The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-10-25
The Glory ana T,rann, OF Labor n,ons.

To THE EpiroR op THE SuS SIR. Some
one has said that labor was the stamp of "A
slave in antiquity. tine mark OF serf In the
M,ddle Ages, but II now the glory OF man
IN our day.
The rights of free abor came late in the
history OF the world: neither the Greeks nor
the Romans recognized il.
From the third to the thirteenth century
the Church was the workingna most
faithful protector. and, " men would only
seek to prove 1t. there is no army OF men
more willing and capable of helping them
to-day. than Tn. great body OF ministers.
From the thirteenth to the eighteenth CEN
fury pirlaments and legislators did much
to secure liberty for the man OF daily toll
From that date until the present public
opinion has passed fayorably upon the right
OF man to sell his labor at the best price he
can secure
No one questions the right OF the working,
man 10 combine for the promotion OF mutual
interest Indeed IN these days Of keen
competition DO man In any walk IN ~" can
afford to isolate himself from his Fellow;
hence the many associations. lay ana clerical.
OF to-day.
II should be underst God that the trades
unions are not modern innovations bv any
means What the labor unions are To-Day
that the guilds OF the Middle Ages WERE
Ii is highly commendab!e when the work
ingmen unite among Themselves 10 promote
a better understapdnE Of th",T ,rad.s' Nne
each other. and the discussion OF how they
may help each other IN sickness anu AT DEAN
Trades unions, organized FOR snch purlos"s;
are humanitarian IN their origlnntion ana
practice. They Should not u" condemned
by the Wholesale: We should lesrn the line
art Of discrimination. -
arises as to their henchceut purro-e ana hs.'
the moment the labor unions heConi" p'rt
and parcel Of the great labor problem itself.
10. luh In 20 20
hut as soon rs they 90 ont OF thnt. ana re-phHs
upon forbidden ground. they become n cur
aud not blessing, hnd We hte loI',u MI :,
sorrow to speak about the tyranny OF uh'eu
labor ,.,
Labor unions therefore may be- DIVIDED
into two classes the constructive and the
de-truc,iye the former kind seeks TO draw
masters and men closer to "ach DINER VIII
the other. consciously or unConsclousIy
makes the gulf wider between oap"aI anu
labor -,
Permit me to give concrete example OF
the tyranny OF Organized labor 4.
scotch friend OF mine the other Gay re- re.
cided 10 make this country his home. Inc
frat thing he did was to declare his intentions
Of becoming citizen oil the thneu "'a'es
A first -class machnist he soon obtained
n situation in reputable firm w,ose pln,e
of business is on the Jersey shore OF the beau
Having sworn TO uphold the name ,. and
fame OF the stars and stripes. he gladly ",hs
forth 10 his daily task. Scarcely had ,he
ink OF his signature become dry when he was
nccoSted by workmen in the shop ana liNi,ed
20 ioin n society known as the lnternatlohai
Association of Machinist,. -
This he could not do a. he had been n mem
her of the Amalga mated Society oi tngineefs
FOR twenty years The waking uersh."
OF the International society quickly intrr e
viewed the under-foremau and threatchel
20 call ont the men from work II my iflehu
was not dismissed The result was that IN
n weeks time lie was practically kicked out
no, BY the masters who employed nm Uhey
we're ignorant Of the miserable bu-ineIs'
but practically at the cruel behe-t OF 'hi7
la Dor union. - -,
! would plead for freedom. for The rork-
ingmen OF America. because II Is tteI n i,,r
risht that freedom which il one OF IN" iun-
dsmental stones Of our Government, out
which il denied by. such tyrannical ana IN
American lahor machines as have described
Such tyranny would place n blot upon
our fair flag. blot more obnoxious and 80
horrent than the slavery OF the South, ioI
the abolition OF which so many sons bed
and died. iRev W. / DoH"Ahp'
STELToS, y J, oct g.