The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-25

There are indications Of rupture in labor
unions, or at least among labor leaders.
regarding the employment of so-called
walking delegates" The walking delegate
is member Of a union who visits other
organizations. and employers in the interests
Of his order. voices demands of organized
laborers. orders strikes, declares them off.
etc. He receives salary for his alleged
services. His credentials make him dele
ployers and employees. Sam Parks. of New
York. is a type Of the class. The public
has heard something Of Mr.. Parks lately.
He Is the person who, as was proved by a
number Of credible witnesses and by docu-
mentary evidence. demanded and received
pay to the amount Of several thousand dol
lars for calling off strikes which he him.
self had ordered. His transactions were so
scandalous and dishonest that they should
have been promptly repudiated and Parks
expelled by the union to which he belonged.
Final action has not been taken on his case,
but Parks won a victory in a preliminary
contest, which indicates that he may be
sustained by the union and continued in his
employment as a salaried fomenter Of
strikes and promoter of trouble. and with
power to bring disgrace on honest union
men by ending strikes for money.
But there are a great many union men
who do not affiliate with men of the Sam
Parks kind nor approve Of walking dele
gates at all. The Journal mentioned one of
these a few days ago, Mayor George p.
Sullivan, of Derby. Conn.,, labor leader
and elected as union man. He says: 1.-The
er, and the sooner labor unions dispense
with his services. the sooner will capital
and labor reach q common ground upon
which all differences can be settled" Mayor
Sullivan does not believe that the true in
terests of labor are promoted by paying
employers and employees and bring on
| strikes to be ordered of for money. A
| labor leader in Cleveland is quoted as say
ing: II am opposed to hiring man to
| make mountains out of mole hills and
foment strikes over difficulties that could
a little GOODNESS and common sense on
both Sides" Still another says: I'VE have
troubles enough without buying or borrow
ing any, and /, for one, am not in favor
| of paying anybody to hunt them up ere
ate them" In Chicago not long ago fifty
four laundry workers who had been on
strike and returned to work without orders,
tore up their union cards and threw the
pieces at a walking delegate when he
threatened to fine them SIS each for desert
ing the strikers Those are some Of the sig
nificant signs that many labor leaders and
union men are tired of the tyranny exer-
cised by walking delegates paid to make
trouble. The organization of employers
which is now going on at rapid rate, and
the prospective organization of an insurance
company against strikes will work power
fully against the walking delegate. When
it is found that employers cannot be CO.
creed by strikes and will only talk of con-
Citation or arbitration, the occupation of
the walking delegate will be gone. Mean
while, the public will watch with some in
terest the progress OF the fight In labor
unions and among labor leaders against
the employment of trouble-makers Of the
pa school