Omaha daily bee., 1903-03-08

side may be wholly willing to make its
tenets the standard by which the con
t~roversy should be decided. But we might
paraphrase the language OF she parable Of
the laborers in the vineyard and say: us
it not lawful for us to DO what we will
with our own II the best skilled me
chsnics are content to work for the same
wage as the less skilled. who can deay
their right to 10 so? The better skilled
mechanics know perfectly well that il they
we're each to look out for himself The
union could not exist. and that II there
we're no union their wages would in
evitably fall far below the union scale.
Ihe world is Not Fair.
The railroads have taught their men to
pool their earnings in order to prevent
ruinous competition and the cutting Of
rates. Can they blame us for following 80
wholesome a business principle? II the
railroads are fair to each other when they
consent, in many instances. to take less
than they actually earn. through the opera
tion of a pool in order to prevent a greater
loss by a competitive warfare Of rates. why
should 1t be considered unfair for the
mechanics TO do the same thing by the
operation Of the union scale? II all the
world we're fair. and virtuous, and honest,
there would be no need of pools, or unions,
but the world is not. And railroads and
other corporations are a very influential
part OF the world just now, and they par
take of a very large part OF the worlds
character, as large a part, to speak modestly
Of ourselves, as the unions do. The better
skilled workmen know fully what they do
when they are content to work side by
side with lesser skilled men for the same
pay.
And now for our final and chiefest reason
for opposing the piece work system. We
do not oppose IL because we are unwilling
that any man among us should refuse to do
a fair days work for a fair days pay. but
because we are certain that under its OPP
Grafton, as things are, and are going to be,
no man will receive a fair days pay for a
fair days work. Under its operation the
labor union will cease to exist; the rule Of
labor will be: Every man for himself and
the devil take the hindmost." The spirit
of rivalry and jealousy. and of rending COM
petition, will be introduced among us. The
corporation officers, by favoritism and other
means, will know how to divide us and
to keep us divided. and to rule over us by
our divisions. They know that. and so do
we. They know how to divide legislatures
and courts; and who are We that we could
hope to hold our own against the all but
omnipotent power of corporate wealth and
art, unless we stand sternly together.
shoulder to shoulder, in the strong union
Of our several crafts; and then in the
strength Of our federated crafts.
Not All wise and UnseIHsh.
II we were all wise, and prudent, and far
seeing, and unselfsh. as we ought to be, we
might still be able under the piece work
gv-=t,,, g. A.-A-.I - - - IA $50
and even maintain our union to that end.
But we are not. And we know it. The cor
p~oration managers all over the land know
the weakness Of great unorganized masses
Of men who are dependent upon their daily
pay for the support Of themselves and their
children. They know they could play us
of one against another, and so cut our
wages to the starvation point, once the fed
Grated union Of workingmen is destroyed.
They say they do not want to be dictated
to by their men. Very we'll; but they are
seeking, at our expense, the position whence
they can dictate to us. We only seek the
position where we can control our own
craft, where we can be able to say upon
what terms we shall dispose OF the only
property, or stock in trade, we have-our
labor. The corporations are seeking wealth.
high dividends. We are only seeking such
reward Tor our labor as viii procure to us
and our children decent conditions of liv-
ing. We may be selfish in all this; and in
our stern conflict to obtain what we are
seeking, some, many of our number, may
be tempted to say and do things which
most Of us, as well as our well disposed
fellow citizens. will feel disposed to con
demn and regret. We may, oftentimes,
some OF us, be tempted to violate law, even
though obedience to law is our most GER
tain way to win our cause. But IL is well
to remember that we are, as yet, but q
mass Of men in this land, practically I'M
disciplined, but partially welded together
while those whose interests stand opposed
to ours are few. a closely compacted body
Of men, well trained. and united by the
power of unlimited wealth and by the cool
calculated power of intellectual and bust.
ness training. They can bide their time
Best Brains in Country.
They suffer nothing by waiting. They have
among their number the coolest, mos
calculating, most patient brains in the
land. II they lack cunning or coun.
sci they can, for money, employ thu
keenest, the ~shrewdest, yes, even the mos
unprineipled minds, that the profession o