Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-06-17
THE TRADE UNION.
John Mitchell Tells What 1t Is and
What 1t Has Done For Labor.

"nau IL Hc' sHt""''
The trade union has given the work
.ngman more money, more leisure.
greater safety and better conditions of
work and life. The average working
man now leaves his work an hour or
two earlier than formerly.
There is more money in his pay en-
yelope. and the mill or factory i'll which
he tolls is better lighted. better heated,
better safeeuardcd and in every way
better to work in.
All these things lie Oh tn" surface.
There are other things however, deep
or and more Important. Man does not
live by bread a.on" and Tie trad" uu-
ion las helped the workman spiritually
as We'll rs physically.
II has taught workinamoo to act to-
2ether. to unite for u common "Ht, Ia
mako Joint SHpriticpS tu aDjd" by the
will Of the majority. to >t.u@4le against
great odd~ for The sake st an idea. It
has tfa@ht Wof'sft=fuea tlat they are
related II ole another and ii has
preached and Praotieod s4lialrilE.
WoikiA9aen arr HOW united H.here
tIbA hAt.tt tilt 'ttNrittti tAtt IL 4Ati 4Atli-
ser%-eaeb tor himself 8ia= tGe=Ge4if
take taa# hMlnuSl, bur c#rlf far Al
and AZ Tar =e54Hil= .2ll=tha Wofztftit III
4 ~hop ~ II Industry VII sacrifice
t6off positions Is m"tfEa7t tGe #e@rs
of an& "ao of 5h5U-
Ten rba7lsaud inca v.tI1 ~}f5>e l4i eue
man Hof o6'5 because G5fe=@5o f~=da=
pouaoa' tHaH-t6e 1n,a1r aa lmraHse
Il fa,= r5I'.Je 9f Oh, s.rg av4led =the
t.4ht@ Of aI ar invaded
4aamsE Know III thjs and still not
KNOW H4 tM.t#tHo trade 1Hsioa @tH14is
for Trade aa.aai@m j. laat#u tbin&
which H5a> @lIIa& out IL nothing and
VII cad ID. MRIGllt4s Il Is u5t= ~ th51s
nbr6=helon@s only to TIL, generation
II + 4 part ot =jhe evolution o! the lsfce.
Theee 8as fiIne Whom WorEin4lHsn
ts0d l5ajl5t1.5 IA say about wa&ns. hours
81 coHdiGiaf.s et work 1heH We're
slaves. ~a'3eets of tla la~h and they
worked s. ia7tl.t3tA whore ana EoW their
naster@=e =e,eeree,. " another time ti.ry
NeN" sesfs. .a1acilel 10 the sell and
tliSp4spd=ef with de l4ld, lilza an old
t;1Hi l'1I5li13&
ii - att'4# HItcs ttt3t# thol worked
soe whom .t5el= wished fR=;lt what
8s3:-es .ErH @ejll a',taift, though eYeit
.heu il sYrlet.'as& laiG5e,4sf that the
IaW f0".5..'o th"n ta AK more th;ln 50
many faf, hij9.s~ Cor tdeir 1a,'s work.
.At the present }5z1" ttV tr;fGe union
is neeess;irf To tiJp real fsee,olI of the
Wefkin@lnaO Iaul.ll- ih" latter part
Of the eighteenth crlIrlIry and the
beginning OF the niaHlecAtll centr.ly
there occurred one OF the greatest raS
olltjonS in TIE history of the world It
WAS Il silent movement. The neWSl1a-
porS did not speak of it, and the wise
men OF the time did Hot even know
that it WAS happening.
The revolution changed manufacture
ing Introduced the steam engine and
turned little work shops, where the
master worked with his iourneymen
and apprentice at the same bench. into
huge factories. where one man holds
dominion over thousands Of employees.
In the olden time the employer and
his journeyman We're on fairly equal
:
man. and master and man knew each
other, for the master had been Il jour
neyman, and the journeyman hoped to
become master.
All this is now changed. The employ
err can no longer know all the men in
his employ, and few. if any. of these
men can hope or expect to become en-
/ Y,lnIorc TNaf.h y,-OJ- n is Innnnd.
ent on his employer for his job. but the
employer can dispense with any one Of
the thousand men in his establishment
If there is no union the condition of
all workingmen tends to become that
of the poorest in the establishment II
the workingmen are to be protected at
all they can be so only by joining to-
Gether in Il union and by making a
contract for all
Trade unionism stands for the right
OF all work men in an industry to de
fend the interests of all.
Those who oppose trade unions do So
on the ground that they are defending
the freedom of contract. The freedom
which they defend is that of a billion
dollar trust contracting with Il single
Polish or Italian laborcr. The free
dom for which the union stands is
that of all the employers in an indus
try contracting on equal terms With
all the workingmen.
The first freedom means sweating,
poverty and the destruction of the
poor The second freedom means in
creased wages. shorter hours. better
conditions of work, moral elevation Of
the Workingmen and amicablc rela
tions between employers and employ
ed-.John Mitchell in New York Jour
nal.