The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-10-26

The medical profession uses it for
healing purposes. The state in
some instances uses it as a means of
execution. Uniohism is force which
Is good or bad according to its use or
to its application. It Is good or bad
according as It is understood. A trade
union is union Of men working in any
particular trade; labor union is a
union Of laborers. The two terms,
trade-union and labor union, are con-
verttble. Men come together to con-
suit and act together in order to re-
dress grievances and to improve their
conditions. It will therefore be readily
seen that union Of workingmen will
be just what the ~workingmen in the
organization choose to make it. In
modern times. and especially in this
country, where land was plentiful, re-
sources practically unlimited, and the
nobility of labor a recognized fact.
men who We're dissatisfied with the
position which they occupied or
with the conditions in the place in
which they worked, quit work and
sought employment elsewhere. AS long
as work elsewhere could be obtained,
the individual stood upon his own
merits, and II the conditions in the
workshop or the factory were really
d1spleasing to him he might "Go west
to grow up with the country" There
came a time when the places Of those
who had quit work were promptly
taken by those out of work. Individual
quitting work was NO longer a remed:,
and men sought a remedy some-
WHERE. They came together quietly
and reasoned: II one Of us quits, his
place 10 filled; If we all quit it is more
difficult for the employer to fill our
places. They appointed a committee
to petition the employer for a redress
OF grievances. If the employer listened
and did his best under the circum-
stances to redress the grievance COM
planned OF, the men remained at work,
and whether the employer knew it or
not, the right Of petition on the indus
trial field had to that extent been es-
tabl1shed. II the employer refused to
receive and act upon the petition, the
men quit work-"went on strike"
Their places were sometimes filled,
sometimes not. Where the places were
filled 1t simply convinced the men that
quitting in one factory or in any one
workshop was ineffective, and so all
craftsmen in one city sought to get to-
gether. They Joined with their crafts
men in other cities, until there are un-
ions Of International extension in a.
large numberSof trades in this country.
This seems to mo to be the origin OF
mod unionisrn Us We now know, il.
Trad4-union ism, however. is very Old.
Mr.. C.s Osborn Ward III his ancient
Lowly," gives a. history OF the labor
struggle Of the ancient world and in
forms us that under the law of Scion,
combinations Of working people were
encouraged. They owned their tools in
common; they took their food at the
common table; they took care of their
sick and destitute; they bought and
emancipated slaves; when dead they
where buried together: If burnt, the
urns containing their ashes were placed
together, and their hope was that in
a future existence they would still re-
main together under the mutual pro-
lection OF their organization, which
during life they had worked for and
loved 80 well. In the centuries coming
before the Punic Wars they had made
such inroads upon the system OF COM
petition and Of slavery that but few
slaves outside Of the households re-
manned in Rome and the defenders of
ancient cult did their best to destroy
these organizations, which were gradu-
ally transforming the Republic from
one Of competition and slavery on the
industrial field to one Of cooperation
and brotherhood. The victorious end
ing Of the Punic Wars brought an un-
limited number Of slaves. Contractors
took the work which the unions had