The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-05-23
LABOR, ] /! AIN SMER !.
>P4| ! !! ! ATTACK ! + Al: (
President >ofz5 San Francisco Labor
Council, pemolishss Assault Of
Association Of Manufacturers, :
Potter Palmer Of Chicago Fay. His
Tribute to the Worth of organiz-
- Cd Labor. ~

.. Cd Labor H..
Recent developments in the field of
industry and recent public utterances
have given the trades unions an. ex-
ceedingly prominent place in the public
view The great coal strike brought
to notice the opinions Of so important
q parsonage at President Baer of the
Coal Owners Association The re-urs
rection of diving right by Baer Us
an excuse for the abuse of the miners
and for practicing extortion upon the
public is merely the welding of a re-
modelled weapon immemorially used to
sustain force and oppression against
the desires and rights Of Others
The bold assumption of President
Baer was still fresh upon the lips Of
those who repeated it to be sure they
were not mistaken regarding the age
in which they lived, when President
Parry of the National Association Of
Manufacturers made his annual report
before the convention of his organlza-
ton at New Orleans.
There are two points in Mr. Parry's
report which are at once appreciated
by those interested in a demonstra-
ton of truth. The first of these points
is that Mr.. Parry, unlike Mr.. Baer,
does not exhibit the effrontery that
ever characterizes those who seek to
terrify their opponents by the cita-
ton of divine authority as basis
for their acts, or religious necessity
for their brutality and avarice. The
second point is the unparalleled temeri-
ty OF Mr. Parry, which, in some of his
statements, semms to pass all limits of
courage and trench upon the ground
OF rashness.
hlusterer, a stupid man; man that
Is not completely sane. The general
public, however, all concur in the
opinoin OF Senator Hanna, that Mr..
Parry is mistaken and not a we'll
informed man.
Boldness is q quality which Is ad.
mired by all and in all engaged in
conflicts, and whatever else may be
said, Mr.. Parry does not lack In either
the courage Or ability to give forcible
expression to his views.
. I take it that the public is generally
familiar with Mr.. Parry's report. If
the people do not know it's contents
it Is certainly not the fault of the news.
papers.
Mr.. Parry, near the beginning Of
his report (speaking of Chicago) says
shocking industrial crimes are COM
mitted in that city in the name Of
trades unionism." If this were So, It
either the morals or economics OF the
trades organizations, !. In the. name OF
Liberty, til crime 81 and ssa4.: inilrd have
flourished il tho Il ast n ma 4 possibily
may In the future; but the progress
of mankind has been made and fIs
now being made because we know
what is said by those in power and i'll
fluence IS not always to be depended
upon. King George was wont to re-
mark during the American revolution
that the colonists were departing
from the Inch which led to the pre-
servation Of their liberties. Some
people took him seriously; no -. one
would take him seriously now. No
trades unionist takes Mr.. Parrey Sc
riously now; no one will take him at
all seriously a few years hence. Eve
ry movement that was beneficial to
great numbers of people has been de-
nounced as bad. And it generally was
bad for those in power. s..
What seems to perplex Mr. Parry
most, however, is not that the unions
are raising UP Gas he stated it) des-
potism, organizing for coercion and
doing murder. He states in one para
graph that "organized labor knows
but one law-physical force-the law
of the Huns and the Vandals-the law
O fthe savage" In another paragraph
he calls attention to the fact that the
passage of anti-inpuction and eight
hour laws. He says that "its Organ
lied labor's) history is stained with
blood and ruin" :" -
There are pages in history where
blood has followed in the wake If
labor organizations. but the blood
letting was generally not done by the
workers, but by someone else. In
stance the frequent shooting of un-
frequently unarmed men have: been
shot in the back while seeking. to es-
| cape their would-be murderers by
flight, as recently at Fort Bragg,
Cal
The United States stands today the
successful competitor in the markets
| of the world. In the United States in
great proportion Of the Industries
the Labor sis. performed by organized
workers whose skill, diligence and en-
ergy put our products above those OF
any nation OF the world: Our two
most formidable Industrial .eompeti-
tors are England with limited nat.
ura1 resources rapidly becoming ex:
hausted), and Germany, :: with the
| strong arm of military force eve,
! threatening the Attempts of the work
ers to better their. conditions. These
that utterances on the line of Mr.
Parry acknowledge the industrial su.
premacy Of the United States. ::#Ifs the
sight of such ruin so aggraVafes Mr..
Parry and those he represents, what
uatriotic citizens they must be! 4.
Thus says Mr.. Parry "a prremiu,n
IS placed upon Incidence and incom;
/ potency" . y :, a.. - -: