The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-03-07

11loutu dS usual, contains a very inter-
esting article on the non-unionist, by
A. S. Leith. The subject is dis
cussed from a trade union stand point,
and is we'll worth reading. Every trade
unionist should give it some thought,
because it will arm him with unan-
swerable arguments in favor of his po-
sition.
The article says: THE fact in a nut
shell is. labor unions must insist upon
the employment of union labor ex-
clusively or cease to exist
In the eyes of the dilettante the
strike breaker may be heroic; he is
nevertheless the sneak thief of the in
dustrial world, only lacking the brute
courage Of burglar and the skill of a
pickpocket.
when we term monopolists human
tigers, we may as truthfully call the
non-unionist a skulking coyote who
travels in the tigers path and lives up
on the refuse Of the prey his more
courageous counterpart discards.
While using him to break a strike,
employers despise him as traitor to
his fellows, and it is only when all
other arguments fail that the same en-
ployer lis 'inexpressibly shocked" to
see the sad discrimination against non
union men while he himself is making
out a black list against union men.
The Bricklayers and Mason's Inter-
national Union at it's recent convention
decided to refer the matter of affilia-
tion with the American Federation of
Labor to a referendum vote of the
members. 1t is said that the outlook
for affiliation is brighter than at, any
previous attempt in this direction. It
has always seemed strange to US that
bricklayers should hold aloof from the
general labor movement. The national
organization has received much benefit
from the work of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor. The organizers of
the latter organization have formed
many unions for the bricklayers, and
for this the Bricklayers national union
never paid a. dollar. This expense was
borne by the A. F. of L., and repre-
sented the contributions of other trade
| unions. We were once told by the
secretary of an international OrganiZa-
| ton that the rapid growth of his or
ganization began with it's affiliation
| with the A. F., of L. It at once re-
| ceived the benefit Of the work of the
| Federation's s. corps Of: volunteer organ
izers throughout the country.
| =: -: Ss::s -: 49, =
| One of: the principal COLLECTIONS to
the trade unions brou s. ht q forward by
mn
tiees.= srhisi 4 aIly unreasonable
because, he 3 says, the professions en-
courage students and swelco1ne acces-
sions of their ranks. II the good old
days of thirty Or forty years age-an
era from which, we suspect, a great
deal Of President Eliot's thinking was
brought forward" as we say in the
counting roonn-wher1 one could learn q
trade and hope to set up for himself
as master of hts chosen work, there was
some slight Justice in the comparison
between "learning a trade" and zen.
tering a profession;" but today, owing
to the revolution caused by the intro.
duction of the machine and the sub
division Of labor, the faint likeness tina
once existed has entirely disappeared
Today in almost every craft the wore
apprentice" really means boy do
ing a mans work; and it is to that sub
terfuge on the part Of the employe,
that the union objects.
A few weeks ago the Anthracite Goa
Strike Commission refused to listen t
evidence as to the price of coal during