The San Francisco call., 1904-03-21
ADVISES LABOR
TO FORM TRUST
Cornelius Says Union Men
Should Open Cooperative
Stores to Fight Alliance
ADDRESSES SOCIALISTS
Carmen's Leader Declares
Business Once Started
Will Endure and Extend
Oakland Office San Francisco Call,
1l18 Broadway, March 20.

lll8 Broadway, March 20.
Richard Cornelius, president of the
Street Railway Mems Union of San
Francisco. delivered an address this
evening at the socialist headquarters
on the subject of THE Citizens ALI
ance VS.. the Trades Unions" Repre-
sentatives from nearly all the labor or
ganizations in this city were present, a
large number of the members of Car
penters' Union No. 36 having attended
the lecture in a body. Mr.. Cornelius
contended that the only way for the
labor unions to meet the issue which
the organizing of the Citizens Alliance
had brought about was to go into bust
ness on the cooperative plan. He said:
We are living in an age OF organization
and in order to live We must perfect our own
organization Never before in the history Of
the world was society so thoroughly organ
lied We are fed by an organization OF pro
vision dealers; we sre clothed by an organl-
zation Of dealers in shOddy for seldom indeed
Is the workingman able 10 buy anything but
shoddy ana lastly II by some chance
p-orkingman is able TO build a home of his
own he Is confronted by the lumber trust
All that remains is for the laboring man
10 have a trust that he may meet the other
trusts even terms and now when the
wOrkingman begins 10 organize for self pro-
lection he is confronted by the Citizens Al
lance which saws I'VE are out To destroy
you unless you lie down and be good dogs
There only two ways lie down fight
back and I for going 10 fight back
Organized labor IS going around in a circle,
but with every revolution the circle is getting
wider. and more workingmen are being brought
into the ranks Of organized labor Now the
Citizens Alliance has come just about the
right time. Not that the Citizens Alliance
amounts to much for il does not but il the
coming Of this mushroom growth ends in fore
ing the union man 10 go into business for
himself I for shall thank God for the
Citizens Alliance II / had my way. the
unions would conduct their own stores. and
then the union man could defy the power Of
such organizations as the Citizens Alliance
Herbert George said that the labor
unions were al blun and that If the employer
would only stand firm the labOring man would
take Of his hat. Well, time viii prove wheth-
ct not that is In my opinion there is
nothing 10 the Citizens Alliance but bluff and
buster. II figures that enough union men
will turn traitor TO their principles to allow
the employer and the business man 10 win
out. but II the workingmen stand together the
employer cannot hurt them and they will have
nothing fear from the Citizens Alliance.
Let the union start a cooperative store
Of tEer own and put their best men at the
head Of IL and as their capital grows let them
extend their business and they will soon find
that they do without the men who are
members Of the Citizens Alliance. and when
those men lose the support of the lsborfng
looking FOR a job possibly from the very men
whom they would now force to the wall by
means OF the Citizens Alliance.