Show THE INDUSTRIAL ARMY What I Is Composed of By One from the Rank Having seen In several of the newspapers newspa-pers severe comments upon the different editorials and remarks which have ediorials rcm31s from time to time appeared in The Herald in reference to the socalled industrial or commonweal should be commonwoe armies and knowing from actual experience ex-perience that The Herald remarks were true or nearly so and that the strictures strict-ures etC of its opposing papers were unjust un-just and were dictated by ignorance of the character of the men composing the armies or else were written under the mistaken idea that they would gain pop ularity by favoring the movement of these misguided men I thought that perhaps a few words would be timely from one whose circumstances had compelled com-pelled him to gain an inside knowledge of the men who are in the movement Remember I do not say thera are no honest men in the movement but I will wi write what I know and you and the pub lie can judge for themselves I have been residing in California for about four years but owing to sickness and a serious accident was unable to make or save more than enough for a bare living but I would say right here that at no time was there such a state of affairs in California that I could not obtain work when I was able to work and when I would leave San Francisco The city is overcrowded and there its it-s at times impossible to obtain wont I do not mean to say that I could always get work at my trade for I could not but I could and did get work that would enable me to earn sufficient to dress decently cent and have comfortable food and lodgings and I contend that even this is a more honorable and American way Amerian of livinR during the present hard times than begging alms from others who are themselves barely able to earn a liv ing for themselves and these dependent upon them To be as brief as I can however I earned that the city in conjunction with the Southern Pacific railroad and Salva ton army was sending men east as far as Ogden and that once there we would probably be sent on and as I had no steady work I resolved to come So obtaining ob-taining the necessary letters of recommendation recom-mendation to the committee on transportation transpor-tation I with twelve others were furnished fur-nished transportation to Ogden Now of the twelve men besides myself who composed the party four 5elf had been cooks two Danes two Germans The two Danes and one of the Germans I told me that they nad left places in San Francisco because t er wages had been somewhat reduced I think in no case did I the reduction exceed 35 per month Would It not have been better to have submit ted to this than to have left certainty for uncertainty Anyone seeing the other man drink would know why he was out of employment employ-ment Four more were undoubtedly and unquestionably bums and tinhorns confidence men they begged on the train of the other passengers and at every station sta-tion and two to my certain knowledge remained in Ogden for several weeks making no effort to obtain work but soliciting so-liciting alms on the streets at which judging from what one told mehe said they would ask the passersby for money mon-ey for fopd or for lodging and sometimes would be taken to the restaurants that he had been compelled to eat three meals in one hour they must have been quite successful Of the remaining four one had been a resident of Salt Lake and wanted to reach his home in Mcntana and also succeeded and of two making up the twelve I know nothing I myself got a cheap lodging and succeeded in obtaining ob-taining despite rather poor health sufficient suffic-ient work to earn enough to pay my lodging and live and even occasionally help a little some poorer brother Now when the first army Kellys came to Ogden whare they were encamped en-camped some days many of the men finding camping out as it was cold and miserable would come up town and get lodgings and I had an excellent opportunity op-portunity being amongst and of them though not as a spy God forbid for it is only a desire to let vhe truth be known that prompts me to write this for I too was and am now one without steady employment to hear them express their opinions and motives and could thus form a fair and impartial opinion of their reasons for joining the army That there were honest men among them I know that there many rogues tricksters and tramps I also know as witness the following One man who seemed well dressed in other respects was bemoaning the fact of his pants being warn out So I took him to my room and offered him a pair they were rather small ao I took off the ones I had on and cave to him they fitted except being too short but could be let out which he said he would have done So I gave him them and took him to a tailors Here to niy surprise he exhibited ex-hibited more money than I had myself been in possession of for some time and also showed me a nice watch and chain I had my one extra suit hanging under a curtain in my room I was goipg to give the vest to a friend When I looked to get it it was gone I closed the door and was absent about ten or fifteen minutes When I returned the pants were gone bo I at once took th < coat and gave it away lest that should also join the army whither the vest and pants hid already gone as there was no lodgers in the home save members thereof Now when the second army came through thera were four members of the army stopping at the house and two others who had belonged to the first Kellys army but had been left in the City hospital and had been discharged therefrom making six in all These six not without some reluctance on the part of two of them went up town and there they all received a completeoutfit everyone every-one a suit of clothing some even two coats two suits of underclothing over shirts hats and shoes and each one a counterpane or blanket some both of them Inside of air hour four out of the six had sold all they had received and were drinking the proceeds They were drunk that day and night part of the time drinking aJsohol or as they called it alky The other two who by the 1 ray were those who were reluctant to go went to Salt Lake in rearch of work and I hope and believe jot it as they both seemed to be honest and wellmeaning men though one of these told me that it was the drinking habit that had made rim poor Now to sum up the army may safely be said to be composed about as follows About forty per cent bums men who do not want to work at anything but are willing to tramp and be dirty provided they can get enough to eat ana en occasional oc-casional booze which seems 10 be their i Idea of happiness About thirty per cent I are men who live or have friends in the eaft and want to get there They have no idea or had none when they joined the army of going to Washington but will drop off when they get near tf > e point they desire to reach Of the remaining thirty per cent the majority are doubteuiy honest mechanics or working men but of the class that will not or cannot seethe see-the hard times caused by an overcrowded labor market and are not willing to work unless they get the best wages and short hours It is right they should have this hut they cannot expect to succeed In setting set-ting it as long as the world is as it is They will never attain it by marching to Washington associated with a party a large percentage of whom are tramps or worse But I believe the time will come when in this country at least all who are willing to work will have no difficulty in getting it at fair wages As to how this happy and desired state of affairs should be and will be eventually brought about I will give my views should The Herald or Its readers so desire de-sire and also my Ideas as to the cause or causes of hard tunes for they are not occasioned by either tariff or free trade or free coinage or nonfree coinage of silver But I believe the real cause and the real and only remedies therefor can be made apparent to any one with common sense and sound honest unselfish judgment H |