Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-10-07
SCHWAB AND LABOR UNIONS
Is the Trust Magnnte Mean n Man
as He Would Have Us Believer

There lie before me as l write a
picture of Charles NJ. Schwab, presi-
dent of the United States Steel corpora
ton, and some statements made by
him about the labor unions and the
workingmen. The following is what
appears:
The question of organized labor Is
not question Of wages. 1t is u ques-
ton of more vital Importance. 1t is a
question of administration, of running
your own works in your own way. L
have nothing to do with labor organi-
zation, but if l was workingman. and
l was at one,time, l would not belong
to Il labor organization. They put all
men ON the same level.
IF l was a bright, alert, competent
man, l would not be put in the same
class with the poorest man. Organ
lied labor means that no man can ad-
vance unless all the others advance"
l used appears" advisedly in allud-
ing to Mr.. Schwabs statement because
there is so much more in it than ap-
pears in the printed word. Interpreted
according to its spirit, this Is what Mr..
Schwab says: IF l were in a ship
wreck, l would rush for the llfeboat
and leave all the weaker men, women
and, children to look out for themselves.
IF | We're in the lifeboat and / were
bright, alert and competent | would
not consent to an equal division of the
food | would take what | wanted and
let the weaker ones take what was
left"
IF l was in a burning building, l
would force my way out, even If in do
ing SO | must trample on women and
children and wet my feet in their
hearts blood"
This is the spirit of what Mr..
Schwab says, and yet | cannot think
he knows what manner of spirit he Is
of. 1t is an old saying that to the
man wearing green spectacles. every
thing looks green. To the man wear
ing commercial spectacles everything
bears a commercial appearance. Not
for a moment can l believe that Mr..
Schwab would act, In case of a ship
wreck or fire, as is indicated by what
he writes he would do as a working
man.
l imagine that his actions, translated
into words, would be these: Il am
bright, alert and competent. | am not
a pig; | am a man. As such these
men and women are my brothers and
sisters. They may not be bright, alert
and competent. All the more, then,
fhnt I III
brute to seek my own safety and wel-
fare regardless of my comrades in
danger. My brightness, alertness and
competence shall be used in their serv-
ice. AT least | can see that the strong
ones among them do not forget that
they are men and, like beasts, trample
down the weak ones. If | were to
save my life now, while there is hope
of rescue, and leave those to perish
whom | might help, the shame and re-
gret of it would haunt me as long as /
live"
OF course Mr.. Schwab would not stop
to reason this all out. Being bright,
alert and competent" as by implica-
ton he says he is, he would act in
stantly, and, not having on his COM
mercial glasses, he would act like IA
man and brother"
Nothing ever showed me the utter in
humanity of our present business con-
dition so plainly as Mr.. Schwab's opin-
ion of the labor unions and the work
ingmen. General Sherman said, "War
Is hell" He might have added, ut
makes devils of men" The saying is
just as true of industrial war as of any
other kind.
Whether or not it is true that "or-
ganized labor means that no man can
advance unless all the others advance"
it seems to me quite true that organ
lied labor must come to mean that be
fore it can accomplish any permanent
good. The knights of Labor struck the
same key when they said "4An injury to
one is the concern of all" When the
workingmen recognize their unity and
recognize the truth that all the people
should be workers, 1t will not be long
till workingmen will be emancipatcd
from wage slavery. All honor to every
bright, alert and competent" man who
stays by his comrades and refuses to
be advanced "unless all the others ad-
vance"
There is still room for heroism, for
tenderness, for truth and bravery in
this awful class struggle, however
much such qualities may be derided as
sentimental and unbusinesslike.
CELIA b. WHITEHEAD.
Denver Colo.
The Slavery of Today.
Slavery just as horrible as existed
hnfnrn the nynr nyiS1s in this co rnllnd