Vol. I. No. 17 PORTLAND LABOR COUNCIL ISSUES WARNING TO KEEP IMMIGRANTS OUT OF THE STATE OF OREGON PO RTLAN D , OREGON, FE B R U A R Y 10, 1912 Famous Gainsborough Which Mr. Morgan Will Bring to America The Central Labor Council of The almost criminal practice of Portland and vicinity herewith some employers of labor in adver submits for your consideration tising in Eastern papers that the evils caused in the State of wages o f carpenters in Portland, Oregon through false advertise Ore., are $7.00 a day fo r eight ments which have brought to the hours, with steady employment State of Oregon many thousands guaranteed, cannot be too strong o f men, women and children from ly condemned. The facts are that the Eastern and Middle Western carpenters’ wages in Portland are $2.50 to $4.00 a day, hours range Statea. Large numbers o f these people from eight to ten, and as a rule are now destitute, after having aere are three men looking for spent their savings in railroad each job. The same conditions fares and in vainly seeking work. prevail in many other trades. In conclusion, we wish to state Their suffering at present is so intense that the City Council of that we love our city and State. Portland was forced to appropri It pains us to advertise to the en ate a large sum o f money to put tire country the distress and dis some of these actually starving ease among our people caused by people to work on park and some money-mad employers and street work at wages below the real estate sharks. But we feel prevailing rate for laborers. P ri it is our duty as citizens of Ore vate charity has and is still be gon and o f the United States, to expose swindling that already ing taxed to its utmost. The fault fo r this lamentable has caused untold suffering. W e welcome to our State men | condition o f affairs lies with un scrupulous employers o f labor and women who have a true u n-1 and a certain type o f real estate derstanding of conditions in Ore men. For years false advertise gon. There is room for such im ments about land and labor con migrants to aid us in the devel ditions in Oregon have been opment o f our resources. What we protest against is the unscrup placed in the Eastern papers. These advertisements lured to ulous exploitation o f deluded peo Oregon homescekers, mechanics ple. and laborers, who, on arrival The foregoing is a shameless here, quickly found that they had exaggeration and is a senseless if been duped. not malicious statement. This in Oregon, comprising a territory famous lie has been mailed to o f 96,000 square miles, with a the Governor o f every State, population of about 700.000 peo with the object o f influencing ple, is, in the main, a great w il homeseekers not to look to Ore derness of forests and mountains. gon. It is a piece o f treachery The forests are largely held for as despicable as the act o f any speculation by the railroad in ther traitor. The circular is a HE announcement that the collections o f J. Plerpont Morgan now terests and other great corpora dastardly effort to offset the ex housed in London—or, at any rate, a large part o f them—are to be tions. To clear an acre o f this ploitation work o f the Portland brought to this country and placed on exhibition in the Metropolitan museum in New York is of the greatest moment to art lovers in the forest land, after it has been commercial bodies and the rail logged off, costs from $50 to $100 road companies which have al United States. The value of the paintings, jewels, bronzes, porcelains, etc., an acre. Hence, there is little ways been careful to keep within In question is variously estimated at from $5.000,000 to $15,000,000 Among the paintings of which mention is made is the famous Gainsborough portrait chance for paying farms on such the truth. o f the Duchess of Devonshire, now in the National gallery, London, which lands, except for men with con The fact that the letter was was stolen uearly forty years ago and was eventually restored to its owner siderable capital. sent out under the auspices of through the mediation o f an American. Pat Sheedy, “ the honest gambler/' Open country, suitable for organized labor w ill tend to de after its whereabouts had been unknown for twenty-tive years. Mr Morgan farming, has long ago been taken tract from its statements. The bought the picture for $150,000. up and prices fo r such farm land public is looking with extreme are very high. disfavor these days at everything Railroad t r a n s portation emanating from union labor throughout the State is very sources, as everything unionists poor. say is true is always a falsehood. The orchard lands are held for This is the “ fa ll” The Oregon almost fabulous prices, in the ian takes out o f this damnable hope that Easterners can be and treacherous letter: fooled to buy them. The same The essential part of every one trick that was played 20 years of the foregoing sentences is un ago in Southern California, when true. Destitution among those orange orchards sold fo r $1000 willing to work was but tempo an acre. rary and is now past. Private The bottom o f these wildcat charity has not been and is not schemes dropped out in Califor strained. nia and the Coxev army followed. Oregon is not a wilderness. The bottom o f Oregon’s wildcat schemes is now dropping o u t; Not more than 57 per cent of hence idleness, destitution and a Oregon is in forests and moun general reign o f crime committed tains. Orchard lands, fully improved by misled and desperate men. O f course, the great majority and in bearing, located in demon of the employers o f Oregon de strated districts, sell for high lore the practices which have prices, and unimproved lands brought about the present chaotic near fancy hearing orchards are industrial conditions in this also priced beyond the means of But State. The general majority of the ordinary individual. real estate men are opposed to foothill orchard land, as good as the bunco tactics o f the minority. in the advertised districts, now But up to date with no tangible half cleared, can be purchased in the Willamette V alley as low as results of betterment. $50 per acre. Therefore, the Central Labor Some wildcat schemes have Council of Portland and vicinity ppcals to you to give this mat been promoted in Oregon, just as ter publicity in your State and aere have in every State in the prevent great injustice and suf Union. The bottom has dropped fering to men. women and chil out of most o f them, but wildcat- dren o f your State who otherwise ting was not in the slightest de might fall victims to false adver gree responsible for the unsatis factory labor conditions that re tisements sent from Oregon. cently called for action by the Specially dealing ■ with labor Portland city authorities. conditions in Oregon, we wish to Last, and very important. : state that out of the population there is not now and has not I o f 700.000 there are 207.000 in been in recent years a “ general Portland— our principal city. reign o f crim e” in Oregon. This readily shows that the re There are numerous other maining 500.000 are scattered statements in the labor circular over 96.000 square miles. In the O M AN ’S sphere has been enlarged by a sturdy member of the ‘ weaker East when work becomes scarce that might he discussed. One of sex/* who has for more than forty years been rarrying the mail between the Florin (Pa.i postoffice and the railway station She is * one city or State, mechanic# the important remaining ones is Mrs. Samuel Walters, wife of an employee of the Pennsylvania rail and laborers can easily move to the implied attack upon the illus another city and S ta te and seek trated literature'sent out by com-j road. In all weathers she has attended to her duty and has a record of n^ver for work. The great distances in m ereial' organizations and rail having missed a mall. She has hail bat one vacation, which she spent in a trip o f a few days to New York city. She is held in high esteem by the eni our State m ake such moving a 1 road companies. W e know noth ployees of the railway [>ostal service, and the government now pays her four great hardship and very expen- j ing o f false advertisements f o r , times as much as when she first took up her duties The photograph shows (Continued on Page 3.) Mrs Walters at her post waiting for the passing train to get the mail bag. sive. T Mrs. Samuel Walters, Veteran Mail Carrier, at Her Post W Price 5 Cents FIVE PER GENT LOAN SHARKS BECOMING ALARMED; LOOSEN THEIR VILE GRIP ON VICTIMS Attorney llurst, anil all other tigators have received informa attorneys who are in any way as tion that these human wolves are sisting him, are deserving of the frantically seeking to effect set thanks o f a great, though silent tlements with their debtors upon element in this community, which almost any terms. They have is endeavoring to find a lasting ■ased carrying their evidences remedy fo r the loan-shark evil. o f indebtedness into the courts Ben Selling, and all those who to. force them to become accom are w illing to join with him in plices in their dirty and nefarious establishing a fund to form the business. One instance is given capital o f a collateral bank, o f a man who defied one o f these where the worthy and honest beasts of prey and refused longer poor may have financial accom to be victimized. To his honor, modation, minus cutthroat meth be it said, that while he declined ods and interest charges, deserve to pay any more interest, having likewise the public thanks. already paid twice as much as It is no crime to be poor. It lie hail borrowed, did offer to pay is no uncommon thing fo r any the original face of the note in man, be he rich or poor, but finds installments most convenient to that there are times when he himself. He should have declined needs ready money. The man of to have paid another dollar, wealth and property has little should have demanded hack his trouble in going to a bank and oto and nil such money as is in getting a loan on aeeptable se excess o f the legal rate o f inter curity, general real estate. The est. poor man, with no real estate, By the Russell Sage Founda feeling the need,’ looks about him tion, a Division o f Remedial He sees an innocent-appearing Loans is provided with an aggre “ ad.” in some newspaper, assur gate capital o f $10,000,000. These ing him that with no publicity, avc outstanding loans o f $20,000,- he can secure a loan on his sal 000 and the annual losses arc not ary at 5 per cent a month. Or, more than $10,000. Tt is surpris perhaps, be pledges bis household ing to learn that in the industrial furniture or a watch, or ring to> centers o f the United States there some pawnshop, at the same ru is one usurer to every 5000, and inous rates. He knows, when he one victim in every 20 o f the signs a note calling for more population. One loan institution, money than he has received, that with a number o f offices, showed he is paying the price in his own 45,000 loans wilh an average in f c ’s blood, but the emergency terest of 228 per cent. scorns great, and he comes to the W hile Portland is not so badly w ily shark’s terms. Thus do the grip o f fbese merciless these parasites o f society fatten vampires as arc some cities, she upon the misfortunes o f others, lias altogether too many o f them. hey produce nothing, yet they If is a cheerful sign to note that They prodee nothing, yet they these will, from now on, grow drain the earnings o f the poor. less instead of more. The loan Now Attorney TTurst believes sharks always hold over their vic in throwing the fiercest light, o f tim ’s head, if he is a salaried publicity upon those unconscion man. the threat that they will lay able villains and exposing them. the matter before their employers ITc believes in givng the poor in case o f a default. The un man his opportunity to escape fortunate victim fears that this their usurious clutches by show will cause him to lose his job, and ing up their methods in court. he “ comes through” . This is precisely the thing these Tin1 Western Union provides vampires do not want. The co limited loans to its own employes terie o f worthy Portland lawyers who arc worthy and deserving, •arc going about the solution of and this example is a good one I this problem in the right way. for employers to follow. TH E They recently received a quan TIM E S would advise any man, tity o f literature issued by the who works fo r another and who 1 Kussell Sage Foundation in New is in financial distress, before tak York, which shows the approved ing recourse to the loan shark, to and practical methods by which go frankly to bis employer and this class o f undesirable citizens tell him o f his dilemma. In many can best be eliminated. instances he will get relief. I f One of the most encouraging already a debtor to these liound- matters to be observed in this i ing bloodsuckers, • he might take connection is that the usurers his employer into his eonfidenee, avc seen the handwriting upon anil most o f them, being fair- the wall, and are scudding for minded men. will asist him to es cover. The public-spirited inves- cape their clutches. A. F. OF L. AND UNION MEN HELD I. W. W. HELP GUILTY IN USING TEXILE WORKERS THE WORD “ SCAB ' LAW R EN C E. Mass. The Cen tral Labor Union of this city, which is affiliated with the Amer ican Federation of Labor, will i enter into the light for tin- suc cess of the strike of more than i r m in ha s t, X t i l e been il l d e r on t l i* the ne irly d ire e tio i o r g a n izat io n rs o f o p e n d iv e s , fo r the W h ieh a of I m i ■striai m ad h 1 •ival W ork- W o rld . Last week, after many days of deep consideration, Judge Taz well, o f the Municipal Court, launched another dictum on the matter applying the word “ scab” by union men to non-union or to union nidi who have hail the good sense to stay at work un mindful o f the mandates of or ganized labor. Now, Judge Tazwell lias bail this legal problem to crack so many times within the last few o f th c C h u rei of 1» b l i e f i r u m months, that by this time he he th e A s c e n s i o n in X e w Vi rk vs . h a s d e v e l o p e d t h a t t !<’ ! 1 * is I ought to lie a complete elieyelo podia o f learning upon this sub j a w r e i ('f * e v - a p a u p e r b u r i a l in ject. I ii H recent issue TH E n th e r IT v day am that í rac- TIM E S printed tin- story of a t i l a l l y e v c r y o p e is hat o f m i II man who bad ben followed all ” 1 e r a t i v e 's f a m i l y . the way home and followed hv The ol is e rv a n e e i f Rev 1er t ie rt S . J i J i n s o n o f I l o s t o n in t w o 1 the reiterated and insulting ap plication o f the word “ seah.” la v e p rom p t- v i tits to L a w r e n c e from n hunch o f idle unionists, e i l t in * ni b l i s t e r t o s a y : who rejoice in the euphonious ‘ • I f tin f i g u r e s s h i i w n t o nu • b y th e m ill t hr* names o f Juhrs, Jones. Poehler! ow ners c o v e rin i? Blank, Mailer and Wolford, and h ro p a id the o| » p r a t i v i W li g e s correct, the average weekly wage who at one time were indlistruins men at the Albina cars hops (Continued on Page 3.) An in v ■ stigatiori S t od w ell, connect iy p i 1 S a n IK 1 A . w it 1 the (Continued on Page 3 . )