By 1948, complaining about O’Fallon’s younger generation was a time-honored tradition
Older generations complaining about younger ones is a time-honored tradition.
Witness this critique of young newlyweds that appeared in the O’Fallon Progress in August 1948. Keep in mind this was just three years after the end of World War II:
“Thirty years ago, when a couple got married, they took a trip to Niagara Falls, if they could afford it; if not they took a much shorter trip, and missed a few days work.
“Now they go to California, Florida or Mexico, and spend as much as it took to set up housekeeping formerly.
“Thirty years ago the same young people set up housekeeping with a coal stove, a kitchen range and some modest furniture, much of it given by their folks.
“Today they expect to start in with an electric refrigerator, an electric or gas stove, automatic heat of some kind, swell rugs and furniture; in brief, with everything that their folks have had after 25 years of work, only newer and better.
“Thirty years ago they walked; today they expect to start out with a pretty nice car. Then they may have had an old phonograph; today it is a record player and radio, and perhaps television. Then they worked 10 hours a day or so; today it’s eight hours or less for five days.
“Thirty years ago young people got married and had the responsibility of children.
“Today they just have the children.”
75 years ago, Aug. 26, 1948
Members of the Junior City League, who were engaged in a league contest Monday evening, were putting forth their best in an effort to impress Alpha Brazle, Cardinal pitcher, who was witnessing the game.
Brazle, who was driving through the city, stopped to watch a few innings of the ball game. He commented favorably on the team spirit and ability of the boys and congratulated those in charge for their interest in the youth of the community.
(Alpha “Al” Brazle spend his entire Major League Baseball career with the St. Louis Cardinals, 1943, 1946-54.)
50 years ago. Aug. 23, 1973
Six laborers working at the Storyland Mobile Home Park reported they were attacked by a mob of 40 to 50 men Saturday morning.
One of the six workers, 23-year-old Edward Meyers of Alton was taken to Memorial Hospital with head injuries after being struck over the head with a shovel.
The six told O’Fallon police that seven carloads of men pulled up to the construction site, picked up picks and shovels and other objects, and began beating them.
John Story, owner of the park, told the Progress that he was in his office when the attack occurred and called the police to the scene. Story said that he knows who was behind the attack Saturday morning and has hired an attorney to prosecute the men involved.
Police responded to Story’s call at 10:30 a.m. When they arrived the fight was over and a number of the men reported that Meyers had been taken to the hospital with head injuries.
Descriptions of four of the cars which carried the mob to the scene were given to police along with descriptions of one or two of the attackers.
Police also picked up a number of the items at the scene which were supposedly used to beat the men. Among the items were a shovel, a pick, a ball-peen hammer, a metal stake, and a level.
A meeting between Story and members of local labor unions including Laborers Local 670 in O’Fallon and from the Belleville Local, was held last week, Story said.
“They wanted me to lay off some of my men and hire theirs. I told them I would have to think about it and let them know at the end of this week,” Story said.
Story said that the men he has working for him, all from Alton, are hired by him year-round, although they do not belong to any laborers union.
“I pay my men $5 or $6 an hour instead of $9 or $10 simply because the people we build for can’t afford that labor price,” Story said.
Arthur Roberts, business agent for the O’Fallon local, said that the meeting held last week was a “peaceful one.”
“We just wanted to see if we could get some of our men in there to work,” Roberts said.
Roberts added that he had heard about Saturday’s attack but had no idea who was behind the incident. Roberts denied any connection Story may think he had with Saturday’s melee.
“In fact,” Roberts said, “I wasn’t even in town when it happened.”
Story said, “The Good Lord will punish those men. My attorney (labor attorney John Harris of St. Louis) told me that we have a very good case against these men.”
According to Dave Horton, zoning administrator for O’Fallon, Story was in violation of city ordinances when having men working at the park.
“He has no city permit for construction,” Horton said, “simply because the Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals haven’t reviewed his plans.”
Horton issued a work stoppage order last week until the permit could be obtained from the city. He added that Story has the state permit but still needs one from the city.
“The commission and the zoning board may not approve the permit right away because of Story’s refusal to stop work on the site until he gets the permit,” Horton said.
Construction work to be done at the park includes the installation of new streets, sewers, and base pads for the trailers. Horton denied that he had been pressured by the labor local to shut down Story’s construction because of non-union workers but said that he had been contacted by labor union men before on some other construction.
“When an independent outfit was putting up homes on Lee and Howard Dr., the labor hall asked me not to issue a construction permit. I don’t care who’s working there. If they deserve a permit, they get it,” Horton said.
Local police officials report that no suspects have been found but added that the incident will not be taken lightly. Besides the bodily harm done to the workers, a chain digger had the lights and steering wheel broken, a truck windshield was smashed, and lights were broken off and dirt was put in the gas tank and radiator of another tractor.
(Storyland, later known as Rock Springs Mobile Home Park, was located on Scott-Troy Road, just north of MotoMart on Route 50. It’s now the site of Aberdeen Village townhomes.)
