WILL MAUPIN'S WEEKLY
IF?
UNION LABEL GOODS.
Will Dominate All Markets When
Workers Demand Them.
We have many times referred in
these columns to the power that wage
earners can exercise with their local
merchants in the direction of influenc
ing them to handle goods bearing the
union label. We regard the possibili
ties of this influence as being so great
as to practically amount to an owner
ship of the business of the merchant,
says the Shoe Workers' Journal.
It has sometimes been said that the
wage earner is the slave of the em
ployer because he is dependent upon
him for an opportunity to earn a liv
ing. The author of this statement may
say the same thing of the merchant
who is the slave of the consumer be
cause he is dependent upon the con
sumer for an opportunity to make a
living in his business. Moreover, a
merchant is not as free to change from
one situation to another and cannot
do so as readily as the average me
chanic. If one is skeptical about the degree
of ownership that the consumer can
exercise over the business of the av
erage retail merchant, just iet hiin
listen to the retail merchants pleading
for the residents of their city to trade
In their home stores. If one will lis
ten to the rural merchants expressing
their fears of the result to them
through the competition of the mail
order houses should a parcels post be
established he cannot fail to draw
the inference that the retail merchants
understand full well that their busi
ness is gone when the surrounding
people fail to trade with them.
Taking all these things for granted,
then who patronizes the merchants,
and to whose patronage do the mer
chants appeal? Why, the mass of the
people, of course, the wage earners, the
union men and women whose large
number and their needs make the vol
ume of retail trade.
These, then, are the merchants we
own, and we own them nevertheless
whether we permit them to do as they
please or not. The child is none the
less the child of the parents even al
though permitted to be wayward and
to be out of doors nights. The only
question is, When will the parents con
clude to use their parental authority
and to cause the child to walk in the
straight and narrow path under fear
of au application of the birch?
And so in our case the only ques
tion is when the rank and file of the
members of our movement will under
take to exact a proper degree of con
siderationyes, and of obedience from
the merchants we own and who with
out our patronage could not live. If
they desire us to trade in our home
stores they must give us what we
want, and we must be manly enough
to demand it and to refuse to accept
anything else. We want union label
goods to dominate in all markets. Let
us have them. It is up to us.
The Right of Contract.
The National Association of Manu
facturers desires to obtain legislation
to establish the open shop by law.
When it succeeds in preventing a la
bor union from taking a contract to
furnish an employer with all the
help lie requires it will be prevented
from taking a contract to supply a
merchant with all he requires of any
ptf$lUlnr linepf goods Legislation
300 pairs of Men's $3.00?
.50 & $4.00 Shoes, per pair
These shoes are taken right out of our regular
stock and includes odd lots, discontinued lines and
broken sizesthey are all good solid shces, in Gun
metal calf, good reliable shoes that will stand hard
service, have welted double soles and good roomy toes.
There are also a number of pairs of Vici Kid
and Patent Colt Skin shoes in reasonably good styles,
not all sizes in any one style but practically all sizes
in the lot.
This is one of the biggest savings we have
ever offered.
OeS, , per pr. $1.90
to take away fromfabor thelfghf of
contract and at the same time to pre
serve this right to the employers
sounds just a little bit like class legis
lation and has an unconstitutional fla
vor. Just bear this in mind, gentle
men. Shoe Workers' Journal.
Federation Office Building.
A special committee of the .executive
council of the American Federation of
Labor has under consideration plans
for a million dollar headquarters build
ing in downtown Washington. The
committee is empowered to have plans
drafted and to receive estimates.
The question of a national capital
headquarters building has been under
consideration for upward of a year, but
no definite move in that direction had
been made up to the present. .
Illinois Orders Label.
The legislature of Illinois has adopt
ed a resolution ordering that the union
label be placed on all printed matter
to be used by the senate and house of
representatives. The great Mississip
pi valley state has thereby followed
the lead of several other common
wea'ths, and so the little leaven of
agitation for state use of the' label of
the printing trades is gradually leav
ening the whole lump of state gov
ertitntwt In this country.
We are showing the new spring models
in Men's and Young Men's Clothes. They
represent the newest creations of the best
clothes makers in America.
We will be glad to show you what
they are like.
H. E. FARQUHAR
1325 O St.