St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-21
MINNEAPOLIS COMMENT.

An ignorant and unrehecting work
ingman, probably member of the K.
of L., sends a spicy cOmmunicat OIL
this week in which he cites his Joy at
hearing so great prelate as Arch
bishop Ireland speak at the brakemen's
convention during the early part of the
week. He was much interested in
hearing the comforting general
tiles with which the vanity OF
the brakemen was fed, and equally
pleased to think that the archbishop
approved of unions among work.
ingmen. He went home quite elated to
think that so great man should stOOp
from his proud eminence to utter words
of cheer to the workingman, and how
much good might be accomplished by
such Influence. What was our cor
respondents surprise to find the arch
bishop making pretty address before
the street railway association only a
few days later, and cOngratulatlng it on
being ''rather a religious inStituti0n;"
also assuring them that, "capltal and
labor have community OF interest and
upon their hearty sympathy depends
the prosperous future of our coun-
try" etc. Our correspondent heartily
subseribeS to the latter quotation.
but has the bad taste to insist that an
ASSOCIATION like that of the American
street railways isn't seeking to find any
community of interest between capital
and labor, nor is it the kind of relig-
iouS institution that the wOrkingmen
can understand when it gets all the eX-
elusive franchises possible, grows
wealthy off the growth of the lab0ring
community; then makes the scale of
wages for employees from Is to
Is cents per hour, and requires them
to sign an irOn-clad agreement
not TO belong to any labor or
ganizatiOn. Should the employe
protest against this sort of
OF community of interest. he finds az
rayed against him the police, city coun-
ell and legislature. OF course any intel
ligent reader will see at once that these
objections from the workingman are
quite Irrelevant, and it shows sad lack
of reverence to question the archblShop,S
line of reasoning. Of course it's all
right, because he said it was. But the
fact remains that large proportion of
the working people insist OIL aSklngs
questions like those outlined above; and
worse than that, they refuse to be fiat
tered or coaXed out of their position.
Nothing but stern logic and cold facts
will convince them. When working
people question archbishops there is no
telling what they may do next
The Knights of Labor seem to be es-
pecially obnoxious to the American
Street Railway association. Their strict
ureS are hardly logical. When employ
ers organize for mutual benefit they are
giving employees most realistic OBJECT
lesson. As employers claim to mOnOpo-
lie the intelligence and morality of the
community, what could be more natural
than that their ignorant wage workers
should initiate the plan which appears
to work 50 successfully with the capital
ist? There used to be proverb, 1T is
a poor rule''-but no matter, the street
railway association has spoken, and
who shall question its wisdom?
Uncle John McGurk is quite student
Of political economy, and ii troubles his
kindly soul to see the crowds of immi-
grants continually flocking into the city
and often taking the place of native
born citizens. He has a scientific plan
for making the festive immigrant love
the institutions of this country, and he
filled with an ardent desire to be nat
uraliZed. Briefly, Uncle John thinks
that if the foreigners chances of obtain
lIlS SlCduY WOih anu ldll NuSCO III
pended uyon the alacrity with which he
became a citizen a vast improve
ment in the mental and moral condition
of immigrants would soon be manifest,
and perhaps they would not be in such
haste to come here were proper restric-
tons placed upon them. Ask Uncle
John about it the next time you meet
him.