Daniel O'Connell
5 ARRESTED
NEW YORK, March 6.—Five ex
pert mechanics were a nested as
alien enemies yesterday at the ship
building plant of Charles L.. Scabury
& Co., of Morris Heights. Agents of
the Department of Justice decended
upon the men without any warning
while they were at work
The men arested were William San
ders, Harry Freeman,Charles Dorfnast
and Richard Bersndt, all machinists,
and William Sekerlin, a carpenter.
These men were engaged w'ith others
in the construction of mine sweepers
for government use, when the Federal
Agents placed them under arrest.
There was considerable excitement
among the accused men and their fel
low workmen, but no resistance to
arrest was offered. Four of the, men
shed tears and pleaded not to be taken
away.
MONTREAL,. .March 6.—It has been
announced here today that the Grand
Trunk Railway System, after con
sidering the matter for some time,
has decided to grant the demands of
the men for an eight hour day. The
new agreement, it is understood, is
somewhat similar to the Adamson law
of the I'nited States, and is said to
be framed after that measure.
AMENDMENT TO THE
ESPIONAGE ACT
PASSED HOUSE
WASHINGTON, D. C„ March 6.—
The House today adopted the Amend
ment to the Espionage Act which dra
stically circumscribes the right of
Labor to strike for living conditions,
during the war but which docs not in
terfere with American slave owners or
profiteers in any way The House
voted 255 to 61 to make any conspir
acies on the part of workers to ob
struct this country or its allies in the
production of war supplies punishable
by a fine of $10,000 or 30 years im
prisonment or both.
This amendment was vigorously
fought by Representatives Edward
Keating of Colorado and John I. No
lan of California, Keating spoke at
some length agalast the amendment,
•characterizing it as the most vicious
piece of class legislation ever brought
before the House of Representatives
in its whole history. He said the
workers of the nation, who were al
ready supporting: the entire burden of
the war, were instead of having ap
preciation shown them by the gov
ernment,being practically made slaves
to the great corporations mostly all
of whom are using cries of patriotism
to hide their theft of the nation. Why
use such methods as these against
the workers of the nation, why go to
the trouble and useless expense of
passing this sort of legislation, why
not throw aside the sham of such
means of government, he said, and
tell the workers that they were con
scripted slaves and be done with it.
Representative Nolan supported
Keating in a vigorous denounclation'
of the Amendment, which he said, he
was satisfied would create more ill
feeling and trouble between the gov
ernment and the workers than any
thing- else the government could do.
This is not the time for class meas
ures. nor half way measures either,
said Nolan if any such legislation at
this time is at all necessary then both
Capital and Labor should be con
scripted at the same time. As soon as
this measure passed the House and.
became noised abroad over the coun
try, messages of protest by the thous
ands caime pouring into the Capitol
from labor organizations in all parts of
the country.
. . Hip, Hip, llooray for the good old
times when care for the future was
forgotten. Forget your troubles for
one night at the Frontier Night.
SAYS INVASION OF SIBERIA
BY JAPS, ON A PAR WITH
BERMAN INVASION BELGIUM
ALBANY, March 6.—One of the
Socialist Members of the New York
Legislature, William Carlin by name
today introduced a resolution endors
ing the position taken by President
Wilson in opposing any invasion of
Siberia by the Japs.
The resolution deplores the spread
ing of propaganda by American finan
ciers and profiteers to influence pub*.*
opinion in favor of Japan entering
Siberia. The resolution states that
these same profiteers would be just
as well pleased to take their profits
under the Japanese Flag as under the
American Flag but that as long as
these parasites fan hide behind the
American Flag and feel entirely safe
they will continue to do so. And
that the consent of the government to
Japans proposition would be on a par
With giving Germany permission to
devastate Belgium. The reading of
the resolution was greeted with cheers
and hand clapping.
CHICAGO, March 6.—The National
Prohibition Convention assembly here,
today appealed to President Wilson,
to put National Prohibition in force
as a war measure. They pledged
their support, as a party, to the war
policy, (even though they themselves
pretend to drink nothing "redder” or
stronger than grape juice.) They also
adopted the tactics of Ex-Mayor Mit
chel of New York by passing a reso
lution branding all who protest, by
striking or in any other way, against
their measure if enacted, as traitors.
If we mistake not, a* bill was intro
duced In the House in the early part
of the war to have the “Grape Juice
C'hampion” interned as a pro-German.
The celling will be the limit, all
bets .go, .coppered .or. otherwise,
FYontier. night, March Otii.
$435,000 FIRE AT
WILMINGTON; N. C.
)
WILMINGTON, N. C. March, 66—A
fire which started here today in cne of
Wilmington’s largest cotton ware
houses quickly spread to the Southern
Lumber Company's large planing-mill
and lumber yards on the Cape Fear
river and before the flW-dtpartment
could get the groatconflagration under
Ladies attending the Nightcap so
cial are requested to make the caps
out of a cjieap material and the
lunch prepared according to Hoo
ver’s requests.
. .Kueli lady is requested to ma ke
two caps alike, one the to be in the
basket and the other to he Kept by
her.
Reminiscences of Nome’s Palmy
Lays, Frontier Night, .March Oth,
control It looked as though the whole
city was going up in smoke. Hun
dreds of workmen from the naval
store houses ctose by came to the as
sistance of the firemen—many of
whom were overcome by the fumes of
creosote and had to be rushed to near
by hospitals—and the flames were
checked in time to prevent their I
spreading to the large Naval ware
houses. when* over $5,000,000 worth!
of supplies for the U. S. Navy, were
stored.
The loss, which might have been
much greater, is estimated at some
thing over $135,000 and is m< -tly all
covered by insurance.
This in the largest tire. Wilmingtorf
has had for a long lime and it is hop
ed that it will L>e .‘he last for long time
to come.
The fire department heads believe
the fire is the work of some one who
was trying to destroy the government
supply of cotton stored here as this
was one of the largest warehouses la
the South containing government
cotton and government agents havo
arrested three suspects who so far
have failed to give an account of their
actions just previous to the bn iking
out of the tire.
DANCING SCHOOL.
At the Miners Home Club Hall,
Dancing class every Monday, Tues
day, Wednesday, and Friday even
ing from 8 P. M. to 11 P. M. Ad
mission to class $1.00. Private
lessons $1.00 per hour.
MKS. GKO WALDHKI.M, Tea/hcr
Bring jour forfeiture notlcta to the
Industrial Worker