The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1900-04-21
UNION And TRUSTS
MANY ROUNDS WILL BE FOUGHT BE-
TWEEN THEM FOR SUPREMACY.
The Only Potent Factor in the so'"-
tiOn OF the Labor Question Ii the
Working People Themselves in
Their Collective Cnpncity-Trades es
II Unions systematically Organised
will Pave the Way-Lead Out the
Hope for the Final Finish.

/ HWi1 Pave the W0ys.Lea0 out the
| Hope for the Final Finish.
(By Louis Berliner.)
! The burning question that is agitat-
ing the minds of thoughtful men, men
, of character and conviction throughout
the whole industrial, world, is that Of
labor and it's solution. = ~
Good men of all creeds and countries
are giving their time and thought, how
it can best be accomplished, but not
| withstanding that fact, in this world
there is only one potent factor that is
destined to fight that question to a fin
| ish. And that factor is the working
people themselves 1 throughout the
whole civilized world in their collective
capacity, li.2e., trade unions, systemat-
ically organized. There will be@nnany
rounds that are to be fought before the
Knockout is complete. p Many*a foul
blow will be dealt by the opposing par
| ty before the final finish. Al, zZss~ IN H.
! But these facts are not discouraging
us. We know that all innovations were
stubbornly contested by those in pow
er. The civilization which we even en-
JOY today had to be fought for inch by
! inch, and the harder the struggle the
greater the appreciation on the part Of
| the people to know how to hold it after
having gained it. 4 n..= !
History tells us plainly that for more
! than three hundred years that the
powers that be, had a rough and rug
ged road to travel before they attained
the position which they hold today:
Step by step did they advance and
force on the slow land owner the love
of "money making' the inevitable re-
! suit of which developed into :corpor-
ations, monopolies and trusts Stu
dents of trade unionism are we'll aware
of. the fact that this must be so before
anything better. can evolve. !.
It..was the feudar' system that rem
dered the capital system possible It is
the capitalistic system that will make
it possible. for the people to establish
for themselves q government (by and
through the power; and efforts Of well
organized trade unions) Of, for and by
the people in the full sense of the word.
Many people who look on the surface
Of our body polite Z. assert that the
trusts must be destroyed in order to
bring about a better 9 condition Of
things. Such a, proposition is not only
shallow but ridiculous. Trusts ST are
the weapons forged by capitalism
Which 11tima telx. D 1,
Trusts are industrial s institutions
owned and controlled by a few men, a;
natural owtgrowth of an unnatural
system Of production, It is the capital
lfstic union which required the struggle
of more than three hundred years to
develop. g., r. !. >"o.
| Organizations Of such a character
| cannot be destroyed by, wind, some-
thing more substantial ii necessary.
Powerful trade unions composed of in
telligent men, and based upon the prin-
ciples of less hours of labor, high dues
and many benevolent features is the
weapon that, will do the trick Not
destroy the institution, but eventually
put in the handsof the people the in
stitutions owned now by the handful of
| individuals. In the meantime let every
union man influence his brother union
ist and nonunionist as: well to patronize
none but the highest: developed, hence
the best paid labor and ssimultaneously
advise him to JOIN HIS union and study
the shorter hour movement. This may
sound laughable but if you will look
beneath. the surface you will, discover
that the. proposition is not Sc, ridicu-
lous after all. y .s.-' = T.: ~.
The wage-workers' worst: enemy is
the middle man. To wipe him +out OF
existence as such and force him into
the ranks of Labor should be his rat
duty, by starving him out in the .sflApe
tof nonpatronage and giving Fit to the
largest concern he is killing two birds
with one stone. The army of labor has
gained one recruit, while that Of capi.
tai has lost one. " There is still another
and and greater advantage to be gained by
feeding the trust more and the middle
fman$ less. # done by intelligent men
with that purpose in view, the sconcen-
tratton of wealth cannot be stopped
under our present social system, but ii
can be .quickened if thet method as
above proposed, were adopted by ali
trade ,unionists. But always tbearina
in mind and never. forgetting the great
trueism, ;:%@.%t, ~ 80 -
If you y work q5k BY BY the piece o. you worl
Reducing 1our hours Increases you
! y, pay, ~ zfy&s !: ( =