Montana news. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1904-191?, 1904-12-21

a"DNA III 10 NiAaNAoA FhbilNdNApAAs AhN
Daily People and Weekly People of
New York, and owing to the fact
that this party claims to be the only
party representing the working class
interests, the question naturally
arises, why do they not use the la
bel2 The following letter to the ed
itor of the Daily and Weekly People
from a comrade, brings out an ans
wer from the editor of the above
mentioned publication that is
worthy careful perusal. The especial
attention of pure and simple"
union men is called to the scientific
explanation as to why they do not
use the label, and possibly no more
exemplary instance could be called
to mind than the breweries of this
state paying 10 cents for a label to
put on each keg of beer, that they
may sell more booze.
The letter of inquiry is as follows;
Kansas City, Mo-, Nov. 5, 1904.
During the present campaign
have frequently been questioned by
union men as to why the S. l.. P.
does not use the union label on its
literature and papers. | have al
ways answered that we omit the
label chiefly because the unions have
permitted it to become a capitalist
device for selling goods, and because
it is not an infallible sign that the
workers got even decent wages. 4"
This reply is not satisfactory to the
men | have met, most of whom are
friendly to TIE idea of Socialism,
and will vote the Debs ticket mainly
l think, because of this union label
matter. They say: IF you employ
union printers, you should use the
union label to show that your work
is not done by non-union or scab
labor. If your S. T. & L. A. is a
union of honest men and your print
ing is done by its members, why
don't you use its label? Are you
ashamed to proclaim to the world
that your work is not done by
scabs2"
Now, l wish you would print this
letter and append a Straightforward
answer to it, in language so plain
that members of the S. l.. P. can
clip the article and keep it for the
benefit of their pure and simple
friends, who might thereby be in
duced to read our literature and see
that we have the only genuine work
ing class party in America.
L. ]. Tanner.
The editor of the Daily People
makes the following answer:
The gist of the question turns
upon the point of the answer, quoted
above as given by friends of the
label idea. They are quoted as say
ing; If you employ union printers
you should use the union label to
show that your work is not done by
non-union or scab labor. If your
S. T. & L. A. is a union of honest
men and your printing is done by
its members, why don't you use its
label2 Are you ashamed to pro-
claim to the world that your work is
not done by scabs2"
In the first place, the S. 7. * l..
A. has no label. 1t once had one.
1t deliberately discarded the same
at the Hartford convention. The
label was discarded upon the argu-
ment that the label was one of the
levers which insensibly switched
trades union from the class
struggle plane, on which alone it
can be true to working class inter
ests, on to the "Mutuality of Inter
ests between Capital and Labor"
plane, on which the line Of the class
struggle is blurred to the inevitable
ultimate injury of the working class.
The instances proving the point are
overwhelming. They showed how
the label first becomes a protection
to the employers goods; how, from
that, it is gradually used by the en-
ployer in competition with others of