ORGANIZED LABOR
Real Contribution to the Work
of Civilization.
A CATHOLIC CHURCH VIEW.
Warranted In Principle and Justified
In Achievement To Suppress Trade j
Unionism Would Rob Progress of a I
Main Support. "
Those who find it difficult to be pa
tient with organized labor and who
honestly believe that it menaces highly
prized liberties will sometimes find
their views widened, their spirit of
toleration broadened and their under
standing sharpened when they en
deavor to catch wider truths of whose
existence the labor unions give rtrik
ing proof.
Given ideals of American as
they have been handed down and giv
en the industrial conditions which con
fronted the American laborer, organi
zation of labor became inevitable. It
was the necessary protest again-1 un
bearable conditions and the necessary
aspiration toward those ideals v.hich
millions saw too dimly to be satisfied,
but loved too dearly to lose without a
struggle. Had American laboring men
not created their unions they would
have shown the spirit of slaves and
they would have merited the fate of
the slave.
Organized labor stands for a definite
ethical judgment of human lifeof the
family and of society. This judgment
of life is wider and deeper and much
nearer the whole truth, of existence
than the mere political or economic
estimate of life. This latter is in
trenched in our institutions, and it con
demns severely the principles and
methods by which laboring men aim
painfully to work their judgment of
life into our civilization.
Organized labor is the ally of all
employers who hold to the ethical
Judgment of life rather than to the
economic. One will scarcely pretend
that competition is an ethical inven:
tion; one will scarcely claim that the
competitive struggle calls into play
the nobler and higher faculties of
those who compete. Now, the employ
er who has high moral principles and
there are many who have who is com
pelled to compete with the employer
who has low moral principles is at
the mercy of the latter unless he re
ceives assistance from those in the
ranks of labor who cherish ideals and
are willing to struggle for them.
Again, the laboring class has ideals,
and it does not find those ideals esr
tablished anywhere nowadays in a
manner to satisfy its aspirations.
These ideals have come to strongest
expression in the labor movement, and
in so far as the labor movement has
affected the lawmaking, public opin
ion and social standards jto that ex
tent our institutions and our tradi
tions commence to incorporate the
spirit of labor's idealism. To suppress
organized labor, to hinder it from
working day and night, to apply its
principles and its views in our social
life, would be to rob the progress of
one of its main supports.
Organized labor is part of a world
movement that will in modified form
control the future. It is warranted in
principle, it is justified in achievement,
hopeful in outlook and is a real contri
bution tp the institutional work of
civilization. It is all this and more
than this in spite of its mistakes, in
spite of its mistaken policies, in spite
of demagogues who have misled it, in
gplte of Its Impatience, la, spite ot lti
lack of historical sense. The histori
cal antecedents of those wb; oppose
organized labor are none too hon-.rable.
It would be well for the sincere mind
ed man who fights the labor union to
look around it widely and in a sp rit
of fair mindedness before sitting down
to advocate its extermination. If It
were trusted more by the powers that
be it would make fewer mistakes and
would have. less excuse for them. On
the whole, it would seem wisest to
welcome it in our modern civilisation
and to co-operate with it in bringing
out what is best and noblest in the
workingmen and in lifting them Into
wider participation in the pri.ses of
life. Rev. Dr. William .7. Kerby, Cath
olic University, Washington.
. TUC PIT UTU ASMtl ft TT O J.
The eighth wonder of the
world the most mysterious hu
man being alive is the wrge
worker who will not join the
union of his craft.
He can offer no good reason
for not joining.
In most instances he doe;m't
pretend to have a reason for re
maining outside of the rank.
Many unions have already ;
doubled the wages of their irse.n
bers during the past fifteen ;
years.
The best workmen in ull
crafts are union mea
But what in heaven's narae
are you going to do if you don't
join the union of your craft? '
Beefsteak is out of sight now
and still going up in price. Your
wages remain stationary or go
down.
Plow else are you to keep up
with the general tendency to
higher prices for food and cloth-
ing and labor except by orgm-
izing, as all men of common
sense have done and are doing?
Labor Unit.
Increase In Union Labels.
Secretary Thomas F. Tracy of .the
label trades department of the Ameri
can Federation of Labor states that
the year just passed has been a very
satisfactory one to the label trades
and that the future is brighter than
ever before. Demands have been
heavier for the products of union men
and women, and he feels satisfied that
the demand will continue to grow in
volume.
Some time ago Mr. Tracy sent out a
circular to the label trades requesting
information as to the increased de
mand for union labels during the year
past, and of those organizations reply
ing to date, six in number,. an increase
is shown of more than 8.000.000. As
there are almost a hundred trades and
crafts using a button, card or label in
the federation, it is safe to estimate
that the increase will easily reach
12,000.000 by the end of the year. Sec
retary Tracy states that the label cam
paign for the year will be vigorously
pushed, and he expects to double the
showing made hitherto.
Ode to the Toilers.
My heart doth bleed for those who toil
In squalid dens and gather spoil
For idle hands that hate to know
Another's need, another's woe.
It aches for those who night and day
Are toiling on for scanty pay.
Creating wealth with busy hands
For drones to spend in foreign lands,
While those producing all the wealth
In dungeons dark dwell where henlth
Ad gladness, sunshine, air,
Visit not their caves, but grief, despair.
And cankering care and want of tread
Reign supreme in plenty's stet fl
it breaks and burns with deep, de:- ire
To sing their woes in sonrrs of fire
Until the toilers cease to be
Ignoble slaves, but joyous, free.
As birds that flit from tree to tree.
Joachim B. Z. Rancher.
THE ERAOF LABOR
The Trade Union Movement Can
not Be Crushed.
IT HAS COME TO REMAIN.
Workingmen A.re Waking to a Real
ization of Their Power They See In
Organization Their Only Hope of
Salvation.
Gentlemen There Is no place in
the United States to which a man
ufacturer can escnpe to avoid the
agitation for trade unionism.
This is what Meyer Loudon of New
York, attorney for the striking cloak -makers
of Hartford, Conn., told the
manufacturers at the hearing for an
injunction against picketing a few
days ago. says the Minnesota Union
Advocate.
In the name of Davidson & Watts,
cloak makers, recently removed from
New York to Hartford, the trusts in
Connect hut brought suit against fif
teen labor organizations in the latter
city for the encouragement they had
given- the strikers from the shop of
the complainant and asked for an in
junction against these organizations
restraining them from "intimidation
fraud and violence."
The hearing resulted in the quash-1
ing of the suits against twelve of the
defeuduut organizations, the firm fail
ing utterly to prove that these twelve
had in any way injured their business.
Numerous residents of the city volun
tarily appeared in court and testified
that tin- pickets bad conducted them
selves in a most orderly and peaceful
manner. And It was brought out in
the testimony that many women were
so impressed by the reserve and diji
nity of the strikers that they offere-'
them a place in which to carry on
their campaign for winning over to.
their side the nonunion employees in
the Davidson & Watts shop.
The argument of the bosses to prove
violence on the part of the strikers
was riddled by the police themselves.
They testified that the pickets cou
ducted themselves most peacefully at
all times, the only arrest made since
the trouble began having been that of
a business man who was not a striker,
but a strike sympathizer.
Realizing that the demand by David
son & Watts for an injunction was
merely a cloak for the evident intention-of
the manufacturers association
of the city, which includes representa
tives of a number of trusts, to crush
unionism, the Central Labor, union re
quested Meyer London of New York to
assist in the defense of the suits. Dur-
j ing his speech in the case Mr. London
I made his plutocratic auditors gasp by
! informing them that all their efforts to
escape or stamp out unionism were
like trying to stem the ocean's tide
with a broom: that all over the Dnited
States workingmen are discovering
their real situation and beginning to
see that their only salvation is in or
ganization. Much as this information
must have annoyed the manufacturers.
London told them the best thing they
can do js to begin to realize that this
is the era of lalor. that organization
and solidarity among the toilers and
producers Is necessary and that em-
t ployers might as well tn.ke up their
mind as to the inevitability of trade
unionism and the impossibility of per
manently crushing It.
Industry.
"Is Jones raising chickens?"
"No; he's trying to raise his wife a
chanticleer bat." Puck,
WORKERS' INSURANCE.
Plan of the United Brewery Workmen
of America. '
. The United Brewery Workmen of
America have been taking a referen
dum vote on a plan of insurance that
Involves an entirely new phase of co
operative work at least in the United
States between the employer and the
employed. As proposed at the recent
Chicago contention the plan Is this:
The brewery and malt house owners
are to pay $18 per year for each mem
ber of the union employed into a fund
to which each union man will add $6
more. This fund is to be controlled by
a commission of seven members, three
to be chosen, by the employers and
three by the union, who together se
lect the seventh member. The com
mission will have the power to extend
the benefits of the plan to the mem
bers of other crafts working in the
breweries.
Workmen injured in the course of
their employment shall be paid 05 per
cent of the amount of their wages,
but shall not receive pay unless the
-disability continues for more than ten
days and shall not receive compensa
tion for more than fifty-two weeks for
any one injury.
In cast of an injury causing pro
tracted incapacity for work the board
of managers shall have power to make
an allowance by way - of single and
final payment not to exceed one-half
of the amount payable in case of acci
dental death. In case of death through
accidental Injury an amount equal to
four years' wages shall be paid to the
dependents of the deceased.
Erewery owners have, it is said, sig
nified their willingness to enter Into
this agreement, as they are new pay
ing the same amount proposed as their
share of the Insurance to private com
panies which assume all accident and
death risks. The nw scheme would
save all middlemen's and legal fees
and at the same time guarantee that
all moneys collected for this purpose
would go directly and entirely to the
Injured workman or his family.
It is believed that the fund thus es
tablished "would be large enough to
also provide for a liberal old age pen
sion. LABOR'S BEST WEAPON.
The union label Is organized
labor's best aggressive and de
fensive weapon, and the real sol
diers in its army of effort al
ways go armed with it. Only
the camp followers and hangers
on to the labor movement are
X without this weapon. Always
T demand, the label on what you
purchase. You will do this If
T you are sincere in your devotion
& to the cause of labor. " i
t:t::iiI:t,ittttit,:t
State of Trade In Great Britain.
The conJILion of employment fti the
English labor market was not quite so
good in August as It was In July.
Slight improvement was noted in the
building and woodworking trades.
The usual seasonal slackness occurred
in the printing industry. As compared
with the previous year, several of the
leading industries showed some bet
terment, but employment in the cotton
trade was worse, it was reported, ow
ing to the hiph price of raw cotton.
In the 410 trade unions, with a mem
bership of 705.473, making returns,
28.400. or 4 per cent, were reported as
1910,. comprr?d with 3.8 per cent at
the close of July and 7.7 per cent at
the end of August, 1909.
