The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-06-02
TEMPERANCE NOTES,

TEMPERANCE NOTES.
HOW LABOR. INJURIES ITSELF.
Millions Spent for. Drink which Might Be
Spent for Homes.
The Chicago Tribune, in discussing
the May-day harangues to the thrones
OF workingmen at the great meeting on
the lake front in that city, raises a
point which the Blade has frequently
discussoa-that the drink habit is the
worst injury to the workingman. The
Tribune says:
while many Of the speakers were profuse in
their denunciatfons of the alleged injuries in
dicted on labor by capital they had not a word
to say about the wrongs inflicted ON labor by
itself.
Not one Of them delicately limited to his hear.
ers that II they were to cut down the amount
spent by them yearly for liquor their expenses
would not be SO great, and their ability to earn
would be increased. nany one OF these orators
had put side by side the total amount of addi-
ttonal yearly wages which the workingmen of
Chicago would like to get and the total amount
OF their yearly drink bill, there would not have
been very much difference in size between the
two items.
II labor leader were to talk prohibition OF
course no one would listen to him, but II he
| were to point out to his people what they would
gain by substituting moderate for immoderate
drinking they might heed him. II the lake from,
speakers had seen fit they might have told thei,
audiences that many OF them had impaired the
value OF the labor commodity they have for sale
| by too much drinking, thus lowering their wages
| themselves, and that they had suffered more a,
their own hands and those Of the saloonkeepe1
than those Of the capitalist
II the orators had chosen they might have
said that the working classes had spent great
| many millions for drink, while il they had used
| half that amount to buy land instead of LIQUOR
| 1t would have been much better. No one ven
tured to dwell on this subject from fear that il
would not be popular. The labor agitatol
knows mankind, and is well aware that people
90 not like to have their own faults pointed Out
and prefer to be RECALLED with accounts of the
| m1sdeeds OF others. Some English labor lead
! ers have spoken out boldly; those Of this coua
try appear to be afraid to do so.'
The statements above are so mani
testify true that no one will have the
hardihood to controvert them. Is it no,
just and reasona BILE that men, seeking
to obtain better wages or shorter hours
of labor-which is the same thing in
another form-should endeavor to rem
der their labor actually worth more?
sober, steady man, not unnerved by al
coholic or any other excuses, can dc
more work in given time, and do il
better, than drinking man. Is it not
fair that the labor unions should con
slider methods of increasing the eff
cheney of their members, and rightly
exclude from their ranks those who are
habitual drinkers? The Tribune's ar
ticle says:
When one of the speakers said, addressin.
his 1oreign-born hearers, that their children
| should learn English, he had in view their in
creased efficiency If they knew the language O
| the country 1t is pity that he did not go
step farther and ask each man present to coun
| up ON his fingers the number of persons h,
knew who had made their labor inefficient ant
almos: destitute of value through excessive
drinking That would be practical talk mucl
, superior to these hackneyed harangues abou
the 'capitalistic press the capitalistic police
and the approaching day when the world will b,
turned upside down.
AS we have often said. there arr
certain lines of occupation from which
drinking men are excluded Many Of
the leading railways hold an engineer,
conductor, or anyone connected with
the movement of trains, including
switchmert, bridge tenders, ETC., liable
to instant discharge if he INDUCES il
drinking; and it is proper and reason
able precaution for the safety of life
and property. 1t would be just ant
reasonable for any labor union to make
expulsion from it's ranks the penalt,
for drunkenness. There is no handi
craft in which a habitual drinlxer car
do as good work or as much work as 6
man who does not drink.
Probably the orators who attempt tt
advise the workingmen on May day ant
similar occasions are cunning enough K
know that t1attery is always more &C
ceptable than the cold truth, and ac
upon the theory that the workingme1
prefer to be humbugged by being told
they are the victims of oppression a
the hands of "capital." But there i
no Intelligent and candid person bu
will agree that when labor union as
sumes the authority to say who may O.
who may not be employed in any occu
patton, and to dictate the hours of labo
and the wage rate, that it should b,
able also to certify to the employer tina
the men who may be employed ar
capable and intelligent, and that thei
work, in both quantity and quality, will
be of the best; and no drinking mai
can do frst-class work, nor as much a
If he did not drink. When organize,
labor takes hold of this matter, it will
give a most powerful impulse to the et
fort to pulverize the rum power-Tole
do Blade.