Will Flannery,

Yet

Whose picture appears in this issue, is probably the youngest president Houston Union No. 87 ever had, being but twenty-three years of age at that time. he was in the saddle when No. 87 won its fight for a piece scale for machine composition on morning papers. During his apprenticeship on the Toronto Globe he learned to operate both the linotype and the Rogers typograph. The Rogers was then in its experimental stage, and Mr. Flannery took a keen interest in its progress toward completion. He declined offers to take charge of the typographs on both the Ottawa Citizen and Toronto News. Having served his apprenticeship he was admitted to No. 91, took out his card at the same meeting and the next night was holding down a keyboard on the Buffalo Express. Fond of travel, he has been in most of the states. Always taking a keen interest in machine matters, he frequently contributes to craft journals on questions of interest to operators. He has been in Houston something more than a year and is very popular among the book men as well as the machine operators.

Conservative View of the Home.

When the question of establishing a Home was first discussed, I opposed it and was howled at, scoffed at, and almost beaten by some of my fellow-craftsmen for my opposition to what they then considered the best and only proper way of investing the fund which had accumulated. I tried to reason with and show them that an institution of that kind would be an undertaking that in less than ten years would be an instrument of discord within our ranks, and that fault would be found by some regarding the manner of running it. But the idea was a novel one and took favorably with the majority, and "it went." Now I am somewhat surprised at the change which has come over the spirit of the dreams of some who called me "a crank" and an "old fogy." They are now wanting to

abolish the Home, and plead in defense the very arguments used by me when the plan was first mooted. I have changed my opinion somewhat, too, and am now in favor of keeping up the Home. It has proved to be far better conducted than I ever expected to see it; and from my personal knowledge of some who are opposing it I am led to believe that "sour grapes" forms a great proportion of their opposition. An institution like the Home must have as superintendent a man of integrity, and a keen reader of human. nature, a prompt, fearless and decisive man, who knows his duty and is not afraid of acting upon his own judgment. While not personally acquainted with Mr. Schuman, I have taken a great interest in the investigations and have concluded (to use the words of a friend now an inmate of the Home) that "Mr. Schuman is the right man in the right place," and that "no man could be fairer in his general bearing and treatment of the inmates." I have kept out of the controversy from the fact that my sentiments, regarding the establishment of the Home, were openly uttered against it, and when the first tocsin of war was sounded, I carefully read every line for and against. the management. That That trouble has arisen is no surprise; but it is surprising that a body of intelligent men should be so narrow-minded (selfish, if you will) as to openly avow that the Home should be abolished because it only benefits some sixty or seventy members, while hundreds are compelled to "carry the banner' owing to the introduction of the "Merg," and intimate that if the Home be sold a "relief" fund could be provided for the out-of-work members. ask in all candor, is there a member in the organization who ever saw a relief fund that was not abused? No matter what legislation is placed around it, there are some who get the benefit and others "get left." While sorry that some illadvised persons have seen fit to belittle the International Typographical Union's

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management of the Home, and that some disgruntled inmates have fancied they had a grievance and rushed into print with charges against the management that so far as is shown upon investigation are, or were, built upon technical foundations, it is to be hoped that their action will be productive of good. If Mr. Schuman is not the man, displace him and try some one else. It seems as though every man in the controversy, except Mr. Phillips and one or two other ex-inmates, think that they could run the Home better than the present superintendent. To one who has carefully read between the lines it looks as though there was more jealousy that some one else was not the fortunate holder of the position than that the charges have been preferred solely for the good of the craft at large. I am as much opposed to the suspension of the Home today as I was opposed to its establishment. It has demonstrated one fact and that is it is a place of shelter for many a poor wreck who otherwise would have been uncared for, and while no man would voluntarily go there, it is a grand work which every union printer should foster and point to with pride. Let it be hoped that when the next International Typographical Union convention meets, its members will work in harmony upon matters pertaining to the Home, and that whatever abuses (if any) have cropped up may be abolished and measures passed to keep up the institution. As regards a relief fund, I think it should be in the power of the executive council to relieve any and all cases of deserving suffering. That is, when a man of family has starving wife. and children, or when a single man is unable to earn enough to pay a week's board, it might be well to have such matters looked into and relief afforded. But to sell the Home and dole the money out to indiscriminate giving is utterly absurd and its advocates would be the first to kick when they saw the pile dwindled down to nothing, and no material benefit

derived. Let the Home remain as it is, and if Mr. Schuman or any other man connected with its management is not on the square, depose him and try another. But do not let the world at large have it to say that the most intelligent class of "builders" and "molders" could not agree among themselves to sustain an institution for the benefit of their aged and incapacitated members. CELSUS. Zearing, Iowa.

View of "Kicking" as a Fine Art. "When the injunction was served on me, I called on two of the best lawyers in Chicago. They said: 'Proceed just as you have been doing; you're all right.' I took their advice and got six months." Extract of speech by Eugene Debs, at Cleveland, Ohio, January 18, 1896.

Well, the lawyers and judges who are not now in the employ of the railroads and other corporations are willing to accept jobs from them when there is a vacancy, and, of course, Eugene, they don't want to antagonize the railroads. A cynic once said: "All dead Indians are good Indians," and another said, "All good lawyers are d― good lawyers." But we can not dispute the fact that there are some good lawyers; that is, they will be good when paid for it. good when paid for it. The roads are good pay. Would it not be well to buy a lawyer or judge ourselves? Surely the International Typographical Union, the American Federation of Labor, or the American Railway Union, or any other union can afford to buy and keep in clover a good lawyer, or maybe a judge, although the latter are becoming very disreputable. I am in favor of hiring a lawyer to fight for us, one on whom we can rely, one who will work for his employers at a stated salary.

Eugene said further: "Workingmen are not being true to themselves. The questions for ourselves to solve are largely those of education and intelligence. It is better to buy books than beer--I've tried both. No man ever went to the

He did not mean that we go to meeting, get our fifty-cent rebate before meeting is called, and sneak out and then go spend 25 cents for drinks and 25 cents to hear a temperance howler orate. The temperance howler springs from the upper class; no reformer of that class ever did help us. Temperance is a good thing; a soak does not make a success of life; but we can be temperate without giving this howler a quarter, and we can be christians by giving it to a fellow-member in distress, but it is not by any means christianity or humanity to give to foreign missions when we have fellow-sufferers at home.

"The man who does not protect his rights deserves none."-Debs. Correct, and he who does not assert his rights will get his deserts. The man who attends meetings, sets back in a corner like a clam, voting-if at all-with the majority, and seeming never to have an opinion of his own, kicking on long-winded speeches by fellow-members (who certainly are better than clams) and then, when it is all over, goes home and swears at his family, kicks the cat, and goes off to bed grumbling at the "ring" or "clique" of newspaper compositors who "run the union," goes to work next day and holds an audience of soreheads and never-attend-meeting members spellbound by his eloquence and "calling-down" scoring which he gives the union officers whom he helped to elect, gets his deserts. Do you know that this is the kind of howler and saloon orator which has done so much harm to unions, particularly the Knights of Labor?

if you are a long-winded orator and don't get a chance to air all your views there, jot them down and send them to the JOURNAL. And if you can not suggest anything, kick, call some one down, rake up something, anything, providing, of course, you know of what you write; create discussion, wake up some of the kickers. If it ain't interesting the editor will drop it in the contribution basket, and if it is of value he will print it. Not that kicking is good reading, but when you kick and don't find them printed, just kick at the meeting, and you will find your kick in the minutes of the meeting, and there it may do good.

Let us hear from some of the old-timers, "E. P.," "W. R.," "Hyperion," alias "Semper Idem," the importer, exporter and compounder of Webster's obsoletes, and other expounders of union gospel. We have a journal now that is a credit to us, and everybody should "show up." By the way, No. 53 says the JOURNAL in its new clothes is a "beaut."

Cleveland, Ohio.

COSMOPOLITE.

Clergymen Not Following the Savior. A terrific explosion of fireworks, gunpowder and dynamite, at 12:45 p. m., January 3, at 309 N. Second street, resulted in the loss of four or more human lives, the wounding of perhaps fifty other persons, the wrecking of three four-story buildings and the loss of probably $150,000. Among the buildings wrecked were those occupied by the Frey Stationery Company and Little & Becker, and several members of No. 8, employed in those places, were seriously, if not fatally, injured. The following are among the seriously hurt: R. C. Colishaw, employed at Frey's, severely cut about the head and face; condition critical. Wm. Bradeburn, foreman of Frey's, scalp wound. R. W. Colishaw, Frey's, severely cut by flying glass about the head, face and arms. A. W. Brandeweide, Frey's, cut about the head and arms. Christopher

The

Kraft, Little & Becker's, cut by flying glass about the head and hands. entire front of the building occupied by the Daly-Kelley Printing Company was blown in, but fortunately none of the boys were injured.

I read with interest the report of the committee sent to the Home to investigate the alleged abuses and outrages that exist in that institution, and it was as I expected. For the information of those kickers against the Home and its management I recommend a careful perusal of the report. It will now be in order for them to cry "whitewash," "trying to stand in," etc. Don't all speak at once, gentlemen.

At the last meeting of No. 8 the committee appointed by the job printers' branch to investigate the scale of wages paid by religious publications reported a deplorable state of affairs. The committee made recommendations regarding these places that will no doubt be acted upon by the executive committee. It is a well-known fact that religious publications, here as elsewhere, are, in a vast majority of cases, rat concerns and the wages paid are beggarly. Isn't it strange that the church, which ought to be the friend of the wage-worker, should patronize and foster these hell-holes of ratism? Is it any wonder that union printers, as a class, do not attend church? The question has been often asked me what are the grounds of objection of the working classes against the church. From the standpoint of a union printer the question is easily answered-because the church does not practice what it preaches. The church is not in touch with the masses of the people, because the church is not in touch with "The Truth"-Christ. masses of the people have no use for the church because the church has no use for them except as beasts of burden. Christ was with the people all His days. His great love was forever searching out the poor and unfortunate and cheering those

The

who had fallen in the battle of life. What is the church doing to assist in bettering the present economic conditions of the working classes? Nothing! When the masses can no longer bear their burdens and resort to strikes, the church steps in, advises submission, or else takes the side of the rich. Christ never taught obedience to injustice or sin, yet that is practically what the clergy advise the masses to do. They are willing to take what is in sight, while they are lavish in their promises in the hereafter for the masses. Clergymen dare no longer preach Christ lest they would lose their "jobs," just as the workingmen lose their jobs when they strike against injustice and starvation. The most infamous rat holes in this city are the religious publication houses; yet they are run and supported by those who claim to be christians. The churches ought to be the most valiant soldiers in the ranks of trades-unionists, but they are not. Should the report of No. 8's committee be printed in the daily press it would make mighty interesting reading for some people who pose as christians.

The rat firm of Mekeel has put in three linotype machines, and, together with Buxton & Skinner, will cause us no little trouble. It would be well for the officers of the International Typographical Union to endeavor to unionize those places and stop the turning out of rat operators. No. 8 has bitterly fought both firms since they became non-union, but they have the longest purse.

Thomas J. Britt has recently been installed as foreman of the Star (formerly Star-Sayings), vice Mr. Shoop, resigned.

The current number of the JoURNAL is a beauty, and I beg to congratulate you, Mr. Editor, on the decided change for the better. Stir the boys up; get correspondents in every city in the Union; give us more craft news and items of interest to the fraternity, and the JOURNAL will be without a peer in the labor field. St. Louis, Mo. HYAMS.

Shorter Work-Day Suggestions.

I am asked to write something on the shorter work-day. So much has already been written as to its equity and imperative necessity that it would be a waste of time for me to write and you to read further on this feature.

The question is, How to get it? The first inquiry to make is, What are the opposing forces?

1. Lack of organization.

2. Lack of money.

Next, What are the favorable forces?
1. Public opinion.

2. A conviction on the part of proprietors that less hours is right.

What are the methods to be employed? 1. The accumulation of a fund. 2. Agitation, organization-mass meetings.

Shall We Provide an Out-of-Work Fund? In a late number of the JOURNAL, Meadville union advocated selling the ChildsDrexel Home and establishing a permanent out-of-work fund with the proceeds. The same idea has been advocated, with modifications, by correspondents of the trade papers for various reasons, some claiming that the Home costs too much for the benefits received, and that our aged and infirm members could be taken care of with much less expense by subordinate unions; others claiming that an out-of-work fund is a necessity, both as a means of protection for those who have work against those who have not, and as an inducement for those who are in our ranks to stay in, and to induce those to come in who are not with us now; that

such a plan is in the line of progress, and quoting European examples as evidence of the benefits to be derived from it.

I do not believe that more than a very small minority of our membership is in favor of selling the Home, even if the cost of maintenance should be increased; that the great majority look upon it as a memorial, sacred to the memory of the printers' dearest and truest friend. Perhaps, that is a sentimental view of the subject, but printers are given to sentiment, any way, and I don't believe that it is to their discredit, even if they sometimes act as if they were ashamed of it, and try to deceive themselves and outsiders, too, by assuming an air of cynicism which is only partly successful. Some of us, too, who affect contempt for the sentimental cynics, and pride ourselves on our ability to look at things from a strictly business standpoint, also look upon the Home as a good thing and deserving to be pushed along-something about which we have a moral right to flap our wings and crow-agreeing with the cynics that in our individual acts we should not let our left hand know what our right hand doeth, but claiming that, as an organization, to be judged by the public for what it does, we have no right to hide our light under a bushel.

The claim that our infirm members can be supported at less expense at home than in Colorado may be all right, but I doubt if that argument will hold good when we reflect that maintenance in the Home means living, clothing and medical attendance. Even if we could support them at home, would we do it? I don't believe it. While the attack of enlargement of the heart lasted, everything would be lovely, but we all know that about every so often the complaint of extravagance is raised, and a demand made for retrenchment, and if the beneficiary happens to be a man with "failings" his name goes off the list.

But suppose we did sell the Homehow much would we get for it, and how