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Name: Jane K. Leary „*32 Acorn St. June 27,
Informant: Patrickplk. Ryan, 152 Jackson St.
Subject: The Shoo Machinery Worker
1939
/7
jjO 1934
I/When I wus thirteen I quit school and quit helpint
my father in the ten footer ant went ta work in a shoe
shop down town. I done what sus called feedinl the nailer.
I put nails in the heal that goes on the shoe and then
put the heel on the machine. The operator then fastened
the heel on the shoe by the =flint machine.. It was
called the nailer.
"The machine that does that taday is as diffrunt
taday.from that nailer I usta,feed as cheese is from
Taday ya donut need a bay ta feed the nails be..
cause the machine does it itself.
"I fed the nailer fur about three years and then
.5
I got a chance ta learn ta last hoes. Ant I stayed is
Ai
the lastint fink until 1899 when my father died.
lotta the men that worked in the same rink with
as, rose up ta something in the years that followed. Jim
Daley wus one of them, "Golden Rule Jimmy* that started
the Golden Rule Shoe Shop in Lynn and got up to 'here be
wuz head of four plants ant hired arount 2000 men. He
was good ta the men that worked for him because he rose
up from the rink himself and he knew what it vus like ta
be one of the workers himself. I always say that a boy
that has ta take his knocks when he's young is more like
34y ta amount ta somethin, because be knows bow ta take it
on the chin when be grows up. I heard it said once that
a boys that gets his knocks when he's young, is like a
any, ball rolled in the snow. It gathers more snow each
time it's rolled around. That's the way it wuz with some
of them men in the rink. They started workint in ten
footers when they wuz boys, and they knowed-what hard
work wuz ant wuzn't afraid of it.
"Most a the big men in the country that are really
doinl things wuz poor boys. They learned how ta take
their knocks and go after what they wanted. They din't
jest wait aroun' ant expect someone to do it fur them.
"Jim failed after awhile and he got some workers
down on him because they lost their money. 7e, see, be
had the workers in his plant own the stock and when he
failed, they failed. He wuz jest aimin, ta try it over
again though ant he had a lotta men and money back of him
too. He woulda made a come back too, only he died jest
as be wuz startint. Too bad. He wuz a good fella, Jim.
Not everybody really blamed him, because they know it
wuzn't his fault."
My informant was speaking of James Daley, "Golden
Rule Jim" as he was famaliarly called by his associates
and employees. A laster in his early days, he had risen
to fame in organizing and running cooperative shoe
factories.
He like my informant had started work in shoe
factories at the age of 13, and at 21 was a full fledged
laster. After wandering to other shoe centers he finally
returned to Lynn and in 1924, with the aid of funds
raised by workers from a bankrupt shoe company, and of a
former Lynn pastor and mayor, be started his first "Golden
Rule" enterprise.
With this start and with about 35 workers, be rose
to the head of four plants that employed 2000 workers,
and had an annual payroll of $3,500,000. In his plants
was established the first five day week in shoe factories.
A fourteen week sick benefit of $14 was created for the
workers. Workers owned a good share of the enterprise of
the plants.
The depression took its toll of the liberal and
generous policies of "Golden Rule Jim" however, for he
failed, losing the investments of his followers. He was
not censored universally though, not even by many who
had lost heavily, for his integrity was unquestioned,
Lynn was rejoicing recently in his movements towards the
organization of another "Golden Rule" venture. Just as
he was ready to launch the plan however, he died in
June, 1939 of heart failure.
My informant expressed the opinion of many in
Lynn when be said, "It wuz too bad. Jim wuz a good
fella, Lynntll miss him."
In 1899 my father died. I got a chance to quit
the shoe factory and go to work for my uncle who awned
the Bresnahan Machine Factory in Lynn. I never got
along good with my uncle but it wuz a good 'steady job
ant I had a young family on my hands at home. I worked
there for eleven years when the United bought out my
uncle's place and I went over to Beverly. I wuz there
for 25 years before I had ta quit.,
"It wuz jest five years ago, come this July that
I caved in ant had ta quit. First I thought it wuz a
shock. I woke up at four o'clock in the mornint and
cuntt use my one arm. Cuntt even move myself at all
hardly. And I never been back to the shop since.
"For sometime before that I knowed I'd havta quit
soon. Every time Itd lift that heavy iron shoe last ta
fasten it to the beatint out machine, my heart would beat
sop I'd think it wuz goint to burst right through my
shirt. I wuz takint medicine fur it fur some time, be—
cause I wanted to hold out as long as I could. So when
the time come, that mornint at four at clock I wuzntt sa
se5a.
much surprised. Fur a time there I thought I wuz done
fur completely.
"An I guess there wuz others that thought the same
thing. They took me to a hospital after a while. And
some even thought I had a cancer. Ant they wanted ta ship
me clear out ta the western parta the state ta a cancer
home. But my wife spoke up to the doctor.
"You got a mother has the cancer, ain't ya?',
she asked him.
"'Yes', he told her.
"'Well, would ya send her ta a home ta die?'
"'No', be said, But you ain't well yourself,
How can you look after him/1
"'Don't you worry none about that. If bets got a
cancer and is agonna die, he kin come home. He'll get
looked afterl
flyy wife had four operations herself, ya see. She
wuzn't well. But she brought me home. Ant ya know I
dint have a cancer at all. I seen a doctor some time
after an he said, 'You ain't got no more cancer than I
got.'
"Ant if Itda gone out ta that home, like as not,
theytda,cut ant cut, jest ta try ta find out something,.
That's all right if a man is dead but I don't want no
experimentin! on me long's I'm alive. I get too much
satisfaction outa livini.
"I knowed a man ant he dintt have no family left
but a nephew. Ant they sent him there. When they come
ta operate, they hada have some one sign the papers so
they went to the nephew.,
"tSure, Itll sign,' said the nephew, And he did.
"Well sir, they cut that man this way ant that
way. And a course he died. my wife dintt want them ta
do that ta me."
"We're both pretty happy. We got eiough to get
along on ant we dontt havta ask nothing a our children.
tStead a that we're helpint them.
"After I wuz outa work a whole year ant they seen
at the shoe machinery that I cuntt come back atall they
give my son a job in place a me, besides helpint me with
them checks I told ya about and givint me stocks.
"And them stocks with the others I bought are
worth moretn eight hundred dollars taday. I kin go right
down ta the bank any time I want ant borrow money on that.
Two years ago when my wife ant daughter wanted to go back
ta Ireland ta see her mother I went down ant raised the
money fur her ta go. Got five hundred dollars. Since
then I paid that back and not along ago my son come ta
me ant said, II want ta build a garage on my land.'
"I told me I'd borrow on them stocks agin if he'd
pay the intrist regular and the principal when he could.
So we went down ta the bank and raised $200 just like
snappin' your finger. He built the garage, and he's
paid the intrist every time it's come due too. He ain't
paid the principle yet, but he's good fur it.
"I helped my other children too, all except the
one's that single. She works at the shoe machinery too
ant gets her $22 every week. No sir, my children don't
need ta do nothin, fur us. We're the ones that helpin'
them. Ant I'm glad of it too. There's nothint like
beim' able ta take care a yourself.