The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-04-27

10 agree with one and tickle the ear with
insncerity.
Men are mighty scarce who would g
out amcng what is called "organized Ia
Dor and do otherwise than agree with
them il ali their contentious. True there
are a-plenty of men who openly disagree
with this 'organzed labor but they do
it in bitterness and a desire to crush and
not to correct the evil that attaches to
the "orSanized' idea.
am on record as being in favor of
trades unions, and my faith in the ulti-
mate success Of these unions has in no
way weakened, but that there are griev-
Gus faults in the system of these unions
40 mar: can deny, and wisdom must grow
among them. stripped of prejudice and Of
bitterness before they reach the high
place for good that my mind has fixed
for them. The "faults'' are not all TO be
found among unions, either. | would nos
pretend to say this, for capital has
Just as unreasonable and bitter men with
in its ranks as are present among the
iaborers. But | am not supposed to Ice
ture capital" my friendship nor my
associations with that side Of the ques-
ton are not so close as to have me risk
the making an enemy by pointing out to
them any faults that they may have.
With organized labor l stand SO clos
and am so entirely friendly that | make
poid to point out the essential faults that
in them lies in the hope that it may be
corrected and the sooner reach that sue
cess that l mo st sincerely wish for their
cause 70 bluntly arrive at what [ NEAR,
allow me to give ii as my opinion toWit,
No organize tior can ever succeed that
has in it's workings elements to detract
us the practices and traditions of our
cherished American ideas.
The trend ~ trades unions is to look
forward to tic fulfillment of great evo-
lutions SO many restless spirits find the
union a place to exploit the ideas hatch
ed by the broodines of their own dark
minds till union1sm resolves Itself into a
weak "hrst step" on the road that leads
away from Amercanism and l fear me-.
from Christianity. Thus the union be
comes thing unstable and only the mi
tiative to other things that wild men may
have i'll mind.
Trades unions husband they viii is
my belief-resoVe themselves into things
stable as the rock of Gibraltar, and
upon which the laboring man can lean
and the capitalist look with confidence.
with not a faint against the religion Of
our fathers, nor a detractiou from our
church duties and without a loss OF the
reverence for that blessed day of res,
needed by the laborng man more than
by the others A union hall could we'll
exist upon every liu in Georgia without
a faint of socialism or a trend toward
anarchy. and this must be; this is one
of the essentials. and it must be most
becoming aud polite that no bitterness
nor prejudice could sway these halls,
till "capital' and "1abor' would feel
themselves the friends that they should
be
The capitalist is not the only individ-
ual that trades unionism should consider
in shaping its policy and forming its
practices The home and the church and
the good people who so to make these
homes and churches they must be CON
sidered, and any practice that democrat
ICES one OF dctracts from the other can
never arrive on that high pinnacle l like.
so well to place ,he union, If d home
should be impressed that there is moth
ing sacred IN our Sabbath by the prac-
tees OF any union. ic were better that
union had never existed. If the seats OF
our churches are made void Of male al
tendance through the policies or prac-
tees Of any union il were better that
union had never existed.
BY all this | mean to say that as a
rule trades unions have eXerted too much
energy and watchfuness toward the CAP
italist TO the neglect of cultivatipg friend
" and cooperative action between them
selves and other elements lust AS i'm
portant rs the men Of money The Sab
bath meeting Of these Unions are not cal
culated to make the good preachers and
people who have their church at heart
f-ia N
members tainted with socialistic or anar-
chistic principles and allowed 10 intrude
their doctrines by the opportunity the
union gives is not calculated to elevate
the home ana make friends of those wise
enough 10 understand that the hone
means so much 10 the human family The
truth is that the thing for uniouism 10
DO is to cease looking for trouble or
evolution and turn Their attention to-
ward the cultivation of friendly rclt-
tionShip with that element of people who
have and Will forever rule the world-the
Christians. The Nrst step toWnrd this
end is 70 get your methods and plac-
tees in accord with tho Christian idea.
Remember the Sabbath day 10 keep il
holy" ard suppress the wild "loud"
man among you thai ntrudes 10 disgust
the wise ana whose Impotence places him
at the front among Your members, max
ing the impression. oftener than not that
Of such are the members of the union.
Another drawback of the past has been
q proneness 10 drift into politics \ prop.
er desire to have a worthy member lifted
ia some high station is not To be CON
demned as q sentiment unworthy the
best of men, Init it is my belief tina.
whenever a trades union goes into politics
H. lowers its dignity and wcakons it's in
nuence. 1t not only invites q rivalry
among its own members. bat it arrays
an element from the outside against
them. The politician is d wonderful man.
himself, and the best way to keep on the
good side OF him is to have nothing to
do with his wrangles as a union 1t
never dld catch me in politics to cry out:
Ioor man against the rich man" 4
inherent spirit to this should permcale
trades unlonISnl-and trades unions should
strive to cultivate such a spirit What
docs 1t matter whether q man is a bank
er or carpenter? The same striving to
make friends as a union should anDIy in
ponies as in the things mentioned be
iorc. ! MS does not affect the indcDel7I
ence OF the individual III these unions-it
might nave the effect of preventing these
union halls from being proStituted int,
places OF electioneerins and opportunities
Tor scattering "bunkum," but that would
be the better
Inc average laboring paper of the tit11e4
mas me wrong idea for the benefiting of
the aborer. If they were half as dill
gent in seeking out and printing sueh
matter as would create friendly feeling
between labor and capital as they are
/" make large the irritating things they
Would do d greater and better work It