Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-01-29

uCSA III dill GllOII 10 COIL
troll the craft in this city. The sue
cess Of the carpenters is learned with
great pleasure by many trades union
| lists in Ottumwa.
Electrical Workers.
| Next Saturday the electrical workers
have agreed to give banquet to their
entire membership and they have also
| invited all the electrical workers who
are not members of the organization,
and other friends to attend. A royal
good time is anticipated. Addresses
will be made by several prominent lab
or leaders.
Street Railway Employees.
| The regular session of the street
railway employees was held last Satur-
day evening. The meeting was large
ly attended and several applications for
membership were received. After the
regular session an enjoyable repast
was served. This organization is grow
ing rapidly, and is increasing in mem
| bership at every meeting.
Butcher Workmen.
$50 skilled butcher workmen employ
ed at the Sinclair packing house at
Cedar Rapids are on strike for recog-
milton of their union which was organ
lied last week. Sam. p. Hobbs of this
city, general organizer for the Butcher
workmen is on the scene and is hand
| ling the strike. 1t is expected that the
! difficulty will be settled and the men
will return to work in day or two.
Compulsory Arbitration.
The following article on compulsory
arbitration is from one of the trade
papers:
Compulsory arbitration, with it's
usual penal features, has found its
way in another part of the Antipodes
The legislature of New South Wales
last December, enacted a law creating
a court of arbitration. Some of the
provisions of this law are, that nc
strike shall be inaugurated before a
reasonable" time has elapsed for a
reference to the court of the matter
in dispute, or during the tendency of
any proceedings of the court in rela-.
ton to an industrial dispute,or to take
any act or do anything in the nature
of strike, or discontinue work. Any.
one who instigates or aids in any way
the Inauguration of strike of sus
pension of work, is guilty of misde
meanor, and upon conviction is liable
to a fine not exceeding five thousand
dollars or Imprisonment not exceeding
two months.
This is the goal to which some
would have the labor movement tend
but against which, with pugnacious
| for tu hn do
have protested and will continue tc
protest.
True, militant aggressive trade
unionism makes for the good of the
workers and for the whole people
and paradoXical as it may seem, YET
truly and gradually establishes in
dustrial peace and progress-peace
through organization freedom
through organization, epitomizes its
object. Knowing our strength, the
trade unionists of our country will
WELD the power with care and com
mon sense, and under no circum
stances will tolerate for a moment the
attempt to clothe the politicians and
the state with power to enact into
law system which would compe
men to work under conditions and
for wage deemed onerous and I'M
fair by them.
when the state undertakes to for
ce man to work for any set period
for particular employer, specifying
the conditions, and upon his refusal
to work, sends him to prison; at that
moment freedom has been destroyed
and slavery inaugurated."
A M;n;o,,,., <A,.- c..i
Regarding the charge that uni
form and not a minimum wage scale
was desired by the unions, a trade
paper has the following:
ut is frequently said that organized
labor prescribes a uniform wage-rate
for labor, and hence establishes an
absolute equality for all workers. AS
a matter of fact, the chief merit in
the charge is that it is untrue, and has
no foundation in fact. 1t is a perver
sion of the truth utilized by labor's
Opponents, and repeated parrot-like by
the uniformed.
"Organized labor stands for a min
imum wage, that minimum being a
living wage, which, when expended
in the most economical manner, shall
be sufficient to maintain an average
sized family in manner consistent
with whatever the contemporary loca,
civilization recognizes as indispens
able to physical and mental health, OF
as required by the rational self-respect
of human beings.
"Trade unions do not object to the
employers paying above the minimum
wage for any special merit which any
workman may have. The fact of the
matter seems to be that employers
generally want the minimum to practi
cally be the maximum wage scale
They then make their own antagonism
the basis of false charge against
organized labor.
i Among those aware of these facts
this refutation may appear superflu
Gus, but when it is known that labor's
opponents seek and create every eff
| fort to repeat and emphasize the
charge, the necessity will be realized