The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-05-18
Plight MEN TO | LEAD.
STATEMENT THAT LABOR LOSES on
ACCOUNT OF POOR LEADERS.
What Constitutes q Good Leader II
Always Left to the judgement OF
the Men the Leader Represents-.A
Labor Leader Must Possess q Good
Practical Education and Know
ledge of Affairs, -"

1Ae statement is very often made
that If labor organizations had the
right kind Of leaders they would sue
ceed, but it must not be forgotten that
the one to voice the expression is gem
orally the poorest judge of the question.
Tor ne either Is an employer, prejudiced
IN MS own Interests, or a theoretical
student who simply rubs on the sur
face OF events and never gets down to
the meat in the cocoanut -..-
What constitutes a good leader Is ala
ways left for the judgment of the men
the leader represents, so far as their
Ideas go, and the effect of his leadership
upon the employers with whom he
comes in contact as the representative
OF his organization. It must be con-
fessed that there has been occasion to
question the ability of the leader, but
seldom his honesty, but as matters pro-
gress this feature of incompetence and
misunderstanding has been eliminated
and the leader who dares to lead men
of his trade has to know something be-
yond few sterotyped generalities. He
must possess thorough knowledge of
the trade Of the men he represents and
ne must keep in touch with all changes
pertaining to it. If he does not he can
not htt1ngly represent the men when
conditions Of employment are up for
consideration. He must, in these days,
possess good, practical education and
a knowledge of economic affairs, for
his business takes him into all places
and conditions of society, and he must
be fitted to understand the smallest de-
n nf oh
him for consideration.
The Journal quotes a statement made
by Professor Commons, on the subject.
He said:
'"The modern trade union represents
one of the efforts to regulate the mod
ern conditions of machine labor. Two
conditions are essential to the success
of the trade-union. You must have a.
the penalties which a wage-earning
class pays for the opportunity to rise
from the laborer to the self-made man
Is lack of efficient leadership. The men
who deal most harshly with the trade
unions are the self-made men, who.
half generation ago, were working at
the bench themselves. In England, be-
cause the opportunity to rise has been
SAs~'S 4S0pAS Il
raise above the condition Of laborers.
You must also have q class which has
intelligence to furnish leadership and
- ille
large scale. But such 3 class leaves the
wage-earners, and. Joins itself with the
employers. That is the reason Of the
failure of trade-unions In America
during the past fifty years. The wage
earners have lacked leaders. One Of
relatively small compared with that
of the United States, the success Of
trade-unions has been so much the
greater, because they have had capable
leaders who have had no chance to rise
to the rank of employer. = y"
There is muc generalizing in the
statement and not very much particu-
larizing, and in which there is some-
thing of unfairness. The conditions
quoted as existing in England are not
supplemented by the statement that the
English Workingmen have had their
representatives in parliament to protect
their interests, something the Ameri-
can people have not yet had the good
sense to bring about, and. as for trade
unionists becoming employers and get
ting ahead of their union, there is very
little in it. Men who have been pro-
NOTED have very often become the most
arrogant of their class, but it was
through no connection with the union.
The truth is this. Few men who have