The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-10-27
MITcHELL's BOOK ON LABOR,


M1TCHELL'S BOOK ON LABOR.
John Mitchell President of the United
Mine Workers of America and member
/ Of the National Civic Federation, has
written book. Organized Labor: Its
! Problems. Purposes and Ideals, and the
Present and Future Of American Wage
Earners.' The Impatient Job exclaimed,
My desire is that mine adversary had
written a book" John Mitchelfs adver-
saries Will find little TO comfort them in
/ his book. which viii interest every
thoughtful wage-earner and wage-payer
that is to say, every one. Perhaps the
most valuable are halfa dozen chapters
dealing with the great coal strike of
/ 1902. which give The story of the strike
| from the outside Mr. Mitchell admits
| that the strike was about TO collapse at
the beginning of August. and that if the
| coal operators had taken energetic action
at that moment the strike would have
been lost
Reading the book MitchelIs adversa-
ries may sner, But we knew all this.
To which he can retort, reasonably, Yes;
but you would not have thought of it
Z
important" Here are few of his dicta
chose nat random, almost:
THE welfare of the working classes, as
Of society depends upon the recognition
of this principle of the right of en-
ployes to scontract collectively. An en-
ployeri be he ever so well-meaning. stands
in the way Of future progress if he in
sists upon dealing with lis workment as
individuals -
Where labor is unurganized and com
petitio nexists, the effect is not only felt
in decreased wages. but also in longer
hours, in unsahitary conditions in the
excessive employment of women and lit
tie children. and in every possible abuse
OF the workingman.'
while the standard of living has risen,
it has not by any means kept pace with
the increased productivity of labor. The
larger product which society now obtains
from industry is more than sufficient to
enable the worldngman of the present
time to maintain a higher standard of
living. To maintain this standard he
must become organized and must main
tain his organization through good and
bad seasons
The rhyme of trade-unionists, Whether
you work by the piece or work by The
day, decreasing the hours increases the
pay while seemingly paradoxical is in
the majority of cases absolutely and lit
orally true. An individual wage-earner
may gain a temporary advantage over
his fellow-craftsmen by making an ex-
ception and working a few hours extra,
but as soon as all men have increased
their hours to the same limit 1t will usu-
ally be found that wages for the day are
not higher ald wages for the hour, are,
of course, actually lower
THE bread of the laborer is eaten in
peril of his life"
The victories of peace have their price
in dead and MANNED as well as the vic
tories CT war"
No higher tribute can be paid to the
american trade unions than an acknowl-
edgement of the magnificent work which
they have accomplished in this direction
in celebrating the antagonsms bred in
past centuries, and increating out of a
heterogeneous population, brought to-
gether by the everlasting search for cheap
labor. unified people with American
ideals and American aspirations.
The lesson which the labor union
should learn from the trust is the abss-
lutte necessity of complete organization
upon a national scale No union has the
slightest hope or chance of success in its
struggle with a trust unless it is COM
pletcly organized and covers the whole
field. No union can effectively enforce
proper conditions of work in an industry
controlled by a trust unless it IS at least
co-eXtersive with the trust itself
The countries. the Industries and even
the individual establishments where trade
unloniSm is strongest are those in which
machinery is applied earliest and to the
largest extent
"The cruelty OF tnes boycott even in ITS
worst phases is as nothing compared to
the cruelty of the blacklist"
with the growth of a spirit Of mutual
concession and with better understand
ing Of the neos and aspirations Of both
classes. the necessity for and the iustifi-
cation OF the great majority Of strikes
viii pass away
II have no doubt however that with
each month relations Will continue 20
improve ard that frcm 1906 on labor con
ditions VIII be fixed annually BY joint
convention. and peace and Contentment
reign in the tcoab region so lately dis
tracted and ravaged 70 va great industrial
conflict. New York World.