Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-03-09

auxiliary" have been so arranged for as to
completely overshadow what was in
tended in the name of labor. The interest
which makes such a fair possible and
which provides it with something worthy
to exhibit as evidencing the progress of
the world is to play second fiddle to all
other matters, which are only incidents
in the great advances of civilization.
The committee gave year of hard
work to its duties and deserved better
treatment than it received, but the best
thing it did from the time of its organi-
zation was resigning. Labor, as repre-
sented by its leading organizations, its
thinkers and writers, has been practi-
cally ignored by the fair managers since
the inception of the scheme. 1t has not
been considered in any light save as a
machine to be exhibited with other ma
chimes. In the construction of the build
ings its voice has been ignored or 81
fenced, and it will have no place as a
moving, living thing in the exposition
itself. The Worlds fair is simply and
solely business speculation, guided by
latter day commercial instincts, and if
labor has any part in it other than as
patrons at the box Office it will be as an
exhibit labeled, "Our Workingmen,"
something like a muscular fellow Is
shown at a dime museum.
The "downtrodden worltingmen of
Europe" those producers whose condi-
ton is so often referred to as something
which we must protect our laborers
from, are constantly furnishing exam
pies in industrial progress which it would
be well if the workingmen of this coun-
try would follow. One of the latest of
these examples comes from France. In
that country the socialists lead the edu.
cational and political branches of the
labor movement, and that the leadership
is intelligent and aggressive is shown by
the programme recently made public by
a prominent member of the party. He
! said:
| We make no secret of it, and all the acts Of
the socialist party clearly indicate our inten
| ton. These syndicates that are being formed
| have indeed but one aim, which is to group to-
| gether all the forces we can dispose Of and
| thus make the movement irresistible. II is
evident when all the wOrlSmen are united by
material interests, when they follow the ad-
vice of those whom they will have elected and
confront capital by one single workingmen's IS
association, they will be the strongest. The
more workmen unite together the more they
will represent political force which capital
Will have to reckon with.
If labor in the United States was
| united in compact organization, it could
| secure every one of its just demands, and
that quickly. In citing the condition in
France | do not necessarily mean that
the movement in this country should
surrender itself to the leadership of the
socialist party. The conditions here are
not the same as in France, and the needs
differ.
There is a story going the rounds of
the press to the effect that Carnegie
made a suggestion to Frick some time in
October that truce be arranged with
the locked out mill men. The story fur
ther states that Frick negatived Mr.. Car
negie's proposal because to show such 9
spirit toward the workingmen "woulC
encourage anarchy" This was after
Frick had had his little brush with the
crank Berkman, and, the yarn goes, Car
negie was satisfied to let the matter of c
compromise drop because he thought
Frick was an authority upon anarchy
its cause and effect. The whole story
may be canard Matched in the fertil,
brain of F1ick for the purpose of soften
ing the feeling which the people of tn,
country, and especially of Pittsburg
have for Carnegie. Carnegie's pride wa
considerably hurt by the action of tn,
working people of Pittsburg on the &C
ceptance of the library which the mil
lionaire rendered the city.
The plutocratic press pretty generally
expresses the opinion that organized la
Dor by its opposition to the employment
of state militia in strike closes tn
sympathy of the great mass of the pee
pie, without which any cause is fail
ure." Labor has lost the sympathy Q
the public" SO often, according to tn
newspapers, that it can no longer music
a single tear to drop over the loss. A
public sympathy" never was and neve
will be of any service to workingme
who are compelled to strike for thei
rights we can dismiss that part of tn
subject. But is organized labor's pos
ton ON the militia justified? An articl
from the New York Herald which
have before me says that labor "doe
not explain just how the national guar
is AN enemy Of labor" 1t is SO tina
the public sentiment" which is said t
be of such Importance to workingmen
manufactured. Organized labor has tim
and again presented clear bill of griey
ances against the militia, and those VIII
followed the course of events during tn
trouble at Buffalo or any of the score
of like contests between labor organiza
tions and plutocracy need not be toll
why they consider that they have griey
ances against the militia.
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