Industrial Council Bulletin from Topeka, Kansas • 2

INDUSTRIAL COUNCIL BULLETIN 2 i i OFFICIAL DIRECTORY tr, AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR. Headquarters 801-809 street, N. Washington, D. C. OFFICERS.

President Samuel Gompers, Secretary Frank Morrison. Treasurer John B. Lennon. KANSAS STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR. OFFICERS.

President-organizer Sim A. Bramlette, 2956 N. Eighteenth street, Kansas City, Kan. Secretary-treasurer Geo. B.

Edgell. 315 Delaware street, Leavenworth, Kan. citizens of Topeka. The writer has heard this same electrical proprietor condemn the system of permitting boys and incompetents to do electrical work. He said he would welcome the time when the city would take the necessary steps of compelling such workmen to pass a strict examination as to competency.

While the gentleman complained bitterly of cheap boys doing this work, it is to be presumed he also included cheap jailbirds. However, it is quite certain that he pushed this ordinance through the council. Bi when his cheap boys are arrested for violation of the ordinance, this same gentleman explodes with righteous indignaton, wrMever that is. When the case came up for trial, this same electrical proprietor swears by all that is good and holy that he did the wire-ing and these men were merely helpers. At any rate he says he was on the job with his little diploma as a past master of the art, and specially inspected the work to see that it was done right.

Well, perhaps being on the job, means being anywhere within the limits of the city of Topeka, or at most not outside of the state of Kansas. So, with his testimony and that of his two helpers, he was able to dodge the provisions of his own ordinance. In reporting the matter it was said the judge took occasion to score the committee from the Electrical Workers union, and warned them to be careful who they had arrested. As a matter of fact, the electricians had no committee in court, neither did they have any committee to cause the arrest. The prosecution was by individual members of the union.

What was done was done by individual members. Furthermore, the judge made no comments and gave no warning to the union electricians. The actual facts are that some cheap reporter, who is a poor success at gathering news, attempts to write editorials against union labor. STATE SOCIETY OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY. Headquarters Office of State Labor Commissioner, State Capitol building, Topeka.

OFFICERS. President Charles Rochelle, Wichita. Vice President L. A. Hartley, Parsons.

Secretary and State Labor Commissioner Owen Doyle, State Capitol building, Topeka. Assistant Secretary John Gore, Pittsburg. 1 TOPEKA INDUSTRIAL COUNCIL. Meets the second and fourth Friday evenings of each month, at Industrial Council Hall, 618 Kansas avenue, third floor. OFFICERS.

President A. C. Sloan, 728 Kansas avenue. Vice President R. Johnson.

Corresponding and Recording Secretary-Clarence Sharon, O. box 207. Secretary-treasurer W. H. Kerle.

Board of Trustees Wm. Porter, Roy Locke, John Curry. Editor of The Bulletin Geo. Holmgren. Sergeant-at-Arms Louis G.

Kerle. ji 1 Address all correspondence concerning The Bulletin to Geo. Holmgren, 808 West Third street, Topeka, Kansas. -I HELPLESSNESS VS. COURAGE.

Recently the papers have been full of 1 1 details of the heroism displayed on board the ill-fated White Star liner Titanic by Its millionaire passengers. Many columns have been printed describing the courageous actions of John Jacob Astor, of Mr. Hays and other wealthy men. Perhaps in the first minute of danger every human being will make a break for safety. Then when escape is found to be hopeless, a firmness, manlier spirit takes possession of the ordinary human body.

Of course there are exceptions, and this is proved by the desperate efforts some of these men of Immense fortune made to escape. Some are accused of bribing members of the crew to sneak them into a boat, and some are said to have escaped by clambering into a boat against orders and were not discovered. It is even said that one ranking higher than the captain escaped because of his authority. Self-preservation is the first law of nature, so we cannot blame anyone for trying to escape. Dickens, in his Tale of Two Cities, gives an example of courage when he sends Sid- i i ELECTRICAL WORK SHOULD IT BE BY COMPETENT WORKMEN? Recently two alleged electricians were arrested for wiring a building without first procuring a license from the city clerk.

The queer part of the procedure was the fact that they were employed by a person who was formerly a member of the city council which passed the ordinance prohibiting the putting up of electric wires bv incompetent workmen, thus endangering the property, and even the lives, of the I i'j I 7T -f.