Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-09-08
nishes leaders of unquestionable in
tegrity and ability.

finishes leaders of unquestionable in
ltegrity and ability.
business Corporations.
Some trades unions are but bust
ness corporations, devoting their time
and money to the protection of the
craftsmen enrolled in their union,
perhaps devoting some time to the
protection of atfiliating unions, that
is, of workmen who may possibly be
able to take the place of their more
advanced craftsmen in the event of
an industrial battle.
"One of the ideals of the trades
unions is that of securing freedom of
contract-a freedom that cannot be
obtained by the industrial wage-work-
er unless such worker has monopoly
of certain kind of skill absolutely
necessary to his employer. 1t is well
understood that Il contract supposes
two parties, and that whatever tends
to put one of the parties under the
power of the other destroys the free
dom of the contract. The man who
is forced to sell his days labor today
or starve tomorrow is unable to eX-
ercise any freedom of contract. The
system under which the employer can
wait to buy labor until starvation
cOmpeis the labOrer to sell it at the
price fixed by the employer is tyran-
meal.
THE charge that there is great
danger to public welfare by the trades
unions becoming monopolies is of the
same character as the charge that
there is great danger to private prop
erty by the establishment of a demo-
cratic form of government. There is
absolutely no tyranny in the trades
union theory that the sellers of labor
have the same right to sell their com
modify that other sellers of commodi-
ties have.
The advanced trades unioniSts be-
lieves that the humblest wage-wor<er
has property rights as well as human
rights, and that it is impossible to
separate the laborer's human rights
from his property rights. The So
called political economist has been
and is blind to the laborer's side of
the question. that is, to the laborer's
property rights, and the confusion in
the minds of the so-called educators
is largely due to the false and foolish
theories that make up what is called
the science of political economy.
many of the propositions and assump-
tions of which are shown to be false.
The instinct of the people is s\ne-
times wiser than the philosophy of
the schools.
ut is an ideal of some trades unions
that the capitalist and the employee
should be joint partners in produc-
ton, and that the participation in the
results of the joint partnership
should be equitable to both parties.
Trades unions recognize that. under
the present industrial system, the
person who furnishes the tools, that
is. the plant or whatever is necessary
for the production. should receive
some compensation for such use, and
that, whenever all the necessary re-
serve funds have been created to take
care of the depreciation and contin-
gencies, and the employer or en-
ploying capitalist shall have been
paid fair sum for whatever services
he renders i'll the joint product, then
after that the employee should be an
equitable sharer in the balance.
Keep Hands Clean.
Before we proceed to convict the
trespasser upon government law, let
us come before the high court of
moral justice with clean hands, and
not forever condemn the lamb for the
filth of the stream that the wolf has
befouled. The deepest, darkest stains
upon the pages of history were not
imprinted there by the acts of the
poor, but the rich; not by the acts
of the ignorant, but by the acts of
the learned; not by the so-called law
less, but by the so-called law-abiding
people. The unjust judge, the timid,
cowardly time-serving judge, who
washes his hands in the waters of inn
4 potence, will declare that the demand
of the prosecutor is the judgment of
the court:
The violent deeds performed in an
industrial battle are as speck of
dust in a cyclone as compared to the
great bulk of violence performed in
the name of property aud law.
Intimidation begets intimidation,
and some of the workers having learn
ed the lesson by bitter experience use
the weapons against others; but in
timidation is no part of trades union
ethics, ideals or laws. The boycott of
third parties may not only be JuStl-
fled. but may be commended.
eve do not agree that laborers
should work all the hours they can.
Work under the present conditions is
a monotonous, Misunderstanding oper-
alton, and reduction of the hours of
labor to eight or six would be justi-
fed if for no other reason than that
such labor is destructive. Trades
union ideals are exalted as human as
pirations are quickened by the divine
inspiration of comradeship in the old,
old cause of the emancipation of la
Dor and the achievement of equity"
FROM WORKERS STANDPOINT.
Address of Fred G. Strickland, of Dubuque,
on Existing Conditions.
Fred G. Strickland, of Dubuque,