The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-09-14

The following contribution from the
pen Of George w. Meyer. ex-president
of the Stone Cutters National Union,
should be read with interest by every
trade unionist in this state. Mr.. Meyer
is one Of the early workers in the move
ment, and has a clear conception Of the
aims and purposes of trade unions. He
has seen the movement pass through
several periods Of evolution, and he Of
fers the readers of the Labor World
the benefit Of his observations and
study. Mr.. Meyer is now practicing
law in Minneapolis.
A crisis in the very life Of organized
labor is at hand. The ability Of the la
Dor unions to defend their members
from aggressions, to conserve the rights
and interests Of labor, to resist en-
croachments on the liberties Of our peo-
pie, to successfully battle with the
oligarchy of wealth that seeks to en-
slave our people, is about to be put to
supreme test. That organized labor
has the power to make successful re-
sistence to such encroachments and at
tempted usurpations of the liberties Of
our people can not be doubted; it is
the ability of the leaders OF organized
labor to direct that power that is on
trial.
If the leaders Of organized labor fail,
If they show their inability to cope with
the aggressions of centralized capital
on the rights of labor, If they cannot
direct the power Of organized labor so
as to constrain the courts to cease to
serve the few commanding wealth in
their aggressions upon the many, and
recognize that labor has rights as we'll
as capital, such leaders will find
themselves without followers, and
our wage-earning classes, unless
they are ready to bow down to the
slavery of poverty, must undertake the
building up of an organization anew.
The struggle of labor with the powers
of centralized capital, backed by the
courts, enters upon a new phase. But
the struggle must enter upon another
phase; resort must be had to yet a. new
weapon with which to make defense
against the aggressions Of concentral-
lied capital on the rights of labor and
the liberties of our people before that
defense can be made with success. It
would be an impressive thing to make
the cause Of the steel strikers the cause
of all wage earners, thrilling spectacle
for organized labor to make the strug-
gle of the strikers their own, but yet
saddening one, if that struggle should
not be directed so as to bring success.
Stirred by the active participation of
the courts on the side of centralized
capital, by entertainments on the rights
of labor that threaten not only the lib
critics of members Of labor organiza-
tiOns, but the liberties of all of our
people, it is time that the labor lead
ers and others who condemn the atti-
tude taken by the courts in the recent
strikes, to declare that an injury done
to striker, an encrOachment. upon his
rights, is an injury done to all wage
earners, an encroachments upon the
rights of all, and must be resisted as
such. It is well to protest against the
munitions issued by our courts restrain
ing strikers and their chosen leaders
from striving to secure the co-opera-
ton of the members Of labor unions, a
cooperation indispensable to push a
strike to a success. Let the leaders OF
organizations and others protest
against the action Of our courts in in
fringing on the indefeasable rights of
our people, in usurping authority vested
In the legislative and executive branch
OF the government, but let that pro-
test be followed up by the taking of
positive action that will constrain all
men to heed the protest. Otherwise the
protest will be Intellectual. It is idle to
make demands if we do not stand ready
to enforce those demands, and so all
protests against encroachments on the
liberties of our people will be useless if
positive steps are not taken to check
those encroachments. Those steps lie
in the direction of organization for poll
tical action. The strong arm of gov
eminent has been diverted from it's true
purpose of securing Justice and equity
and made to serve those who are en-
| croaching upon the rights of our pro-
ducing classes, made to protect the few
who are enriching themselves by de-
spelling the many Of the fruits Of their
toll. It Is to protest against this that
the labor leaders should formulate
plans to compel a return to the princi-
pies of free government and to put such
plans into operation.
Now, what are these plans to be? The
tnfringements on the liberties of our
people. on the rights Of labor, are made
through the strong arm Of the law d.
rected in the interests of the growing
oligarchy of wealth. Our producing
classes, to protect themselves from
such Entertainments, must then take
control of that strong arm of govern
ment now used for their oppression and
direct it for their own protection. Re-
sistence to the encroachments of. those
who are building up centralized
money power upon the poverty Of our
wage-earning classes can be success
fully made in no other way.
The duty of the leaders of organized
labor is therefore clear. It is organiza-
ton for common political action, an
organization that will enable our wage
earning class to put aside, put out Of
office and out of power the judges who
use the power entrusted to them, not
for the dispensation Of Justice, the pro-
lection of the weak from the aggres-
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