hiE CLOSE
D SHOP.
places Capital and Labor Upon
an Equal Footing.
'
VALUE OF ORGANIZATION.
.Increases the Wageworkers' Power For
Regulating Conditions of Toil The
-,. Open Shop Means Dependence,
Weakness and Poverty.
Is not meant that the unions Khali
manage the situation in a few indus
tries scattered here and there over the
country, as we now have in the build
in?,' trades, the printing shops, the
foundry shops and a few others.
These are but pioneers iu a great
movement. And even in such an in
complete and fragmentary state of or
ganization as labor is at the present,
only 10 per cent. I am not able to find
a single case in which the fact that
labor is completely organized in any
particular trade U inimical to Mm in.
-terests of the wage earners at work in
that particular industry. But even it
such a case exists it does not follow
that the evils now incident to a union
shop would continue under a univer
sal poncy. I or it Is highly probable
that labor associations, maintaining a
closed shop under present conditions,
ivrnu iv irauu iv measures wnicn
.would be altogether unnecessary ii
f - Vl UJj'Vl L, KJL 1 11C
whole wage earning class. The prac
tice of carrying organization to its log
ical completeness is based upon a deep
principle. It is the element of unity
in ;niodern life. But so long as laboi
is divided against itself it must reap
the fruits of disunion.
Indeed, the wonderful growth and
development which labor has achieved
tnrougn organization in the last decade
nu jluciuj uujiuuit'B wiiicn nave
bisected its path have scarcely had
their parallel in history. The problems
which have presented themselves to
such men as (Joinpers and Mitchell
uaic nceu numerous anu. intricate.
With one hand they have successfully
gained concessions from capital. Fre
quently, however, they have been fore
id to resort to the instruments of wai
-the strike and the boycott which at
1mo2 h.OVO hoan nr cwMiirliirl r,n 1 tt Vvtt 1
' - v-m i'i v-iuuuv vfixiy ujr LUC
they have grappled with the problem
Of .disunion among their own mem
bers; Out of such incongruous condi
tions the laboring class is being mold
id into a homogeneous unit.
jf h common state and those destined
to a common fate into a unity of ac
tion for the purpose of securing mu
tual benefits, is odiously styled the pol
Icy , of the "closed shop." But it sim-
zations, a union of unions, national,
state and local. Certainly every wage
earner should be a member of that
union which deals directly with his
own craft. And out of the different
trade unions in any given industry
should be formed an industrial union.
These would serve as a foundation
upon which to build the superstruc
ture of a more perfect organization,
embracing every trade and labor asso
ciation, including all grades of arti
sans, skilled and unskilled, and bring
ing together labor in whatever form it
may be found.
. There-are some today who contend
to work iu an "open shop" and live
under rules and regulations made in
the employer's office, where labor is
not represented. The same spirit
which animated the American colo
nists to take up arms against tho Dry
ish crown is tTie same spirit' win-Pi Is
causing the laboring class to fight foi
the control of labor.
The "open shop" means that the
wage earner must submit to the rul
ings of his employer and at the same
time meet the fierce competition of
oth-r workmen. In short, it means
dependence, weakness, poverty. Under
such conditions labor is limited to the
strike and teoyeott as means or instru
ments for defending its just claims.
But the union shop eliminates cut
throat competition, places capital and
lahor upon an equal footing, and to
the wageworkers it brings independ
ence, strength, prosperity. These are
valuable assets to any class. Com
plete organization, adds to the poten
tiality of the unions, increases their
power for regulating conditions of
work, gives definiteness and eoneiete
riess to their aims and remunerates
concerted action with visible and tan
gible returns. And not until both cap
ital and labor are strong enough to
command the respect of the other can
Arbitration be substituted for conten
tion and negotiation for strife. But
with capital strongly organized and
labor united under a democratic fed
eration the two can then moot upon
common grounds and settle I'r dis
putes without violence or witnout do
ing hurt to either side.
The whole argumeut for the union
shop clusters about the one question,
Who shall control labor shall it be
in the hands of the employers or shall
the laborers control themselves? Be
cause a man Is a laborer he is no less
fit to be free. Honest work is no bar
to industrial citizenship. Because a
man is a wage earner he is no less a
patriot. No country can be free which
allows its workmen, the men who sup
port it, to be oppressed. No class in
civilized society can be free in which
the principle of absolute individualism
Is the basis of action. Every workman
is a vital part of the wage earning
class, and the good of the whole de
mands that he shall act in harmony
with his organic relations. W. P. Sta
cy in American Federationist,
The Writ of Injunction.
In the federal courts Judge Taft long
ago paved the way and built the foun
dation for the abuse and perversion of
the injunction writ. He issued this
species of injunction while judge, and
he defended it during his presidential
campaign and in bis inaugural ad
dress, in his speeches at Worcester,
Mass., and Passaic. N. J., last year
and again in his message to the pres
ent session of congress. The fact of
the matter is that the Moon bill, the
enactment of which the president
urged, would not remove one wrong
or rectify one jot of the injunction
abuse and perversion. Its enactment
would simply have this one effect it
would legalize and give statutory au
thority for the issuance of these in
junctions. It would put on the statute
books in the form of a law what is
now simply judicial invasion, court
made laws. Samuel. Gompers.
To Fight Yellow Labor,
The International union with which
the unions of cooks, waiters and res
taurant employees of the country are
affiliated has informed the unions of
these crafts in San Francisco that it
will aid them financially in the fight
to exclude all Asiatics from employ
ment in saloons and restaurants in that
Pity. . -
, Convict Labor In Michigan.
In its report to the legislature the
Michigan commission on. prison indus
tries recommends that the contract la
bor system now in vogue in the penal
institutions of the state be abolished
and will urge adoption of the state ac
count system or some other loore sat
isfactory one than that under winch
the convicts are now employed.
IN THE WORLD OF
SPORT
Zbysco, Who May Be Gotch's
Next Opoonent.
j j This means that each, college will hold
its sports as usual, -but will at the
same time play against some other
7 ritish college. At Oxford, too, it has
been found that there is a lack of
keenness about competitions closed to
any one of the. many colleges there. '
WTrestling in this country is receiv
ing quite a boom this winter. In fact,
more bouts have been held in America
this season than has been the case for
many years. The magnet has been so
great that it has attracted nearly all
the foreign mat artists of note. Among
those here are Hackenschmidt, the
"Russian Lion;" Yusuf Mahmout, Tur
key's best wrestler, and Zbysco, the
Polish champion. All three are travel
ing around the country meeting all
comers. Later these men will meet in
a round robin tournament, the winner
to be given a chance to match with
Champion Frank Gotch.
Syracuse May Have Crew.
"We've got to have a crew this year,
and we're going to have one," is what
every undergraduate of the University
of Sj'racuse is saying. Over $1,000 has
been pledged, and most of this came
from the engineers, who are always
the first on duty when it comes to do
ing anything for their alma mater. A
short meeting was held after chapel
Tuesday, and at this time about $700
was raised. It was later voted to im
pose a tax of $3.50 on every man in
applied science.
When you mention the crew situa
tion to the Orange student you touch
him nearest his heart. The collegians
are behind their teams and crews.
The matter has had a great deal of
discussion from the alumni, and they
are expected to chip in and help clear
the debt. The situation was put up
to the men of the university in plain
terms in a recent mass meeting. There
were no delays, one speaker succeed
ing another, and the remarks were
close to the point.
Coach Ten Eyck compared the situ
ation to that of Columbia recently,
when the Morningside men had to
raise $8,000 or give up their crew.
"If Columbia can do this," he said,
"judging from the indications Syra
cuse will have a crew on the river in
June." Doc John Cunningham has
something up his sleeve. lie said he
had his eyes on a prominent Syracuse
business man who Avould guarantee to
raise half the money if the students
would raise the other half, the matter
of $3,500.
Athletic Cup on "Knockout" Plan.
Cambridge University Athletic club
of England will provide a challenge
cup which is to be. competed fy- by
each col lege on the "knockout", plan.
Hart to Lead Tigers Again.
Edward J. Hart of the Princeton
football team has been re-elected cap
tain. Hart is a member of the class
of 1912, and his home is in Exeter, N.
II. He is one of the few Princeton
players to be elected captain in their
junior year and has the further honor
of having been elected to lead the var
sity football team two years in succession.
Football Aids Coffers.
With the exception of college base
ball, football is the only branch of
. , . i- ....... f . . ti . rr I . tt..
ei'ui l i.iict l imy& iui iiseii. i lit; iiai-
vard annual report shows that more
than $88,000 was earned by the foot
ball squad last season, which more
than made up a deficiency in other
sports. Rowing cost Harvard about
C15,000.
Trying to Organize Polo League.
New York Athletic club swimmers
are trying to effect the organization of
an intercity water polo league, to in
clude Chicago, New York, Philadel
phia, Boston, Pittsburg and possibly
St. Louis. The idea is to have play
during the winter season.
West Wants Rowing Regatta.
Minnesota university is nursing a
movement to establish a western col
lege rowing regatta on the Mississippi.
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Washington,
Nebraska and possibly Michigan will
De mviteu to sena crews.
English Fighter to Come Over.
Digger Stanley, the English bantam
weight champion, is about to come to
this country for matches. He is ready
to meet any of the boys who will
make 11G pounds.
X
PRINCIPLE OF FREEDOM.
One principle upon which the
union shop is based is that labor
4 shall control itself. And control
means organization. Then how
can we escape the logic of the
union shop? And even in the
! face of a strong public prejudice
against the "closed shop" I am
so bold as to maintain that the
rights of the laboring man are
as real, as genuine and as vital
as those of his employer. .His
struggles for existence have
been fought with hardships,
dangers and bitter toil. From
these he has not shrunk, but,
rather, in the enjoyment and
the strenuous exercise of the
same he has earned for himself
t a place in the history of civiliza- T
tion. The principle of the union
shop is but the principle of free-
dom for the laboring man. It is
inevitable. It must come be-
cause it is but the legitimate :
price to be paid for human lib-
4 erty. W. I. Stacy. i-
Unionism In Chicago.
According to Mac-Donald's Directory
of Labor Organizations Chicago labor
unions collect and disburse $5,000,000
to $0,000,000 annually. The wages
paid to members of labor unions which
have obtained recognition by the em
ployers vary from 35 to 70 cents an
hour. A uniform eight hour day and
a half holiday Saturday have been ob
tained in most of the building trades.
Seventeen international unions are
represented in Chicago. There are 700
labor organizations in all. "...
