Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-07-12
INDUSTRY IS DOOMED
According to Opinion Leon Green
baum Has Formed in Passing
Through Coal Belt.
COMPETITION GIVEN AS THE CAUSE
Successful Search for Cheaper
Fuel and Power--Working
Class i'm Politics.

Leon Greenbaum, the widely known
organizer and lecturer of the Ameri-
| can Federation of Labor, is in the
city and in the next three days will
speak in each of the three cities. His
present arrangements include lee
ture at Market square, Moline. Satur-
day evening, another at 2 o'clock
Sunday afternoon before the Tri-City
Labor congress in Rock Island. and
third at Washington garden in Dav-
export the same afternoon between
the hours of 4 and 5 o'clock. This
latter address will be made to the
Brewers union, which has picnic
| scheduled ut the park for the after
/ noon. At these lectures the subject
will be 1.-The Glass Struggle Retween
Capital and Labor"
To union men Leon Greenbaum is
one of the best known personages in
the country. He is a social democrat
and believes that in socialism is the
only remedy for the existing labor
| conditions and troubles. Last fall he
was his party's candidate for lieuten-
ant governor of Missouri and at the
municipal ection he was on his par
| tvs ticket as a candidate for mayor
of st. Louis. Both times he made a
vigorous campaign, for he is strong
speaker and a vigorous worker.
But TO union men he became known
in a different capacity. He was
through the thick of the fight at st.
Louis when the street car employees
were making their great struggle,
nd ~ hn a.
way strikers bus committee. CORES
ponded with unions all over the land
Politics the Weapon.
During that strike | learned
enough to convince me that the work
ing class must use some other methods
besides strikes and boycotts, " said Mr..
Greebaum. They must give up these
weapons and and go into politics as a
| class. Do not misunderstood me. l
am opposed to the trade union going
into politics, but am strongly in ia
vor Of the trade unionists going into
politics. The union was never organ
lied to be a political body. but the
trade unionists must stand together at
the ballot box"
| Mr. Green baum believes that victory
awaits the striking mschinists. ut
| was EASY enough TO make non-union
motormen and conductors during the
big str Ike at St. Louis, but machinisLs
cannot be made so easily. 10 many
| towns where / have visited recently
have seen posters put up by the
United States government calling for
machinists. When the government
has to print posters to advertise for
machinists it does not look as though
the manufacturers will be able to
secure non-unien machinists to take
the place of the strikers. One evil
dence of the probable victory of the
machinists is the fact that more than
], COO manufacturers have agreed to
the demands of the men.
Through Coal Belt.
Il an now on transcontinental
trip in which l propose to pass
through the great coal belt of the
country. l believe the coal mining
industry in this country is doomed
and intend to sound a warning of
the fact to the miners. Competition
is to blame. 1t forces the manufac-
turer to seek cheap power and the
turbine and the Harvesting of great
streams will do away with the coal
mining industry. WhenS the Mis-
sissippi river and other of the large
rivers of the country are harnessed
the coal mining industry will be dead.
And il will mean a crisis for the min
ing industry, the second largest in
dustry in the country, being next to
agriculture.
bat have warning and also a
remedy, and that remedy is socialism.
believe in cooperative industry in
stead of competitive industry. So
cialism is bound to come. The coun-
try cannot help it."
A pleasant man aud a forceful
taIker, Mr.. Greenbaum makes a strong
impression wherever he works. He
believes in peace and believes that
the ballot box is the place TO settle
great difficulties that have grown out
of the contest betWeen CaDital and