the same condition in wages and betterment of employment as is accorded to natives, and through the activity of the labor movement of North America evening schools have been provided to teach them language and art, especially giving them an opportunity to more quickly and more satisfactorily be assimilated to western world condition of life, home and work.

It no doubt would surprise Mr. Fahey, or any other average Chamber of Commerce member, to know that a few years ago the King of Italy, representing the government of that country, conferred a decoration upon the present president of the Building Laborers and Hod Carriers' Union of North America because of the assistance he had given and the attention he had displayed towards the arrival of immigrants on the Atlantic seaboard, and especially to the attention, etc., given to the landing and care after the land'ng of Italians.

It seems to be ever a method of commercial institutions like Chambers of Commerce to drag along about a quarter of a century behind activities urging great reforms. Their first thoughts are truly upon how to exploit the incoming workers, especially the so-called unskilled, then after they have made much profit by underpaying immigrant labor and have used same to the extent that little more individual advantage can come to the employing class by said exploitation, they suggest what a beautiful thing it would be if intelligent citizens of the employing class would give more attention to the welfare of the incoming immigrant. If the trade unions had done nothing more than the great democratic work of mixing with and assimilating immigrants to American conditions they would be entitled to pages of credit for activities along that line.

One can scarcely understand why those who hold the views of Mr. Fahey should announce same in gradiloquent and paternal manner, then before the ink on their expressions has become dry the same men and the same influences do everything it is possible to influence the Government of the United States, and especially its President, against the passage of an immigration bill containing a literacy test. Mr. Fahey is not alone in this campaign, there are a few congressmen from Massachusetts, for instance, who have tried

to be eloquent in their discourses against the pending immigration bill at Washington, simply because of the literacy test contained therein; yet when they return to Massachusetts have not a word to say against the election laws of their own State, which provide that not only must voters in the old commonwealth be able to read and write, but they must be able to intelligently read the language of this country-the English language. Their position is that the laws of the United States should be so framed that thousands, even millions, of immigrants should be invited to this country to be part of and to partake in our national life, but with the distinct understanding that they could not become citizen voters and should remain throughout life as they landed, simply to be exploited by the employing classes. Is it any wonder that some of the foreign-speaking elements in the United States at times break into rioting, tribulation and embryonic trade revolution when they are encouraged as above indicated to come to this country, and then find that they cannot become citizen voters?

The labor movement is consistent in its course, it advises and memorializes for an immigration bill with a literacy test, not only for the advantage that such would be to the arriving immigrant, but knowing that with such a qualification in our immigration laws education in some countries abroad, where eighty per cent of the workers are illiterate, would be so changed that the whole or nearly the whole of this eighty per cent would be educated in public schools in their native country. This would be done so that they might not be debarred from the United States, and so that the surplus, aspiring, and revolutionary elements among them, would have the qualifications necessary to be admitted through the ports of the United States. Some say men and women should not be debarred because of the incidents and accidents which prevented them from having early education. Those advocates of ignorance and opponents of public school procedure forget that if such a qualification was in our immigration laws there would not be those incidents and accidents of illiteracy in the countries from which the immigrants would come, but instead, as happened a few years ago in Italy when the immigration legislation to which we refer was pending in Congress, the government of that

country made provisions for the education of something like six million additional children.

Mr. Fahey and his friends have quite late awoke to a great necessity. We hope that through such influences the United States Chamber, as well as local Chambers of Commerce will discuss this subject and will join with the trade unions of North America in the excellent effort the latter has already put forth and will put forth in the future to aid arriving immigrants, not only in as far as distribution of them may be concerned, but so that there may be a wholesome, domestic assimilation to the customs and manners of the North American people. This needs to

include extending to them the right hand of fraternity and fellowship, and providing the essential evening school system in more liberal and more plentiful manner than has yet been introduced. In this way not only may native born boys and girls have an opportunity for continuation studies, but immigrants coming among us wherever they may go will find opportunities to acquire education, and especially the kind of it which will be of the greatest service to them in qualifying into full citizenship and in upholding the democratic purposes and principles of their respective trade associations.-The Granite Cutters' Journal.

The dawn of a year is inseparable from a feeling of hope-it means opportunity. Opportunity is all that the outside world can give us; the ability and wisdom to take advantage of opportunity must come from within. Opportunity is the key that opens the

way.

The year 1917 dawns upon a world engaged in a titanic conflict, with millions of men drawn in battle array upon fields that for many months have been drenched in blood. The wastage, the suffering and the pity of it all can not but cast a shadow over the whole world. But even in this terrible situation there is a gleam of hope. There may yet be opportunity to bring out of it all a better organization for freedom and for human welfare.

The fighting alone can not bring about that for which we hope; that can come only by consecrating the unutterable suffering of the men and women and children of Europe to a tremendous, purposeful, unselfish effort to put aside everything else but the best interests of humanity in the future.

The hope for peace turns eagerly to the dawn of 1917 in fearful anticipation lest any opportunity be unavailing. In our own country we find unrest and conditions that may lead to grave consequences, even to a reversal of the wheels of progress, but there is an element of hope in it all, for there is opportunity, and the eyes of the masses of the common people are looking forward; they have not lost the larger vision; they are not willing to sell the birthright of freedom for a

mess of pottage. The hope and the spirit of the people is enough to swing the whole nation past impending dangers and carry us ever onward toward wider freedom and higher ideals.

Though there are problems and dangers on every hand, the organized labor movement of America faces the dawn of another year with greater numbers, more united ranks, and with a spirit of unity that is greater than in any preceding year.

There is a spirit of militancy, an aggressive insistence upon rights and justice, that indicates that the opportunities of 1917 will be used for the betterment of all humanity.

Immeasurable opportunities lie in the coming year. It will depend upon the men and women of labor how the opportunities will be used. Men of labor renew your consecra-, tion to the cause and let your determination be firm that not one backward step will be taken; that the whole mass of humanity shall press forward to a better life; gird yourselves for renewed efforts; be on tiptoe for the work of the coming year and the years to come.

A happy and successful New Year to all.

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T

HE labor movement had its birth in the womb of oppression, and will live and grow stronger until it has removed the cause which brought it into existence. As long as men and women feel the yoke of economic slavery, as long as there can be heard a wail of agony from a hovel of poverty, as long as insatiable greed mocks the agony of the struggling millions whose sweat is minted into didivends, just so long shall the workers of the world protest against the system that robes the few in broadcloth and the many in rags.

Exploiters in every nation of the world have united to crush the movement that is giving battle to industrial despotism, but the cause that was founded on those eternal principles that breathe a higher civilization for humanity will stimulate the workers of the world to come together into a mighty army that will yet be invincible in righting the wrongs that afflict the toiling millions of the earth.

Wrong upon the throne and right upon the cross, that have marked the centuries of the past, are lighting the tapers of intelligence in the mental chambers of common humanity, and now in the morning light of the twentieth century the slave of industrial oppression is rising from his knees and standing on his feet, to demand that man shall wear upon his brow the crown of economic liberty.

"Education and slavery cannot exist together in one land," and as the vision of the toiler becomes clearer to discern the brutality of the economic system that enslaves the many and enriches the few, he places his individuality behind the fortress of the labor organization, feeling and believing that men cemented together by the ties of class interest can and will usher in a civilization where man, woman and child shall be free.

Labor is no longer in its swaddling clothes, but has assumed the proportions of a lusty manhood and the economic tyrant whose lips were once curled with a sneer of derision at labor's weakness, has become pallid with fear, for he knows that labor is fast becoming a

giant and that resistance to tyranny is obedience to God. He knows that right must prevail amid the wreck of empires and the crash of thrones, amid the scrattering of kingdoms and the fall of nations, and as he looks into the future he can behold the cross of labor entwined with the evergreen of hope, and the victims of exploitation welcoming the dawn of that day when gold shall be no longer god among the nations of the world.

The wrongs of the centuries are piled mountain high, but labor is fighting the battle of all ages, and when the smoke has died away in the distance, the slave will become a man, "the noblest work of God."

It is true that the road to victory will not be strewn with roses, but men and women who loath tyranny and love liberty will not halt or falter in the onward march that leads to the goal of economic freedom. The spirit that hurled regal imperialism from the bosom of a western continent and the love of liberty that shattered the auction block and clothed the black man in the robes of citizenship lives in the yearning hearts of the exploited millions, and their crusade against the injustice that is bred from wrong economic conditions will triumph over all the forces that for ages have enslaved the human race. The royal parasite in his gilden palace, as well as the greed-crazed financier in his counting room, are listening to the mighty voice of labor that is becoming more potent throughout the nations of the world, and they can hear the tread of that increasing army, whose economic and political power will yet tear tyranny from its throne of despotism and bequeath the man that heritage which the conspiracy of the centuries has stolen from humanity. The future is pregnant with mighty changes, and it requires no prophet to predict the coming time when the brutal system that builds a prison and a palace, that breeds a pauper and a prince, a master and a slave, shall be consigned to oblivion and there shall be ushered in the sunlight of a civilization, where man can obey the scriptural mandate, "Love thy neighbor as thyself."

Per Capita Stamps.

A number of Locals have not sent in their orders for 1917 per capita stamps as yet and the Secretary-Treasurer would like for them to do so and avoid delay.

The per capita stamps for 1917 are blue, similar to those used in 1915. On each page of a due book there are twelve marked squares for the twelve months of the year designated at the top of the page and each page should have stamps of only one color. Some of the due books received at this office have different colored stamps on the same page. This is not right and the due book is not properly stamped if it is stamped this way, and each member should see that he receives the proper per capita stamp when he pays his dues.

There are also a number of books coming to this office that have not the per capita tax paid up, and the secretary-treasurer will not issue new books to members whose books are stamped in this manner. A secretary just placing the date mark in the month when a member paid his dues is guilty of violating the duties of his office and a member accepting his book stamped in this manner is not paid up in the International Union as he has not a per capita stamp placed in his book. The stamp in a due book is a receipt for the money paid and no book is recognized which does not bear the per capita stamps.

Locals Reorganized.

Local Union No. 70, of Erie, Pa., has reorganized with a good membership, and from the interest taken in the Local by the brothers, it promises to be a good and flourishing Local and with the newly elected officers, we can look for good results from Erie in the near future.

Local Union No. 42, of Lowell, Mass., has been reorganized through the efforts of Lawrence Keefe, First Vice-President of the International Union, and George Ahearn, Secretary of the new Local. They have started out with about thirty members. These brothers have been out of the organization for some time and have realized that without organization

they could not accomplish much or improve their conditions, so they have decided to try once more and from the outlook, they intend to interest themselves in the Local and try to better their conditions in the near future. We feel confident that if they are conservative in their undertaking, both Erie and Lowell will be heard from in the near future as being in the front row with the other Locals.

Mass Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Secretary-Treasurer received an invitation from Local Union No. 15, of Cleveland, Ohio, to visit their Local and attend a mass meeting of employers and employes, and submitted the same to the Executive Council, who instructed the Secretary-Treasurer to attend said meeting. Mr. Bernard Koelzer, President of the National Association of Master Horseshoers, accepted the invitation from the Master Horseshoers, of Cleveland, Ohio, to attend the meeting.

The meeting was held on Saturday evening, January 6th, at the K. of P. Hall, which was brilliantly illuminated and decorated for the occasion.

The meeting was called to order by Mr. W. J. Roblin, member of the Master Horseshoers' Association, of Cleveland, Ohio, who, in making the opening speech stated the object of the meeting was to celebrate the good work which had been accomplished in the City of Cleveland through conference with the Journeymen in the four years in which they had been working together, and to bring the horseshoers of Cleveland together for the purpose of having them become better acquainted with each other.

President Koelzer of the Masters' Association was then introduced and he made a very eloquent speech on the benefits of organization. At the conclusion of President Koelzer's remarks, Chairman Roblin then introduced Hubert S. Marshall, Secretary-Treasurer of the Journeymen Horseshoers' Organization, who dwelt on the past history of both organizations and the cause of a great deal of trouble which has held back progress of horseshoeing and

which the Journeymen are again confronted with by the action of the last convention of the Master Horseshoers in the wording of agreements. Brother Marshall hoped that the time was near when the two organizations would be able to get together and eliminate these objectional features which have confronted the Journeymen from time to time and that they would be able to progress in the future under local jurisdiction.

Mr. Roblin then introduced Mr. J. P. Smith, President of the Ohio State Organization of Master Horseshoers, who spoke on organization and the advancement being made by the horseshoers in the State of Ohio at the present time.

A number of other speakers were called upon, who favored conference and very eloquently thanked the Journeymen for the support they had given the employers of Cleveland in bringing about the conditions which now prevail.

At the close of the meeting, Chairman Roblin invited all those present to another part of the hall where an eloquent spread had been prepared. Chairman Roblin acted as toastmaster and informed the guests that it was time to eat, drink and be merry and that they had listened to the speech making in the first part of the meeting and would now have a little enjoyment. Mr. Roblin then introduced the Harry Lauder, of Cleveland, who entertained with a fine selection of songs and other entertainments until

The Wisdom of Solomon.

Two men were arguing about the nationality of a man of their acquaintance. Not being able to decide, they referred the question to an Irishman, who was passing.

"Say Pat," one asked, "if English parents had a son born in France, would he be a Frenchman?"

"Arrah, now," said Pat. "If a cat should have kittens in the oven, would they be buiscuits?"

Economy.

Hokus-"Does your wife ever have any spasms of economy?"

Pokus-"Well, she's always talking about how much carfare we could save if we only had an automobile."

midnight when Brother D. J. Roberts, President of Local Union No. 15 again thanked all those present and assured them that this event was hereafter to be a yearly celebration and that he hoped all those who were present that evening would meet again a year hence. He then led the Horseshoers' quartette in singing Auld Lang Syne and then all went to their homes with a feeling of great satisfaction and enjoyment.

Dayton, Ohio.

On January 9th the Secretary-Treasurer received a letter from Local Union No. 74, of Dayton, Ohio, stating there was trouble in the shop of J. Markley & Son, and requested the Secretary-Treasurer to come to Dayton. The Secretary-Treasurer corresponded with the President and Secretary of No. 74 regarding the trouble which could not be adjusted, but owing to the slippery weather, postponed going to Dayton at that time.

On January 18th the Secretary-Treasurer attended the meeting of No. 74 and adjusted several misunderstandings and controversies which existed. The real cause of the trouble was that the Brothers had not taken time to read the constitution and by-laws of the International Union and become acquainted with same. The Secretary-Treasurer visited some of the shops on the 19th and returned to the office. Everything is moving along nicely in Dayton at the present time.

His Futile Attempt.

Mr. Scrappington (in the midst of his reading)-"Here is an item about a blasted fool who kissed his wife 2,500 times in one day."

Mrs. Scrappington-"Of course, he was a fool, to think he could deceive his wife that way! What does the account say he had been doing?"

Her Preference.

"Why don't you get married, my dear?" asked the matronly chaperon of the debu

tante.

"Not for mine, please. Courtship honk, honk, five dollars; marriage, ding, ding, nickel."-Columbia Jester.