Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-09-19

which that employer has invested In
his plant. They do not stop TO think OF
the financial risk he is running OF the
seven years of financial depression
which may come to him when he may
have TO run his works at practical
dead loss, as when the seven years OF
famine came TO Joseph In the land or
Egypt. They do not seem to realize
that when they shirk their work they
are stealing their employers money.
for time means money.
The different labor associations, like
the Bricklayers' union. the Stone Cut
ters'. the Carpenters and Builders, the
Steam Filters, Gas Filters and
Plumbers unions. the Brotherhood OF
Locomotive Engineers, of Firemen.
BrakemeD and Conductors, all have
their benefcent mission. They ought
to benefit capital as well as labor
They ought to be the means of putting
through the different state legislatures
laws 10 prevent the employment of
children, to limit the hours OF labor
and to prevent aagrant injustices
against their members. But the work
of the modern labor union does not
stop there. IL often goes to the capt.
taiist and tries to dictate what men he
shall or shall not employ. 1t goes TO
the capitalists and says: You must
look upon every one of our members
as an equal and pay all alike. You
must pay just az much daily wages TO
the ordinary worker as to the skilled
worker" Or the labor union goes to
the capitalist who is paying satisfac-
tory wages and whose employees are
all contented and says: "AIr. So-and-so,
we have got to call your men Off on a
sympathetic strike. We cannot make
your neighbors pay the union rate.
Therefore we shall stop work until the
pressure compels your nelghbors to
yield"
well" answers some walking dele
gate, that is an exaggerated illustra-
ton, but uniform wages TO all union
workers and. when necessary, sympa-
thetic strikes are absolutely indispen-
sable In their way, and we are only
following the example of capitalists
ana employers in making such combi-
nations. We must look after the inter
ests of the laboring man and keep our
labor unions intact. 1t Is only by the
cooperation of one union, fighting for
the interests of other labor unions.
that the pressure is applied and our
reasonable demands are granted. The
iaboring man cannot practice the Gold
en- Rule OF looking after the interests
of his employer or else he will starve
to death. The first thought the labor
ing man must have Is for himself, and
himself alone"
Mutual Trust.
My laboring friend, IL you cannot
reach the high Christian standard of
loving your employer as you would
love yourself, you are simply heading
toward the social economic wilderness.
The greatest inspiration for future ma
tionai prosperity is not to be found in
the gold bricks which are stored away
in the vaults of our national banks; 1t
Is In the mutual trust which the CAPT
talistic and laboring classes ought to
have in each other. IL the average
business firm could not trust it's GUS
toners or was in such condition that
the wholesale business houses could
not trust II, that average business
house would be wrecked within thirty
days. The amount Of money which is
In circulation today is as nothing when
compared to the billions upon billions
Of dollars worth OF business done in
America every year. l was once told
by keen, shrewd business man that
at least oS per cent of all business Is
done upon trust-upon the promise to
pay or to do.
Now, If the capitalist cannot trust
the laborer; If he feels that at any time
a walking delegate might come into his
establishment and command his men
10 cease work on account OF some I'M
reasonable demand, what does he do?
Why he naturally and wisely solilo-
quizes: 81 cannot trust the labor mar
ket. IL should invest my money in
a plant, my men may go out on a
strike. Then / will be left high and
dry with my property upon my hands,
like horse kept in the stable eating
his head or i will not risk my S15O,-
600. l will buy government bonds or
real estate first mortgages and take
life easy" What is the result? Why,
this rich man builds no factory, as he
would have done, and masons, carpen-
tiers, gas filters and the plumbers lose
the contracts they would have had up
on that building, and q great number
of men and women who might have
worked there so without steady en-
ployment. Then the commercial trav-
elers and the merchants who would
have been able to sell goods of that
factory cannot sell them because the
goods are not made, and the people
who might have worked In those fac
tories have earned no money with
which to buy. Such evils are often a
direct result of that capitalist refusing
to build that one factory because OF his
distrust OF labor. 1t is a wrong dis
trust and arises from blunders and
lack OF sympathy on both sides. All
these evils accrue from the fact that
neither the capitalist nor the laboring
man will practice the Golden Rule and
love his neighbor as himself.
The Dove of Peace
AS q student OF social economies
have carefully studied the prevailing
conditions in Chicago during the years
In which I have lived in the Queen
City of the West. During the last five
years scores of manufacturers have
left our city and have transpIanted
their factories into the little towns far
away from the labor centers because
they could not trust the laboring
classes.
Thus the white winged dove OF peace
today brings a practical gospel mes
sage to the capitalist and the iaborer
alike. She brings the same kind of
practical help as the falcon of chivalric
times did to his master. This knight,
being very thirsty, would have drunk
from poisoned well. Again and again
when his master lifted the cup filed
with the deadly water TO his lips the
powerful wing of the falcon smote ii
out Of his hand. At last the soldier
examined the brook and found it filled
with the waters OF death. So the white
wing Of the gospel dove Of peace would
knock the chalice Of selfish sin from
the white hand of the capitalist as well
as from the horny hand OF toll.
Rich men, are you ready to have the
words of my text translated and