The labor world., 1898-01-29
ALL HIS OWN way
Carl Thief Shows Inadequacy
of the Trades Union Plan
of Industrial Reform.
Austin Defends the "Puro and
0SImplers" and Advocates a
N Return to Past Conditions.

OetmpIors" and Advocates a
d Return to Past Conditions.
At the economic discussion last Fri
day night the trades unionists, in the
absence of Alfred McCallun, brought
forward z. H. Austin as their champion
Now, Austin isn't "organized" and his
understanding OF the question at issue
was too vague to take direct issue with
Mr.. Thiel. So he contented himself
with exploiting back number species
of individualism, that for the most part
would be return to semi civilized con-
ditions prevailing hundred years ago.
Mr.. Thiel opened by defining socialism
as theory of society in which all the
processes of production and distribution
are organized for the benefit of society"
Socialism is not antagonistic to trades
unions. 1t was only the labor fakirs
that socialism interferred with-the
men who lived partly off the unions
direct and partly off the politicians
through pull with the latter derived
from their supposed influence with the
organizations.
He compared the unionism of socialist
Germany with the boasted unionism of
America. German trades unions he'd
contributed to thc recent English
strikers $4,000; American unionists to
the same cause, $500. .@.:. u Z
Then Mr.. Thiel went into the !ques-
ton of machinery and the displacement
of labor. This matter trades unionists
made no pretence at meeting. He
quoted startling figures showing the
displacement Of labor. Made special
reference to the iron industry on the
Minnesota ranges, and in connection
Herewith passed about the hall num-
Der of photographs showing the steam
shovels, ETC., at work. Mr.. Thiels
remarks were too full of figures and
illustrations for us to give complete
report. But he showed that in spite Of
the unions the men were compelled to
compete with each other. The unions
are only temporary expedients and in
order to make themselves secure union
men must come to their senses and
unite at the ballot box. He referred to
the threatened competition from Asia
particularly when Chinese cheap but
highly trained labor should combine
with modern labor-saving machinery,
and closed with the following stirring
and forcible peroration: s.5.5 .5@s MI
"From what I have shown you by
these figures regarding the displace-
ment by machinery, you will see that
machinery will sooner or later drive the
skilled labor to ruin, as the idle work
lngmen who lost their Jobs through the
introduction of machines will compete
for work with those who are yet en-
ployed, therefore, wages will continue to
fall, unless the workingmen form their
own independent labor party nd send
their representatives to congress to
make laws reducing the hours of labor,
etc, and forever drive from its halls the
representatives Of the capitalist robber
class who will never make laws favoring
labor. Therefore it will he seen that
the trades unions of today their pure
and simple state, by NJ becoming q
political party will never better the con-
dition of labor, because, bear in mind,
that there is go per cent Of them un-
organized, and this number is rapidly
gaining more from the ranks Of organ
lied which now numbers only 40 per
cont. Also bear in mind this fact, that
although the trades unions say, Keep
out of politics" the leaders are always
in politics, trying to get jobs from the
capitalist representatives. Now, when
the Socialist Labor Party denounces
these tactics and actions, the leaders Of
the trades unions set up a howl, de-
claring that the socialists are trying to
smash the unions. That is false. The
Socialist Labor Party advises every
union man to stick to his union, but
never allow himself to oe dictated to by
his leaders. Always do your own
thinking. If you do this, the Socialist
Labor Party is not afraid of the result,
which will be the tri :, mph of labor and
the establishment of economic jue tice."
Mr.. Cobb called upon z. II. Austin
who said that the corporations extended
to the Socialist Labor Party the hand
Of fellowship, although bitterly oppos-
ing trades. .unionism and the peoples
party. He advocated resistance to the
tendency of industrial evolution and
the labor saving methods Of concentrat-
ed production; in the main his ideas Of
reform being typiied by the statement
that 20 small mills would be better than
one big Imperial. He taffied the pure
anA simn1era on1orno6 tho 1,n;on Ioha1