Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1903-09-16
HAS LABOR GONE MAD?

The above question very naturally suggests itself to one who keeps in touch with some of the actions of or ganized labor of late. That men who are interested in common in any spe- cial line of work or in any industry have a perfect right to form them selves into union that they may the better understand each other and work in harmony and unison for the i'm provement of their condition and the legitimate advancement of their in- terests, no sensible or fair minded person can deny, so long as they keep within the bounds of justice and with in the shadow sof the Golden Rule. But when men form themselves into | secret compact for the purpose of de- | stroying any American citizens right to life. liberty and the pursuit of happiness, then it is about time ! to call halt. That unionism, when 1 properly conducted, is not only one T able thing, cannot be disputed. But ! that there is a right and wrong way ! for unions to conduct themselves is as truly evident When labor unions adopt the plan of improving the quail ity of tie product they have for sale -labor-instead of giving so much at tention to trying to rule everybody not conencted with them off the face of the earth, and giving the employ ing world to understand that their property is safer when under their control than under haphazard and un- skilled workmanship. that they can give more for the money than the other class of workmen can, and thus make it business and reasonable proposition to the man who is invest i ing his capital, instead of trying to terrorlze him into employing union labor regardless of what it is worth, then will unions have the respect and admiration of the world and its cause will prosper and have ten dency to lift the standard of labor and improve the laboring mans con dition, and in place of strife and bloodshed there will be peace and contentment. But such examples of the bulldozing and terrorizing meth ods often adopted by labor unions as the:following dispatch from Chicago, which recites an instance of the meth cd of rule or ruin adopted there, tempting to set up the high standard of American citizenship which union labor should contend for and strive to obtain, that they have gone com pletely mad in the exercise of their power in that city:
 "J. J. Thornton, the proprietor of a warehouse and van company was as saulted today during the Labor day parade because be was driving one of his own teams without having union card in his possession. Thornton hitched three horses to one of his vanS in the morning and took a score or more of children out to see the parade. He attempted to haul nothing but his guests. For three hours he stood with his wagon at the corner of the street and watched the parade, and when he attempted to drive away he was stop ped by some of the teamsters in the parade who asked if he had a union card.
 { "He tried to explain that he need ed no card. that it was his own team [ that he was doing no hauling. Sev- eral hundred men gathered around the wagon and attempted to pull him off. An escort ot police enabled him to get several blocks away when a mob numbering fully IUUU caught up with him. He whipped up his horses and for nearly mile he was pursued, when | finally the mob cut the harness of his horses into small pieces, beat the animals with canes, compelling them | to run away, and then beat Thornton badly. Thornton employs a large number of teamsters, all of whom are members of the union, and he never had any trouble with the organization before today"