The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1899-04-15
y TRAVIS sometimes show which
which Way the Wind IS
From Thp MicrNcOSm.

- way the wind is going to blow.
The wholesale diScharginG II
street railway employees from
he service OF the Duluth street
railway is one straw. That the reason
for The dismissal; of the men is openly
avowed to be hat they are members:
of organized labor is the second straw.
That the discharged men are being re-
placed by some imported from other
states is IL third straw. That the said
street railway is just at this particular
time nominalIy in the hands Of the
courts (Which means the yovernmcnD
bur pract icaIIy in the hands OF Il scIem-
ing gang Of laborhatnG monopoIiSt>
is a fourth straw That the Minnc-
sofa legislature has recently passed IL
bill prohibiting. under heavy penalties.
all manner Of boycott proceedings and
boycott thinking is fifth straw. That
Il certain gilIhoolyhoo high rolling
street ear boss of Duluth started big
newspaper sensation last summer. with
scare lines and head lines, to effrt +
that everybody in the ''EaSt," all th>
WAY from the haremS Of the Sultan to
the flesh pots Of Hanna. were main
tanning a strict quarantine against
iabor-stricllcn Duluth, is Il half 4 dozen
straws. The rapid concentration Of
power from the protopa>mic indi-
vid,,al mp through those wonderful evo
hltionary stages Of part nershiD to cor
poration. thence to trust. and further
on to a trust of trusts. is a whole
: handful of strawS. These "pointers'
already Indicate that a gentle breeze
has set in Bye and bye she will
blow some more. Then, in the Ian
guage Of the Indians description Of Il
cyclone, shin blow big and tnjun grab
soap weed n grass, en- hole on like
ELL" This bundle of str;,ws is sing,l-
Early suggestive. There are many parts
of the future that can be judged by he
st, but there are some things in the
tire for which history hath no exact
parallel. There were trusts and mon
opoies and oppressors Of labor in the
ancient and middle ages; these sys-
lens rose and fell like huge pillows of
The sea, finally losing each itself a
Sainst the crayS or upon the sands OF
she shore: the same thing has kept
UP through modern times; but there
is no past to compare with that grea.
smash up of smash ups coming when
King labor shall lead his conquering
warriors over the Notifications Of the
amassed and concentrated unionism 0;
the dollar Many people believe, or a.
least feel, that members of organized
labor are enemies of the public good.
The world has always been addicted to
such queer, distorted notions. Thu.
facilities for inoculating the public
nnd with erroneous opinions are be'~
ter now than ever before. There have
been ages in which it took years to
thoroughly disseminate a popular pre-
;ulice. but in these days i, is not I'M
frequently the work of Il few hours.
People have been made to belive thar
organized labor is offensive aggressive.
nnpcrtincnt. and obstructive. There
can be no question but that an open
war to the death exists between Or
"anized labor and organized wealth.
But labor did not open hoS1ilitieS.
Wealth was the first to organize and
assume the offensive. Labor was then
forced to organize and assume the de-
fcnSive Self defense is the first law
of nature. The ill-fcelng that has
grown up between the man of labor
and the man of wealth as Il personal
matter is Il natural result of the an
labor in the abstract. That this dis
linc,ion is nor generally made is the
principal reason why the present very
unfortunate condition OF affairs can
-ot be easily and amicably adjusted.
20 say that wealth is expressing labo.'
is 10 say the truth. But II charge
hat wealthy men are voluntarily OPP
pressing the worlin" classes is not $,
true. Men as men naturally >ympa-
rhzr with each other. The child Of
fortune sitting at his Sump1uou> board
or by his coy tireside rarely ever
takes amy pleasure in 1hinkin" over
til, struggles Of those who toll As Il
rule he would nc era, fled to see every
working man paid many times over
Wha, he is at present receiving. but he
dare not himself set the example. for
to do 50 would he to wreck his own
fortunes by rendering himself unable
to longer compete with Others in the
same line Of business. lie might plLt
the philan,hropiSt for short while.
Inl when stranded upon the rocks Of
business failure his own direct beuc