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

FROFI 5GOI j.: o. TrIE.,s ~
SERVES a GOOD PUGPOsS.

SERVES a GOOD PURPOSE.
I'ut There IL Every Ecuson Wny
Honest Wo.I-iaEmcn. Nset:cr
Members o. Lrioas o. SGT. S:-aLIt
Despise the "Scnb."
In recent address on trace unions
before the Economic club OF Boston
President Eliot of Harvard university
said:
Some years ago | had tue honor t.
state in Il paper. on an educational
subject, to bc sure. that thou il; iiie
modern 'scah' WAS Il very yc = ,,c
of hero, and / remain of THAT opl..,u.
And, moreover. iAy heller is that t.at
is the opinion Of uinc-tenths of the
American people"
Nobody will doubt that Thu. is Pr 81
dent EliOts opinion. thou.,a il may
well be doubted that nine-tcnths of the
American people agree with him. Hut
1t is true that very large number OF
people who have come To accept the
idea of trade unions as necessary. even
II necessary evil. do regard the non
union men rs more clearly representing
the American idea OF personal liberty.
AS President Eliot further says:
Every American instinct protests
against the violent prevention OF a
man selling his labor where and when
and for what he chooses 10 sell il. and
somehow or Other-I cannot tell how
that liberty needs to be preserved and
protected IN our cOuntS'."
II * pnf a Ia ,l.ui.l fl,,t -.
ions are hostile 10 nOnunion men; that
they show their hostility i'm various
ways. sometimes even carrying it to
the extent Of inaugurating Il strike TO
secure the discharge of nonunion men.
This is manifestly coercive and op-
pressive, but it is one Of those objec-
tionable phases of labor unions which
have come as a result Of certain other
Objectionable conduct on the part of
employers, who have constantly
sought to give the nonunion man the
preference over the union man. thus
defeating the purposes Of the union
and ultimately destroying it, Harsh
as it is. il is one of those crude meth
DDS which have been adopted in the
sense of self defense.
This has tended to make the nonun-
ion man seem like Il martyr in the ewes
Of the public, and especially in the
eyes of those who think the right to
sell their labor where and for what
ever they choose is the foundation of
personal liberty. Between those who
think him martyr and those who
think him an enemy TO labor the non
union man has come To be regarded us
Synonymous with IL "scab" This is n
great mistake. They are not neces-
sar.ly alike. Indeed they fill quite
different functions in the economy OF
industrial adjustment The nonunion
man is one who simply does not Join
the union. This is not always. nor
even generally. because he is hostile TO
the union. He stands alOOf for n null
utude of reasons: sometimes because
he is reluctant to pay the dues and as
sumo the responsibilities of member
ship; sometimes because he has Il per-
sonal dislike for some of the officers.
But much the larger number stay out
side the unions from general indiffer-
ence. Theoretically they believe in
the unions. They are in general spirit
and action in accord with them, but
lack that interest which materializes
In active service.
In this they are not different from
the great majority of people in all other
walks of life. Take the church, for
instance. Probably 80 per cent of the
people who do not attend church are
not restrained from going because they
are hostile to Christianity or indeed
seriously critical, nor because they
have any objection to the work the
church is doing. But they have an in
difference TO that specific call to duty.
The attractions in many other ways
are stronger than that of going to
church. he same is true of politics.
The leaders in both parties complain
that their adherents do not join the re-
spective organizations and participate
In the actual duties of political propa-
EaEGa; hence the complaint that eau
cuseS are neglected and many of the
best people in the community, socially,
do not take the trouble to vote, much
less attend caucuses and conventions.
This is not because they do not believe
In tile Republican or Democratic party,
but because OF q general indifference
Or stronger attractions IN other direc-