Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1903-01-30
tons.

tons.
The same Is exactly the case wifi
the great majority of wOrkingmen /,
the different industries. This is shown
by the fact that nonunion workingiucl.
IN the main act with the unions. jusi
the same as the great mass of Ilepuh
hcans vote the Republican tcke;
though they neglect the caucuses and
fail to attend even the campaign meet
lngs. So when strike comes an th,
sreat mass of nonuniOn men 20 out
with the strikers and go in with the
strikers. They abide by the decision
that the union accepts and. moreover
the union men always share with then,
The strike funds. In the recent coal
strike only small fraction OF the min
ers were members of the union until
the strike was imminent. But the non
union men were just as loyal TO In.
strike as the members of the union
ana the union was just as loyal 10 th.
nonunion men as If they had all paid
their dues
Ii must be admitted. hohevr. thai
the union men, like the church mem
Ders or the members Of other organiZn
tons, do all the work between TN,
periods of exceptional activity. such
rs strikes and political campaipns
1hey pay their money and carry In,
burden and do the work. IN the benefits
OF which the others share when th,
crisis comes.
But the 'scab" is altogether a diff
ferent man. He Is the one who wh,.,
n strike is on. takes the place or Tia,
striker. If President Eliot and those
like him really knew more OF the char.
actcr of the ''scab." knew more about
the actual kind of laborers that become
"scabs," they would hesitate about
calling the modern "scab" "a very
good type OF hero" AS n matter of
fact, in probably 30 per cent Of the
cases he is really loose, irregular.
disreputable, quasi tramp laborer. He
Is the kind that seldom works regularly
and is almost never good workman
"Scabs" are essentially camp followers
Of labor disturbances. President Eliot
is probably not aware that in case OF
strikes the chief object of the employer
is 10 demonstrate to the strikers ano
10 the public that there are plenty OF
men who are willing to work OH the
terms offered. In order to demonstrate
this they send out into the highways
and hedges and offer exceptional in
ducements for men to come to work
simply TO make showing. The writer
knows of several instances Of the kind
where the wages offered have been &c
asking. In addition to this they offer
furnish board and lodging. They sci
dom expect to keep these workingmer
permanently. They know In advance
that only n few OF them will prove
competent workmen. But these mer
serve the purpose for the time being
as instruments to break the strike
Moreover, IN most industries it usual
ly happens that they spoil as much NJ
they accomplish. The writer remem
bers one instance where the incompe
tency Of the ''scab" laborers was such
as to render them actually worthless
and in order to make q showing the
material was taken out of the ma
chinery which stood round the outside
OF the workrOOm nearest the windows
and the machinery was run empty
the ''scabs" simply moving the ma
chimes as If they were working, so that
the passersby, hearing the noise, woui6
think the factories were running, anC
the newspapers would announce witt
flaring headlines that the mills were
rapidly filling up and would have nc
use for the strikers If they remained
out little longer. OF course there are
exceptions, but in the main there IL
really no heroism in the "scab." AnC
he doesn't come as a hero. He seldom
comes because he wants to work. Hs
usually comes because there are OK
ceptional inducements offered and be
cause he is made an object Of consid
cradle attention.
Now, as to the right of the "scab"-
this sacred right which seems TO b,
more precious than the right OF any
body else. OF course the idea benin,
the eulogy of the "scab" is that he /,
man out of work, seeking to sell his
services to the best advantage. anI
that he has right TO take every Op
pOrtunity that presents itself and tina,
he should be regarded as a hero and Z
social benefactOr for so doing. Before
we accept that view the case should b,
examined a little further Here arr
a hundred men out OF work. 1t is i'm
portant to the welfare OF society thai