The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-07-07


workingman than the Philadelphia
North American; no paper did better
work for the coal strikers than the
North American. which thinks OAR
rows speech is of special signifi-
canoe and makes this comment:
Mr.. Darrow's address on The
Perils of Trade Unionism.' delivered
before the Henry George association
in Chicago. is not a blow at organ
lied labor. as some have been over
quick to hail it. It is the earnest re-
monstrance of a thoughtful man
~ainst the follies into which work
agmen have drifted and which men,
see them and the social structure
with disaster. 1t needs courage for
a friend of the laborer to rebuke his
selfshness, ignorance and reckless
ness. and only true ara wis friend,
an unselfsh friend. could dare so
much and speak 50 plainly.
What Mr.. barrow says will be
misunderstood distorted. and resented
by the ignorant and denied by the
selfish and designing. but the men of
brains and heart at the head of labor
organizations know that he speaks
words Of wisdom and truth, and that
his warning comes none too soon.
"A crisis in the lifa of organized
labor in the United States is impend-
ing. It is foreshadowed in aimless
strikes. in irrational unrest, in the
secthing turbulence of massps of men
who can give no lucid reason for
their turmoil, in the defensive draw
ing together Of haTassCd employers,
in the growing hostility of public
opinion to pUrposeless disturbers of
business. The need for sane counsel,
sham rebufN. and earnest remOn-
STRANGE arans. foolish action is
great, and the man who supplies that
needs his courage in both hands if
no values the friendship Of those
whom he would save from their own
FOLLY. Clarence barrow has dared
greatly Will organized labor under
stand him and heed him? VIII its
! leaders stand by him and tell their
followers that faithful are wounds
of a friend?'"
Another sane paper the Springfield
Republican, which is generally on the
right side when mems rights are in
volved, says this of Darrow's speech:
Viewed philosophically it is in
evitable that a riot of ineXperience
and inefiicency should characterize
the early stages of labor's organiza-
ton. No state of society is ever in
augurated with people already per-
fected for it's coming. When the con-
n.derates of Charleston, in the civil
war set out to sink the federal gun
boats in the harbor by submarine
torpedo boats, they sacrificed the
lives of many a crew before one gun
boat was sent to the bottom. Repub-
lican institutions were not deferred
on earth until people were found
entirely capable of running perfect
: republics. Democracy did not await
the advent of a population already
fully trained in the arts of self gov
eminent. All these things come, and
the people most concerned have tC
develop up to them. Such is the les
son of history. Labor unionism came
also, and in the same way, its ad
herents have had to discipline them
selves by experience in the besr
methods of organization and conserv
alive management On the whole
=, taking into consideration the enor
2 nous increase of unionism, it il
: more than fair to say that it is con
i stantly gaining in equilibrium ant
= sanity Relapses here and there ar
! to be expected bad years are inev
n table But the leadership far an
). wide is the more touched with TIL
J. shrewd sense and moderation of tn
host class Of sober minded wage-earr
II ers, as the accumulation of eXper
l. enca enforces the lessons of rash
l. ness, hotheadedness, stupidity, ma
! avolence, or ignorance"
$ barrow. friend Of every man VIII
/ earns his living, whether he is or nc
: a member of a labor union, utters
Ie friendly warning. AS legal repre-
u sentative of the anthracite strikers
H. h. helped them gain what victor
e they gained before the anthracit
y strike commission. Under simila
g circumstances he would take tn
s. same stand. His warning is that {
II an honest man, a candid friend.