The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1902-02-08

Writing to the London Express from
New York, where he was serving as a
British delegate to the capital and
labor conference, Ben Tillett, the rep
resentative Unionist, made some lively
and acute comments on the superior
ity of Amreica in general and of the
American workingman in particular.
After marveling that from such an
intermixture of races as exists here
an approximately homogeneous type
Of individuar' has developed, he goes
on to say:
I'VE are not so lively or 50 imagina-
tive a race as the American continent
Is producing, but the American, al
though he may not be worth two cents,
will speak with easy grace of millions.
Carnegie, Rockefeller, the Goulds
could not believe more in their own
personal worth than the American of
the second and third generation speaks
Of his worth as an American citizen.
"The air is clearer in the big cities
than we ever expect to get in the old
country. The individual worker is
less of subordinate in America than
he is at home in England He takes
n,
to do 50 not only by more wages ac-
cording to merit but because he feels
he is part and parcel of the economy
of individualism, being consulted by
the management whenever capacity is
shown.
His intelligence is taken for what
it is worth, while in England the same
individuals intelligent interest in his
work would be taken as presumption,
and he would likely be discharged for
his impudence in daring to have or
use his. brains. Although the speciali-
cation and the division of labor here
is really a science, yet at the same
time most of the intelligent workmen
take an interest in the product, which
may be the result of combined labor,
subdivided into minute simplicity. The
erection of a huge building towering
up thirty and more stories is matter
Of interest keenly debated.
1.-THE American workman will sit at
supper with the richest, at the same
hotel, or take a part at any civil, So
cial or state function.
ss Being an individual forever aspir-
Ing to comprehend and take part. In
stl1es business Of trade yernment and;
& . 4! !. 4 ,
! G! q
sates Tor his 1ncompe nee Z III t4n Tor
the lesser. part Of social. duties.
He Is not modest by any means;
but his audacity, his contempt for any
formality, his cynfcism for red-tape,
in whatever manner or place the latter
may be exercised, save him from lit
tleness. The press Of America, al
though it may flout his power, never
treats his rights with contempt-that,
at least, may be said of the typical
American press. No one whines about
him, sneers at him, breaches to him,
condemns him; and perhaps that is
largely the reason why he has such
an estimate of himself.
''He is just a good talker, eater,
drinker, dresses well, works hard,
wants a lot of leisure-gets it, too; is
a robust, boastful, energetic fellow;
swears by the constitution he has, per-
haps, never read, and in consequence
knows but little Of, and is altogether
a burned proposition not to be ig-
nored.
There is but little racial exclusive
ness in his social Enthusiastically any
at all in his working life. His oppo-
sition to the Dagoes' Gtalians) or the
lower order of Jews is entirely owing
to the fact that these are more slavish
in their drudgery than the more highly
paid and independent Americans. One
point also which has only been half