Denni Hlasatel - The Newspaper

1901

Denní Hlasatel -- 6 April, 1901

The Only Union Bohemian Daily in Chicago.

Denni Hlasatel is now the only Bohemian daily in Chicago, which signed the agreement with the typographical union, observes it and is entitled to use the union protective label. Narod never was union, and Svornost's label was taken away when the agreement was grossly violated in that plant.

Every issue of Hlasatel is provided with the union label, which is to be found on page four. This is the best proof that our paper is union, and that the various reports circulated by our enemies, as though we had a strike at our plant, are nothing more than lies.

Several typesetters who wanted to be publishers and who stopped working when we refused to divide with them the results of ten years' work, can be called by any other name except strikers.

Everyone can understand that.

Actual proof, that there is no strike in our plant, is the fact, that strikers from Svornost and Narod came to us seeking employment, which they were given so far as it was possible to place them.

Denní Hlasatel -- 1 May, 1901

Tenth Anniversary

It is a habitual custom to celebrate ten year jubilees. Societies keep this custom, business men practice it and the newspapers, at least, remind their readers that after years they still exist. This is perfectly proper, for ten years indicate a long period of struggle and various happenings in the lives of individuals; a business enterprise, and especially a newspaper, experiences so much in ten years that an extensive volume could be written about it. The lives of Bohemian newspapermen, especially, are so affected. They battle against such unfavorable circumstances, such heedless rivalry and malicious envy, that ten years of their work is equivalent to twenty-five years' work in any other business.

We also have ten years of existence behind us, today. Those were trying times when Denni Hlasatel first saw the light of the world. Memories of the stormy days of 1886 were still fresh in the minds of all, radical labor still felt the blow given them by the brutal proceedings of the police, and the unjust condemnation of their leaders.

Labor did not despair, but worked energetically for the organization of proletarian lines.

The American Federation of Labor took the place of the weakened, inexperienced Knights of Labor; unions were formed and organized into central bodies. The influence of labor grew stronger and friends of real freedom expected that their ideals would soon be realized.

Those were beautiful days of enthusiasm. In that period May 1st played a gigantic role. It was the one real labor holiday, chosen by labor and serving its purposes exclusively. How imposing were those marches in the downtown district, how proudly the participants walked, how cheerfully and enthusiastically they looked toward the future, and how the capitalists and their servants shook!

May 1st was one of the most powerful agitation methods of labor and local politicians diverted this remarkable movement to the benefit of the capitalists, when they established a State labor holiday, which gradually superseded the first of May, which then degenerated into a pure and simple political agitation.

On May 1st, 1891, when enthusiasm for the labor holiday was at its height, Denni Hlasatel began to appear. Bohemian typesetters, who up to that time were without any organization and whose circumstances were very sad, such in fact, as in the Bohemian newspaper business of Chicago,which at that time simply vegetated, combined themselves into a union, and when the employers refused to accede to their requests for a shortening in the hours of labor, and an increase of wages, they organized their own newspaper, Denni Hlasatel, which was warmly welcomed by the Bohemian public, especially the workingmen, who accorded it fitting support.

The program of the paper was then the same as the one we now hold to, that is, to use our influence to the utmost for the organization of labor to strive to join the forces of Bohemians and labor and not to force them apart, and for this purpose, to avoid religious quarrels: rebuke evil, without regard as to who did it, and praise good deeds, everywhere, by any one. Our paper wanted to reach all layers of society, to awaken to the value of reading, those who thus far only occasionally had taken a newspaper into their hands. We can say without exaggeration, that we have adhered to our program and that we actually have achieved our goals.

It is understood, that our work was strenuous and that we were forced to overcome great obstacles.

Our sworn enemies were recruited from two camps; from the obstinate reactionaries and from crack-brained eccentrics. We still have these same enemies, only their power is broken and their poisonous weapons have passed from usefulness.

We do not want to elaborate on this matter, for most of our readers experienced these happenings with us and the memory is still fresh with them. We will bring out only the most important happenings, those which affected the development of this paper.

In the fall of 1890, the Bohemian country was visited by severe floods, and American-Bohemians, readily and generously, contributed to collections made for the purpose of alleviating the suffering and poverty of those stricken by the floods.

The local daily Svornost was at that time in the sunshine of its power and fame. Its proprietor, Aug. Geringer, considered himself an all-powerful Pasha, who could permit himself all the greater violations without fear of punishment. But in Hlasatel there came into existence, for him, an immovable judge and chastiser. Soon after coming into existence, Hlasatel discovered that the collections for the flood victims in Bohemia had not been forwarded to the proper places, thus far, by Mr. Geringer.

Unmistakable proof was found, and at the beginning of the month of August there was called by the "Tel. Jednota Sokol," ("Gymnastic Union Sokol"), an indignation meeting of the people, against Geringer. The attendance was gigantic and the exciting scenes played there were forever impressed on the minds of the participants. Geringer was placed on a pillory there, and this was the beginning of the end of his reign.

Fire-eating radicals, whose rallying point was the "Literary Society" soon realized, that Hlasatel had no intention of becoming the instrument for the diffusion of their foolish views. Therefore, in a short time, their apparent friendliness had changed to unfriendliness. It was one Sunday in the fall of 1892, when into Hlasatel's place of business there came a deputation from the "Literary Society," asking for nothing less, than that the paper be given into its hands.

The visitors received the answer which they deserved and from that time they have persecuted and they still persecute us, although they are only making a laughing stock of themselves with their impotent rage.

At the time they promised to have revenge, because we did not deliver into their fumbling hands everything which we accomplished with great hardship. They brought Herz from New York, ( he now serves the Republican party), and he, with the callousness and energy peculiar to his breed, began to agitate against Hlasatel and helped organize the ill-famed Pravo Lidw, (Peoples Right), which pulled Bohemian journalism into the mud and filth. Its early inglorious end filled all decent people with satisfaction.

A very important step, not only for us but for various Bohemian daily papers in Chicago, was taken by Hlasatel in the spring of 1893, in the establishment of a ten cent weekly collection. This proved so satisfactory, that all local Bohemian dailies, whether they already existed or were founded later, established collections after our example.

Up to the time, when Hlasatel came out, the newspaper business in Chicago and throughout the whole of America was as though ossified.

No liveliness, no energy, and, consequently, no results. Publishers held to all the old traditions, innovations were laughed at and damned.

The "Boys from Hlasatel," our esteemed old colleagues called us in those days, but in that stagnant, rotten water of Bohemian journalism they did a proper right about face, and results came. Today, although the number of Bohemian inhabitants in Chicago has not increased much, at least, four times as many people than formerly read Bohemian. Today, men, discuss political and world matters, who, years ago, has nothing on their mind except the path to their work, and back to their homes. The thought levels of our ordinary Bohemian people have been broadened and through them cultural standards have been elevated. Credit for this belongs to Denni Hlasatel and the new methods of journalism instituted by it.

Our aim always has been and still is, not only to maintain the high standard of our paper, but according to our means, to improve it.

With this in mind, in the year 1895, we installed a large rotary press in the building at 624 S. Centre Ave., and moved our business there. However, when our business continued to expand and the premises there proved to be too small, we decided to erect our own building. In this we were guided by the thought, that our building should serve towards the beautification of "Bohemian Pilsen", and at the same time provide our workingmen with various comforts and comply with all health requirements. In this we differed substantially from other publishers, who provided space for their workingmen in lightless, airless, rooms, where their health suffered greatly.

We plunged into debt and anxiety, in order to provide the workingmen and, incidentally, our selves, for all shareholders in Hlasatel are also workers, with a place to work in, such as befits workingmen.

In the early part of December, 1899, we moved into the present quarters, in our building, at 18th Street and Ashland Avenue.

From there Denni Hlasatel is sent upon its daily pilgrimage and also from there Hlasatel is sent, twice each week, to all parts of America, wherever Bohemians are settled. Of late we have installed typesetting machines in our plant, merely for the purpose of enabling us to give our readers the best reading material possible. From now on we will issue a twelve-page newspaper on Wednesdays and Sundays, and if it becomes possible for us to do so, oftener, later on.

This is a brief summary of the most important happenings during our ten years of existence. That we always have supported organized progressive labor, that we wrote about everything, which could benefit our Bohemian countrymen in Chicago and America, that we endeavored that among us should be maintained a love for our nationality and the land of our forefathers; to this, all those who have read our paper will testify. However, even we are fallible, therefore, we do not want to make the assertion, that even with the best intention, we were sometimes unable to avoid mistakes, but this much is certain, that everything which we did came from the conviction that thereby we were working in the interests of our beloved people.

That our people recognize this, they best demonstrate with the rock-bound faith which they display towards us. Selfish baiters, people, on whose toes we some-times stepped, or told the truth to, and various other enemies, endeavor in vain to shake this faith. We value this faith and will do everything in our power to keep it.

We have a firm belief, that after ten more years have elapsed, Denni Hlasatel will be the largest and best liked paper in Chicago.