Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-02-25
KINDLY r1EANT.

As usual, labor organizations claim
ing to have grievance pursue the
wrong course to redress it. The
strength of labor, as of everything
else, is in unity and harmony, and
that which divides and antagonizes,
though it may apparently redress a
grievance or remedy wrong, really
divides and Injuries one or both
parties to the controversy, and the
only benefit is derived by the enc
mics of labor.
OF the issues involved in the local
row we care little, except for the
effect upon and results to labor,
which can be only detrimental.
TOO much politics" is the charge
hurled back and forth, and, in all
candor, this is true of prominent
leaders in both factiona; it has been
the stumbling block in all local
labor bodies throughout the coun-
try as we'll as here. Either party
in our local fight seeking to justify
its course by charging too much
politics to the other can truthfully
be reminded of people who live in
glass houses, " etc.
To be frank, the mutual charges
of too much politics" are to a
greater or less degree true, but in
neither to the extent charged.
There are political heelers with
axes to grind in all labor organiza-
tons, as we'll as in every movement
i'll this country where the politician
or his henchman is omaipresent;
but to charge that any labor organ
ization is run solely in the interest
of politicians is a SANDER against
organized labor, however true it
may be of some of its members.
That such political henchmen in
labor organizations should and must
be squelched and their schemes de-
feated is true, but to follow the lead
of other political henchmen, secede
and set up a rival labor organiza-
ton, causing division, contention
and enmity in labor's ranks, can
only weaken, injure and destroy
labor, however much it may crafty
the political henchmen, further and
build up their schemes. The griev-
ance of too much politics is GER
tainly not redressed and the wrong
of political influence not righted,
nor labor relieved from the blight
ing influence of either
The course which the local labor
row has taken is exactly what the
politicians and enemies of labor
want; the former for the votes which
they hope to gain, the latter be-
cause division and wrangling always
precede and indicate disruption and |
destruction. Whatever the motives
and purposes of the agitators in the
controversy, their exchanges of de-
mandatory resolutions, charges and
countercharges, statements pro and
con, while they may tickle the van
ity of the author by brief noto-
riety of publication, commentator
or. denunciation by the newspapers
or partisans, can only widen the
breach, intensity the feeling, en-
bitter the enmity and injure labor
in the end.
But what is to be done? First,
halt and silence. The right of any
individual or organization to with
draw from the Central Labor Union
or any other organization is inner
emit, if it is not necessary or wise.
But the right to set up rival or
ganization is quite another thing
only when it is the only course to
pursue, and is demanded by large
proportion of the dissatisfied ele-
ment and urgent circumstances, can '
it be justifable, or even possible of
accomplishment. {
Labor organizations, like all other i
bodies, provide within themselves