Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-02-23
.~...l e.nkC ~ nA>i -.,.l y
LABOR IN POLITICS.
Mem bers of Unions Can Do What Tn
ions should Not Undertake.

=
ions should Not Undertake..
In answer to question from the
editor of the New York Journal the
following communications We're receiv-
ed and published, with others:
The primary object of Il trade union
Is to secure freedom of contract. The
regaining of this power of control over
the sale of the time, skill and cndur
ance of the wageworker will be one
OF the greatest achievements of history.
Free government must be founded on
the industrial and social freedom of all
Political sovereignty and industrial
and social servitlide are then impoSsi
bic
Political sovereignty WAS inau@urated
in this country at a time when the
great body of people We're induStriaily
and socially free. As the wage serving
class increased democracy diminished.
The 1lrst and most important work
for the wageWorkers is the building up
of the trade unions to the level of pow
er necessary to secure for the wage
workers the full part of all of the adj
vantages of Il higher civilization.
The introduction of partisan politics
into the trade union means division ot
the union on party lincs-division
means destruction.
Capitalists are not partisans. Tile
great body OF bankers. brokers, specu-
lators, railroad kings and coal barons,
etc, who voted and bought votes for
| the Republican president would gladly
vote and buy votes for the Democratic
| candidate or any other man of his
kind Capitalists are Republicans in
| one state and Democrats in another.
Those members of the trade unions
! who are citizens are in duty bound to
! carry the principles of unionism into
| the exercise of their sovereign rights
| as citizens.
| Keep politics, whether Republican.
Democratic or Socialistc, ont Of the
| trade union. and the trade unions will
compel such political action as they de-
sire when they have the power of or
ganiZation. just as the capitalists com
pei legislation in their interest where
they have the power SO to do.-George
e. McNeill.
If by "going into politics" is meant
committing the entire membership of
/ the organizations to the support of GER
tain political principles and candidates.
then answer NO" to the query,
"Should labor unions go into politcs?'
If the question were. Should union
! men carry their industrial grievances
into politics and vote for the party and
candidates whose records and pledges
| showed the greatest friendship for la
bor? then l would answer Yes"
In other words, I do not believe the
unions should go into politics, but l do
believe that unionsts should do SO.
Unions are not organized as branches
OF a political party, and the majority
has no more right to insist upon every
member subscribing to certain political
doctrines than it has to compel them to
adopt a special religious creed. Be
sides, such course would make re-
, cruiting new members for the union
| that much more difficult.
On the other hand. intelligent union
men should recognize that through the
use of the ballot lies the safest and sur
est road to Improvement of industrial
conditions, and every such man should
strive to bring lis fellow unionists to
that rational view.
If in that way a union can be tempo
rarily pledged by unanimous consent
to certain candidates, we'll and good,
but for a union to declare itself in pol
itics while there was one dissenting
member would be contrary to the poll
| cy which has made unions successful.
l may think that the union man who
votes with the party Of plutocracy is
doing the cause of labor more harm
than if he turned scab or strike break
er. but so long as he is loyal to his un-
! ion obligation-whch l have no right
to alter over his protest. must try to
be charitable and charge his inconsist-
ency to ignorance. One thing is GER
tain-I cannot drive him into the right