Indorsed By Every
•eft In Charlotte and In
Hie State
CHARLOTTE, N. C., FRIDAY, JULY 6, 1923
TEXTILE WORKER IS WORTH
' $893 ON AUCTION BLOCK
Bated Upon Profits Made oh $1,200 Investment in Lowell
Cotton Mill By Mr. J. R. Ross—The $1,200 Brought Annual
^ fteturn of $1,009—Textile Worker Made $750
Annually, Working 50 Weeks at $15 Week.
You’ve heard the old saying that
' ; when certain folks fall out, certain
J other folks get certain just dues,
I haven’t you?
F You’ve also heard it said, and
heard it often, that there is no money
in the cotton manufacturing busi
ness.
Over at Lowell, certain owners of
mills are haying a bout in the courts,
and some, interesting figures are
being given the public.
Mr. Joseph Jt. Ross is a stock-hold
er in the Lowell Cotton mills. ^
The Lowell Yarn company, of
Philadelphia, is selling agent for the
Lowell Cotton mill. C ,
The Lowell Cotton mill owns nearly,
a third of the capital stock of the
Lowell Yarn company, selling agent
for the Lowell Cotton mill.
Mr. Ross, and others, have entered
suit against the Lowell Yarn com
1 pany, charging a failure to account
for something like $792,000.
The Lowell Yarn company has, in
turn, entered suit against Mr. Ross
in the sum of $100,000 for damages,
and one thing and another.
The Lowell Yarn company states
in its charges thkt Mr. Ross, about
ten years ago,1 bought ten shares of
stock in the Lowell Cotton mill, for
which Mr. Ross paid the sum of
k $1,200.
Mr. Ross has received, it is claimed,
stock dividends, to the, amount of
70 shares, making Mr. Ross now the
owner of eighty shares of stock in
the mills, without any further invest
ment on his part, except the original
$1,200.
In addition, Mr. Ross has received
cash ’ dividends amunting to $3,290,
on his original investment of $1,200.
Basing the shares at $100 each,
Mr. Ross is now the owner of $8,000
interest in the cotton/mill, and has
received in cash $3 ,£00. ^That makes
$11,290 Mr. RossKmis received on his
original investment of $1,200.
In other words, Mr. Ross’ profits on
his $1,200 investment is $10,090.
That is a profit of $1,009 a year
on a $1,200 investment.
Or, taking the average for ten
years, it is a net return on his in
vestment of a little over 84 per cent.
Does that look like “bad business?”
These figures were gone into at the
meeting of the Joint Council of Tex
tile porkers, in Belmont last Satur
day, and it was ordered that Mr. Ross
be extended the sympathy of the^tex
tile workers of the Carolinas, in that
"the selling ’ company has not made
sufficient returhs to the stock-hold
ers of the mill company. If there is
(Continued on Page 7.)
tGREENSBORO MAN
REGULAR VISITOR
Say* AH in Readiness for Convention
of State Federation of Labor,
August 13.
You just cah’t keep folks away
Chrg^tjfce. There’s H. A. Gjl
t'itov instance, “ad” man on The
4 srood
fi-^iisfcon^bQosfer, Wr
some reason that is not so awfully
hard to fathom, Mr. Gillespie spends
many Sundays in Charlotte. He was
here last Sunday, dnd tailed at The
Herald office, and* had that happy
smile on his face that can come from
only one cause—you know.
Mr. Gillespie is member of the
entertainment committee having in
charge the entertainment of the del
egates to the State Federation of
Labor convention, which meets in the
Gate city on August 13. He reports
everythingJn. ship-shape, and says the
delegates will be kept busy all the
time they are not, in session. Mr.
Gillespie is just a little bit selfish,
however, in his plans for the enter
tainment of the visitors. He frankly
admits he wants to make Greensboro
so attractive to the visitors, especially
to the printers, that there’ll always
be printers wanting to work in
Knreehsboro, so he will have no
uble Jrl getting a “sub” when he*
nts to come to Charlotte—which is
lost every day.
Some of H. A.’s friends have sug
ited that railroad fare should be
lucedi or H. A.’s wages increased,
one or the otljer, so his numerous
trips to< Charlotte would not be such
a drag upon his future plans.
H,e’s a good old scout, all right, and
the Charlotte printers are always
glad to haye him here, even though
they see bat little of him during his
regular visits.
MILLS CLOSED
DOWN FOR WEEK
'Nr, 5 ■ ••
Several mills are closed in Char
lotte and vicinity i this week, for the’
purpose of painting the building,
cleaning and repairing the machinery,
and making othey necessary changes
and. repairs. Many of the workers
are taking advantage of the closing
to make - visits to relatives and
friends, while others are taking that
fishing trip they have been planning
'ever since this time last year.
Many meetings of the workers ,are
being held, too^and-the work of or
ganization is being given a great for
ward.-pt&h, the week furnishing an
ideal time to meet faith and talk to
the workers, and hundreds of new
members are being added to the union
rolls. " V
RECORD FOREMAN HERE.
i _
Mr. C. J. Lockridge, foreman of
the composing room of *The Greens
boro T)aily Record, was a visitor in
# Charlotte on last Sunday, visiting his
brotheivin-law, Mr. H, L. House, of
k The Charlotte Observer.
t
DISTRICT COUNCIL
ASKS BLEASE HERE
Public installation of officers by
the three carpenters locals was post
poned from this Thursday evening to
next Thursday evening, in-order that
Hon. Cole L. Blease, ex-governor of
South Carolina, c<j>ul'd be present, and
speak at the meeting. The meeting
will be open to the public, and it is
thought a large crowd will be in at
tendance.
v, -TV, Pijj^-j£^J?kuinci4'jf CVp®»t'>rs
i are staging this public event, and it is
hoped through such meetings to bring
the builders of Charlotte and those
who have building done closer to
gether ,thereby paving the way for a
better understanding between the
groups of the city, all of which
groups have a particular work to do j
in the building up of this, the Queen
City of the South.
PAINTERSTO HONOR
TEXTILE WORKERS
Next Wednesday night the Painters
Uinion will hold an open meeting for
the textile unions of Charlotte.
While all the local unions and the
Central body have been deeply in
terested in the textile workers, and
have lent material aid to that or
ganization sinee the re-organization
campaign began this year, the paint
ers are the lirst to hold a special
meeting for the textile workers.
This action, on the part of the
painters will be of untold benefit to
the textile workers, and will great
ly encourage $iem in their work of
organizing.
Officers arid, members of all the
textile locals, apd Harry Eataugh and
Miss Mary Kelleher, representing the
United Textile Workers of America,
and other specially invited guests will
be present. The painters have issued
an invitation to all workers to be
present at the meeting, and a special
invitation is given any non-union
workman who & interested in him
self and his neighbor, to be at the
gathering.
SILK HOSIERY
SALESMEN HERE
Salesmen andfjocal office managers
of the Carolina*; district of the. .Real
Silk Hosiery Mi%, Indianapolis, Ind.,
held their regular summer convention
Thursday at the-Charlotte ^Chamber
of Commerce, $ v ■ . ' ,
Resides about 75 salesman, man
agers of local offices were ill attend
ance from Charleston, Colunjbia, Ra
leigh, Greensboro and WHimington.
N,. S. Lyon, district pianager, with
offices in the Law building,'was host
to the convention;. V
A| sales meetiifg, featured by an
address of W;. C. Kobin, yice presi
dent and general sales manager of the
Real Silk Hosiery mills, was held at
the Chamber of Comiiiebce in the
afternoon. IVfr. Kobin wa| introduced
by Mr. Lyon, who also delivered a
short address of welcome. The sales
meeting was
salesmen and
ager.
by both the
1 office raan
1
Superintendent Walters Laughs As
Rowdies Break Up Labor Meeting
No more disgraceful scene was
ever enacted in the state of North
Carolina than that staged at Hoskins
Thursday night, when organizers for
the Uhited Textile Workers of Amer
ica appeared there to speak, in re
sponse to an invitation extended by
a delegation of workers from the Hos
kins mills. The meeting was adver
tised to be held near the Hoskins
Drug Store, and when the organizers
went there Thursday evening many
officials and petty bosses were on the
ground* About twenty-five boys arm
ed themselves with tin cans, tin pans,
and other noise-making devices, and
when the organizers endeavored to
speak their vpices were drowned by
the din and rifcket. *
Mill Officials Gave Gleeful Approval.
The, Herald has no way of proving,
of course, that the mill officials
prompted the little boys to do their
dirty work, but it is significant that
many of the officials were present,
and some of them joined in the rack
et-making program by blowing an au
tomobile horn on the machine in
which Superintendent Walters, with
other officials, were seated. It was
significant that Superintendent Wal
ters, and his associates, seemed to be
greatly enjoying the.heathenish con
duct* of the boys* Let us state right
here that there is no hard feeings
toward the little boys. They are but
thte product of that kind of cotton
mill system which ivould employ such
tactics, and are in no wise to blame.
The potential criminals among the
band of boys are also the product of
that same cotton mill system, and*
some day, in sonje way or other, those
responsible for such conduct among
the boys of today will have to pay
the penalty.
Many Workers Afraid to Attend
Meeting.
There were ^Comparatively few of
the mill workers present, information
coming to The ;Herald late Thursday
evening that the Workers had learned
earlier in the diy of the plan to break
the meeting up and they remained
away. As one delegation stated, the
workers knew if they showed the
least sympathy for the organizers,
their jobs would be gone, and they
would have to move from the mill
village.
Bosses and Boot-Lickers Galore.
Such is life in the Hoskins mill
community. The little boys, having
been coached by the 2v4 bosses and
boot-lickers, made many “cute” re
marks to the otganizers, among them
being statements about the workers
supporting the organizers. The poor,
ignorant, uninformed lads had never
been told about, their labors support
ing their bosses and their mill own
ers in luxury, w4hile those same bosses
and owners are unwilling for the.,
fathers and mothers of‘these boys to
make more than a bare living. . It is
no wonder that there is seldom a boy
or a girl from the homes of the jtex
tile workers who ever graduate at
the High School.
Physical and Moral Cowards.
The most conspicuous thing in the
whole procedeing was the cowardice
displayed by the officials and those
grown men who seem to have assum
ed the leadership of the community.
They are both moral and physical
cowards. If the mill officials of the
Chadwick-Hoskins company are fair
with their employes, they need have
no fear of labor organizers speaking
ot their employes. If they want to
break the meetings up by force, they
show a most despicable cowardly
spirit in allowing little boys to do
the “breaking up.” >
No Respect for Lady.
Miss/Miary Kelleher, organizer, in
beginning her speech, appealed to the
boys that if they had apy respect for
their own mothers, their own sisters,
they would most certainly show re
spect to another lady. The organizers
knew what was being planned, for
some of the mill offiicials were seen
talking to the little boys on the rail
road track, and after a very earnest
(Continued on Page 3.)
SUPT. ALLEN IS
ASKED TO MEET
JOINT COUNCIL
Eight*Hour Pay and Education
of Children in Workers’
Homes Two Big Objects.
Nevet before, in the history of the
organized labor movement, has there
been a greater or a more enthusiastic
ers thSn that held in Belmont, Gaston
county, last Saturday. The business
session, which began at 4 o'clock and
lasted until after seven, was full of
interest, and reports of the various
locals and the new business acted
upon combined to make the gather
ing of untold value to the workers.
The social portion of the meeting,
which was an ice cream supper served
in the < Imperial Mill grove, brought
about two thousand people together,
jvhere entertainment, singing, speak
ing, and the serving of ice cream, and
cold drinks combined to keep the big
crowd "happy until well after 10
o’clock.
Three of the most important mat
ters coming before the Joint Council
meeting can be summd, up as fol
lows:
To invite State Superintendent of
Public Instruction to visit the next
Council meeting, which will be held
in Mooresville on the last Saturday
in July, and at the same time have
President James M. Ellis, of the
North Carolina Federation of Labor
attend the gathering of the Carolina
textile, workers.
To take advantage of the time when
mills are closed down for repairs or
other purposes to wage an aggressiye
organization campaign in such com
munities wherte and while the mills
are so closed down.
To begin working right now 1 for
the 48-hour work week, and let noth
ing interfere with this progressive)
campaign for 8 hours a day for the
textile workers.
The superintendent - of public in
struction will be asked to attend the
next council meeting for the purpose
of giving him first hand information
about the custom of the boys and
girls of the mill villages stopping
school before they have finished" High
School. It is seldom a boy or girl
from the homes of the textile work
ers are ever allowed to graduate in
the High Schools, and the United Texr
tile Workers of America, together
with other organised erafts, have
been busily1 engaged!for the pagt sev
eral months in the Carolinas on the
work of crystalizing sentiment among
the fathers and mothers engaged in
the textile industry to have their
children remain in the schools until
tjiey have at leasft finished high
school. ; ' | -
Then the government figures, that
only one person it| every 114 are
college graduates Has been holding
the attention of the textile union for
some time. Even that per cent is
small, arifi yet the officials of the
textile union have failed to find a
single case where a boy ot a girl
ftonv the homes of the textile workers
in North or South Carolina has ever
(Continued on Page Tr?0.)'
BARNES SAYS
PRODUCTION
IS AT ITS BEST
C. of C. Head Says Labor Is
Doing Its Part.
GOOD WAGES ‘
ness, Because of Ability To
Purchase Necessities.
Washington, July 4.:—With stead
ily increasing production has gone
steadily increasing earning power of
the nation’s workers, declares Julius
H. Barnes, President of the United
States Chamber of Commerce, in an
article in The Nation’s Business en
titled “Business Needs No ‘Stop’
Signal.”
Mr. Barnes’ article throughout is
an irrefutable argument for adequate
wages sustaining the American labor
movement in its position that progres
sively increasing wage rates are nec
essary not only to prevent deteriora
tion, of living standards, but to pre
vent depressions. Coming from the
president of the United States Cham
ber of Commerce, which has no^love
for labor, the argument made by Mr.
Barnes is doubly valuable. “The Na
tion’s Business” is official organ of
the United States Chamber of Com
merce.
It is a fair assumption that the
average home in America in 1920
possessed three times the things that
the home in 1900 had, says Mr.
Barnes, who continues:
“You may check this roughly by
your own obsrevation of the recent
increase in bathrooms, plumbing,
phonographs, .telephones, automobiles,
and the thousands of things that add
to the comfort of the people. So the'
very volume of our own production is
in itself the most convincing proof
that earning power is most wide
ly distributed, and the buying power,
which rests on it is more Widely
distributed than the world has ever
seen, because manifestly if wealth j
were concentrated in the hands of
By ^International Labor Newt Service.
a wealthy tew, no such volume of
goods could he manufactured and
marketed in this country.”
. Mr. Barnes makes a spirited attack
on the theory that limiting of pro
duction means more work for the
wage earners and declares that itTias
been demonstrated beyond a doubt
that production itself by its economy!
and the security o£,its earning power!
which it itself creates, has vastly en
larged the area of common possession
and thus greatly raised the general
standard of common living. He says:
“Abroad, we find the old, fallaci
ous-theory that there is only so much
work to be done; that by limitation!,on
individual effort it can be divided
among more wage earners ahd fiir
nish more wage payment thereby. Ahd
we see a distinct slackening of the
advance in common possession and of
the common living in Europe which
\ (Continued on Pjstge 2.)
i
• ■ ■ /
PRINTERS HEAR
ABOUTTHERATS
INFESTING CITY
Do Not Like Way Young Mem
bers Are Dping—Give To
Uhion Hall.
Charlotte printers were in session
for several hours Sunday afternoon,
disposing of the month's business that
had 'asouM3ak«^d^H^;o the. vast,, wjjnibs
ing. The whale situation was gdtie
over thoroughly, and ''plans_ were
made to eliminate some of the things
that haye been in the way of the ad
vancement of the organization.
A substantial donation was made to
the North Charlotte Textile Local for
the building fund. A committee from
that organization came before the
printers and explained their situation,
telling of the lots owned by the tex
tile workers, which are paid for, and
that several hundred dollars are now
in hand, much of it having come from
the business men of the city, many
of whom have contributed generously
to the fund with which Charlotte’s
first union hall Will be erected.
Reports were made on some of
the alleged printers who have been
imported to work in some of the un
fair shops in the city. There are
some job shops in Charlotte trying to
run with rat printers, and from all
reports these rats that have been
brought in from the rat dens of the
big cities, to take the places of
Charlotte citizens in those shops
where autocracy reigns supreme in
the front office, are not doing very
much to help the rat shop, the city, or
those having printing done.
It is an expensive proposition to
put a green horn rat linotype opera
tor on a five thousand dollar machine,
the most delicate machine known, at
that. Yet there are some men in
Charlotte who boast to the world that
they are the best business men in the
,Queen City, yes-sir, frankly admit
that they ate unusually bright busi
ness men, and Jhen go right ahead
and put rat printers on-the linotype
machine rather than sign a contract
with the Typographical Union. But
it’s their own funeral, so let them
go to it. ' Other men, jin. other towns,
and bigger men, in bigger towns, have
tried the same thing—and all have
either come to their senses and sign
ed up with the' union, or have gone
.out of the printing business or have
committed suicide.
The printers are in a position to sit
steady in th% boat and let Old Father
Time d,o the battle for them'.
One question that caused some
great concern is that of the indiffer
ence of the younger members of the
Typographical unon. It was pointed
out that a-printer apprentice has the
best union support of almost any ap
prentice in the world. Older men
take interest in the apprentices, teach
them their trades, give them on a
silver platter a good situation where
they Work a short work-day, and re
ceive good money for it. All this has
come about through the active, hard
work of the trades unionists, and it
:dOes not sit very well with the older
members to see these young fellows
(Continued on Page Two.)
“option and Endorsement by Organized Groups Assures Planv
Will Be Factor in American Life—Radical Suggestions'
Will Bring Much Abuse From Those Whose
Privileges Have Enriched Them. ,
Organized labor in America, which
has been traditionally committed to
abstinence from political activities,
today, by implication, takes its most
important step towards the abandon
ment ofi this policy, by the publica
tion of Glenn E. Plumb’s posthumous
INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY (B. W.
Huebsch).
Approved by 16 Union Pre*ident*.
This book constitutes “a definite
program for the reorganization of
American industry on a democratic
base The presidents, or acting
presidents, of;"§he sixteen standard
union.-’ - hose members are employed
the uansportation industry sign
an endorsement of the work, Which is
an elaboration of those principles of
ficially adopted by the American Fed
eration of Labor at its 1921 Conven
tion. ’
Origin of the Plumb Plan.
“The Plumb Plan” was originally
formulated’ by Glenn Plumb while
counsel for the Rail Brotherhoods, as
a solution for the engineering, finan
cial and labor difficulties of the rail
roads, and the adoption of the Plan
by the unions began a new era in
American labor history. The chiefs
of the sixteen Rail Unions formed the
Plumb Plan League, with 'WJarren S.
Stone, Chief of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers, as President,
to conduct an active educational cam- t,
paign to effect the legal establish
ment of the Plumb Plan by Congress.
The Plan Grow*.
The Plan was developed so as to
apply to all industries operated under
a corporate charter arid to public
utilities generally, and its principles
were adopted! by the A. P. of L. in
this form. Before his death, last
year, Glenn Plumb, with the assist
ance of Professor W> G. Roylar
authority on labor problems, reduced >
his whole program, together with a -
complete statement of its legal basis
and historical justification, to finpl
Kfsvivaw cfitmo
literary shape.
The book is issued today
title INDUSTRIAL DEMGtf
PLAN! FOR ITS ACHTB'
Astute observers predict that
Plumb Plan will figure consp'
in the fight of the Progressive
which will hold the balance of po
in the next Congress—for the
ernment ownership of railroads
other economic monopolies;
Old Methods Discarded.
The publication of this
apart from its immediate p
significance, is notable in
marks a new point in the
reformist movements in
ill
Sr." '
(Continued on Page 2,
. -.. . -I.
KEUSTERHMTEDTO
i; SPEAK AT t L U
Wfth a full attendance of dele
gates present, and interest at fever
heat, delegates to the Central Labor
Union l^st Tuesday evening nominat
ed officers ,for the Central body, and
next Tues
the election will
day evening. As
election has
first of the year
'y*w«V .. -'*t&
Hated locals hold: „
officers at this time,
Following are names placed in
nomination for the various offices:
For president—J. U. Whiteside of
the carpenters, and J. W/. McDonald
of the sheet me^al workers.
For vice-president—G. C. Myfers of
the Textile Workers, and J. W* Es
tridge of the carpenters,
For secretary-treasurer—G. S.
Coble (un-opposed).
For sergeant-at-arms—E. A. All
red (un-opposed) .
It was unanimously voted to ask
Mr. Clarence Kuester, business man
ager of the Charlotte Chamber of
Commerce, to address the Central
body on Tuesday evening, July ’17.
The motion was made by delegates
from the sheet metal workers, and
seconded by the typographical dele
gation. The carpenters, painters and
textile workers delegates spoke,
highly commending the action, and it
was the opinion of all who spoke on
the question that the Central body
should be more Closely identified
with other organizations of the city..
The invitation has gone forth'to Mr.
Kuester,. and it is hoped he will find it'
possible to attend the meeting.
Many other matters v£ere discussed
and acted upon, and the" Central bids
fair now to go ahead for labor, much
of the"entangling, confounded, aggra
vating hindrances that have been
blocking its growth having been
squelched.
ICE CREAM
NORTH CHA
STOCKHOLDERS
There will
An ice cream social will be held on
the lawn adjoining the Methodist
church, North Charlotte, Saturday
evening. The ladies’ auxiliary of the
North Charlotte' local is in charge of
the social, and the public is invited to
attend. An attendance prize of five
dollars will be' given, and there Will
be music, speaking, recitations, and
an enjoyable evening is promised all
Who attend. ; ;
The proceeds from the evening,
will go to the building fund of the
North Charlotte Union hall. ,,»j
Don’t forget \that clean, fresh
water kept in a cool spot will make
u honnv this month.
TO MEET.
s of
company on July
the company, 332
Several raa
be decided
reports of th
be made.
meeti
be
are
Speakers Attend July 4th Gatherings,
Urging Citizens to Go Out On
July 28th and Vote. /
SIP
Mrs. Harvey Hunter, Capt. J. D. '
peep
4th. Manager W!. S. Orr, c
co-operated with the citizens commit
tee, of which Mr. Preston is general
chairman, and lent his assistance to
make the appeals all the more effec
tive. _ V 'I.;
Mrs. Hunter was given- close atten
tion, as she told of the convenience
the joint building would provide foy
the women .both of the city ahd the
countv. She is one of the .lading
womef of Mecklenburg, a diligent
student of public questions,’ and a
staunch champion of all that te
make woman’s life fuller-and
er, ,Her influence is felt
in all oilier public matters,
ter is not a faddist, nor does she ;
her arguments on theories. She .
her home, and family, and her
pressions on public questiof
cerning women are based on :
tual experiences as a wife, a mo
and a home-maker. Therefore
earnest appeal to voters
ledgement in the hearts of/'
women, hence the influent
erts in matters of public
Mr. Preston explained in _
how the architects and engineer}, au
ditors and interested citizens who
have gone fully into the matter, find
that the joint building can be erected
without any bond issue at all. This
feature of the ^proposition appeals to
the tax-paying citizens as nothin*
above all, to enter into a- spirit
unity, between the city and the cal
ty that will hi of united bem&t M
the succeeding generations^ l£§,
E. B. Bridges, a veteran o!
world war, made a great impress
upon the Lafcewood holiday crowd
his pleas/foi).men and women to ta
udy Well this question and go out
i July 28 and vote their sentiments; '
0 is heartily in favor of the joint
Mining, and trusts it will be ratified
infection'day: ' 'j
Capt, J. D. Barrier, veteran of Uto ;.j
ivil war, says every argument is in
favor of the joint building,
has heard none against it tl
ried any reason at all.
p F. 0. Clarkson, D. E. He
'and other speakers were at
gatherings in the county, pr<
the advantages to be gained ii
ing the joint building plan, a
ing all citizens to take an a<
terest in the proposition;