The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-12-06
THE UNION SHOP"

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I n. CHAIRMAN Ladies and Gentlemen-No. one
NI hassenjoyed individual liberty since man was in
- state of nature Individual liberty for men out
side state Of nature would anarchy With
the growth Of civilization it has become and more
restricted. The Declaration Of Independence. upon
which critics try base their argument of in
dividual liberty did not extend Crozier points out
in his History of Intellectual Development to the red
of the great west. Notwithstanding that it pro-
claimed that all born free and with equal
rights to fe liberty and the pursuit of happiness This
reference is made simply to show that those who best
understood individual liberty not unmindful Of
its limitations.
And to claim that the open shop" would mean in
dividual liberty the accepted sense is 10 beg
the question. Individual liberty in the Of the
workman who is not member of a trade union is but
abstraction. This unprotected workman is free
only starve or, at least to accept the terms Of
fered him and, that extent help depress the
plane of living 1t easy say that if the wages
not suitable to him he should go elsewhere. But
wherever he may go, his condition does not change
he has only his labor TO SELL indeed his condition
becomes worse, with each contract with en-
ployer his powers of resistance are lessened.
Much heard what is called mutually satisfac-
tory wages" Trade unionists deny that there be
any such thing between the non-union workman and
the employer The latter has the vantage ground. He
has possession, which is points employer and
job make organization. Notwithstanding this
how often find employers combined to regulate
wages and hours. Sometimes the combination is
concealed other times it is But the practice is
much more prevalent than employers are ready to ad
NIT. 1t won't do say the employers have been
driven this of the of trade unions
for concerted action the part of employers OBJ
tanned even more widely when trade unions were m-
possible under the law.
What becomes of the liberty of the weaker party
in this of mutually satisfactory wages Is this
freedom Of contract Can there any equity in such
contract, and is it made under duress? The
claim is made that the superior workman finds pro-
lection in his superior ability But this workman
unless ne be genius, has only his labor to SELL and
if combined with his fellows for mutual protec-
ton is quite much at the mercy of the employer
as the workman whose ability Is commonplace
Is the Individual liberty Of which we hear so much
intended Tor the good OF the workman! To say that
it is is to claim that he better of when he was
Mltnoul oIganlzatlol Tor me cOroualy rs InfI me
trade union mas deprived MIN OF his liberty that ne
may longer accept whatever terms offered to
him. Is it intended for the good of the community?
snow me country To-Day where tnls idea OBTAINS ana
I viii show YOU q country that is handicapped and
poor indeed with wealth and luxury at the top and
So much for the argument of individual liberty
The union shop is not a monopOly-not, at least in
the sense that the New York stock exchange or the
Standard oil company the coal trust monopo-
win T9onono1teS Yet, the efforts of the vvorl[ing eo
pie to protect themselves are looked upon some
quarters the dangerous form Of organization
THE union sbop repeat is not a noonopoIv Castle
Garden proves it. Our tariff protects the American
manufacturer. Then why may not the American work
ing man protect himself against those whether work
ing men or employers, who would standard
of living to the European level? The object of the
II is not closed shop It is wide open to any work
who is willing to help maintain the superior
conditions that attract him. And what does this mo
nopoy" that has Fought about these attractive
ditions of employ take from him? Simply his
right to commit suicide-industrial suicide.
Capital itself has declared against destructive com
petition. The competition that capital believes de-
slrucuVe may reuuce PIOlIs' more OF less Inc COM
petition sought for in the open shop would gradually
destroy the unions and eventually lower the common
plane Of living.
Trade unionists admit that attitude Of the So
called independent workman is legally right. But
not other workmen legally right in combining for
al fcrff0 had r17F
Before that time, Lord Jeffrys tells us an employer
was at liberty discharge a hundred men or a thou
sand on a within, but if his should quit joint
them with heartless severity And before dismssine
this phase subject 1 would remind you that i'm
the union shop the employers selection Of is
practically unlimited-he may choose from the hun
dreds or thousands Of I'm the particular trade
union. And moreover. he has always the right
or discharge Any attempt to interfere with this
right Of the employer contrary to the policy Of
unionism
The union shop is not monopoly. It is social
The aopen shop is impractcabIe It viii not help
arbitration almost impossible. The employer who has
to the full may laugh the suggestion Of arbitration
And should the risk the hazard of the die and
and if necessary, non-union may be in from
other open shops" and the strikers cowed into
Nor has the employer any reasonable guarantee
that his not violate the agreement, if
be one: the average national international trade
union is pOweTless in such to compel it's local
national body the longshoremen, punish local
for violating agreement by sending non-union
to take their places This organization needless TO
say. makes agreements only where the shop
The Typographical union guarantees it's agree
with employers only in the case of the union
shop. And who does not remember the splendid stand
taken biz the Mine workers during the anthracite
strike the very crisis of struggle their
Indianapolis convention, when they unanimously
cared that the agreement with the btuminOus opera
tors should not be broken?
Our own organization has no open shop and this
explains-our success with arbitration. We have had
serious strike in the last twelve the city
OF New York we have cO-Operated with employers
IN maintaining arbitration board. with such
that have had but one dispute and that a
very slight in twenty years In fact, general
arbitration plan that obtains in the building
dustry Of that city practically copied after
local system With the open shop arbitration would
be failure with us-we could not control
In the open shop the efficiency be o. a lower
order than that found in the union shop. This must
long proportion Of the employees have
son look upon the others those who enjoy. more
or less. the improved conditions OF employment that
they had not helped to bring about and who constitute
to the maintenance of these conditions. SO