The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-01
CHIEF WEAPON
 OF THE UNIONS
The Label and the Uses to Which It Is Put John Mitchell
 Talks.

certain banks are hoycotted by the gen. erai public. In the business world men or all kinds boycott for certain reasons. and why should not the trades unions do the same? There is no doubt about the legal right to boycott, No one can com pei John Smith to buy goods of John Brown- No one can compel him to travel m the same car, sit in the same church or eat at the same table. think, how ever, that the boycott should be open ana above board, and that the man to De boycotted should have the right to pe heard before the boycott is enforced don't believe that the boycott should De intemperate or unjust I don't think. Tor instance, that it is right to dismiss school teacher because her father worked during strike nor to allow the children of union worlkmen in school to boycott the children of non-union work men. It would be unjustiiable to refuse the last services to a dying man, what ever his past record has been. and I would dfsapprove of any boycott which sncuid in any way disturb the burial of such man"
 The Leader of Ten Thousand Hatters
 speaking about the matters label I had an interesting talk in New York the other day with John Phillips, the secre tary of the United Hatters of North America, who number 10000. an army as ! large as that which xenophon led on his march to the sea. MT. Phillips has been secretary of the Matters Union for many years. and he knows all about hats and the men who make them. Referring to the union laber he said
 We give our labels to the union shops and they are put inside of every union- made hat. Many men will not buy a hat without 1t has our label, and we find that the label greatly helps the union. As 1t is now nearly the whole trade belongs to the union and some of the factories keep the closed shop"
 Silk Hats and Derbys. Tn the first place, MT, Phillips tell me something about the men engaged in your trade. Who are they and what kind of hats do they maker"
 They are mostly Americans" replied the secretary of the matters, although there are some foreigners. There are two hatters unions. one has to do with silk hats or plugs and the other with soft hats and derbys. These different classes Of hats are generally made in different factories and each sort has It's own un- ion."
 Where are the chief hatmaking cen- ters?" I asked
 They are in the east" replied MT. Phillips. There are more in New York and Brooklyn than anywhere else, but you find hat factories also in Newark, and Orange, N. J., and in Philadelphia, Boston, and in and about Danbury, Conn., Danbury lives off the hatmakers There was lockout there some years ago and the retail merchants had to carry the men on their books or stop business. All their trade came from the matters"
 How about the west are there no hats made there?''
 Not many" was the reply. 'There are few factories in Chicago and St. Louis. and quite large one at Wabash. Ind. The Wabash factory was started by a Jew livery stablekeeper. He makes his hats out of the fur of Belgian hares and has a hare farm associated with it to supply the fur. All the best of the soft hats and derbys are made out of fur or down of rabbits, hares or confess" [ Union Hatters and Strikes.
 Docs your union do good?" I asked.
 'Yes, it does," replied MT. Phillips. 'We have not had strike for years. and we have raised our wages and shortened the hours. When there is any trouble the employers come to us. We talk the matter over together and try to avoid a strike by making mu- tual concessions"
 What advantage is the union to it's members?" asked.
 Tt is of great advantage" replied Mir. Phillips. Suppose I am a work man in a union shop. and a union man comes there and wants a job. When the man comes in he does not apply to the employer or the boss, but comes up to one of the men, me for instance, and lays down his union card. saying: How Is shop?'
 Even if we have not much work I will reply: Oh, just fair. Do you want to take a turn?'
 T would not mind he says.
 And thereupon I take his card to the boss and tell him there is a union man here who would like a turn, that is, something to do. If there is any work, the boss gives him a trial and if he is good man he keeps him."
 How about apprentices?"
 We allow one to every ten men, The apprentice works for the first two or three months for nothing. his earn ings going to the natter who breaks him in. After that the apprentice re- ceives the regular prices for piece work, except that 10 per cent is de- ducted for the employer on account of his being a green hand. place as an apprentice is in as much demand among us as cadetship at Annapolis