Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-08-01
THE CONTENTION.

involved N the stIikc va h~
miners in the anthracite coal dis
trict of Pennsylvania. This in :
deed, is the chief eonEsn.ion un-
DERIVING all the recent prolonged
strikes. Employers say I'VE
will deal only with our own en-
ployes. II they have any grIev-
ance, or think they have we will
settle il with them" Of course
the unions will not accept this
condition. To do so does not
suit the purpose of certain labor
leaders whose ambition is to form
and perpatuaie a federa'ed labor
union that shall WELL its author
i.y in every line of industrial
pursuit.
It has become a question, >vlr-
tuallv, whether the men who
furnish the capital, make the
contracts and run all financial
risks shall contrel their business
or whether the workmen they
employ and to whom they must
pay liberal wages shall exercise
the control. The most earnest
and thoughtful friends of labor
believe that the cause OF labor IS
being hurt in its own house.
No one denies the right of Ia
Dor to organize. Every lntelll'
gent man knows that labor re-
forms, and the betterlnent OF the
condition of workmen are large
lv due to organized effort. Sc
long as this organized effort i:
put forth to secure its natura
rights it holds the sympathy o
all right thinking men. Whef
it contravenes the natural right:
of others, when in fact it woule
destroy these that it might un-
hindered, unquestioned work it
own will it iorfeits its claim eithe
to respect or sympathy.
That two natural rights cal
come into conflict is as impossl
bic as that two bodies of like di'
mentions may simultaneously oc
cupy the same space. Every
where and always it has beel
the right, the acknowledged, nat
ural right Of free men to contro
their own labor. The freeman
right is to sell or exchange hi
labor at whatever value he ma
place upon it. In him alone
vested the right to refuse or t
accept whatever he may be Of
fered for his labor. He ma
form a union with. any 11umbe
of his fellows and stipulate wit
them the price at which the
will exchange their labor, but h
has no shadow of right to fore
another to enter into an agree
ment, nor to prevent him from
vending his labor to whom b
will upon whatever terms h
NAV agree. This is the chic
corner stone in the very founda
ton of Individual liberty, th'
distinguishing mark of free
man from a serf.
English law has carefully
guarded this individual right ant
is exceedingly jealous Of any me
mace to it. Yet judge wht
has given it clear and truthful
expression and righteous admins
tration is set upon by organized
labor and by social and politica
demaeoeues in the name of labor
and IS vilifed and threatened
with proceedings in impeach
ment.
The Unions assault upon the
rights of others, attended as /
usually is by acts of violence
destruction of property and lif'
is not their only forbidding fea
ture. They hold their member
in absolute vassalage, and rule
them with despotic hand.
However we'll satisfied will
his work, his wages and his treat
ment, however necessary it ma.
be that he should continue at hi
work, the individual workman
must drop his tools and quit hi
work at the command Of hi
union; or if permitted to worl
on, his earnings must be divide'
with those who refuse to worl
because of some real or fancie'
grievance against their employ
erS.
The Union demands that th
vicious, t1uculent, incompeten
workmen receive the same treat
ment and is paid the same wage
as the careful, industrious, relia
BILE and skillful 1naa does.
Multitudes of the most lntelll
gent men refuse to become iden
tilted with the Union as nov
conducted, and SO are the espec
ial aversion of the union men
t. xx,o,,1J coe,,, that wise