Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-06-05

Dues Needed to Wake Successful
Trades Society.
The annual report Of the tiaSY;nak,
efs' International Uaion of Aiaetica, +
which has just been issued by ri,s5-
dent George W Perkins, is probably
the best argument evcr produced that
trades unicnS are not strike societies.
In these days. Nheu Il is popular to
condemn cycryth.r5: in connection With
labor unions and te s;.r the are GO
ing too far we seIdo1a hear anything
Of their fraternal and beneficial side
The report Of t6e eigarmakers tells
tie other side Of the story in manner
shat cannot be refutcd During the
gear 1903 the Cj&armakers' Interna-
tional union expended $20 ,e5S15 far
strike benefits. This is less than 80
cents per capita, while the amount
spent in providing relief for the sick
and distressed amounts to the sum Of
i S14785f5Gz CoHGcHt is hardly neces-
safy. Tie figures #sts5ud# oHt and speak
lof themselves
Flat, however, is oul, 0ac of the
/ items which show tAn great work he
Ing done BY this ORGANIZATION. Tie
payment Of death beHcft@ II assist the
widows and orphans of deceased mem
bers in the la9r year WIS responsible
fer an=expeHditufe of SI3N, ,G2a&t al
most seven times as HlucI Us VAS paid=
fer strike benefits. Those WIG believe
that trade unions are strike soei"-
ties with only oHe excuse tor exist
namely. II fomeut troahle-woald
do weIl to study the figures. IleE are
uterestin&
THE out of work benefits for die year
amounted - $15,35S which IS the
smallest amount ever. p3i, for this
beu14u S.iiee il N.5s iAaugurated i'll
f1Saa This is a good Indication that
tie STATE If trade With the ci@arnak-
f.s in l9a3 WAS better than ever be-
lore#io line history. "t .4e 4r&4niza11fooo9
gte&ii.,e tAa La !.t e..si.;p J., laj-e1i tt
inc i,5.5*51l. ;!!fsf"= tlIan it ever Wis.
Dariu@ tic %*Aiis following the panic
in 1893 thc ;,,ao,fnt tie union had to
pay out in OIL II work benefits in.
creased Jli. :. IA lS:'5 i; reached the sum
% n 775.-1i7. ST. that t'tue It has
steits.l7' decreased until last 9tar il
reaeheGs rho lowest point ever recorded.
The ton. 1i.Io;'jlt oi=benetits paid by
the Ci9alI1l;l4 4tlliorl in 1898 amount
ed to 81 SO -. !gi,; tho total re
ceipts from due, =ssn>4M"ntS and ini
tiation fees rearht. tls salla OF s751,-
942 .56. Since tAe t4..'f.,A adopted the
beneficial; S..>teaA g.. SLY years.
ago it has paid ont ia he:45 Ct AAe es1or-
nous sum of $5,93nO:11s
The foregoing synopsis OF IL annual
! report points a valuable lessor to the
trade uaionists Themselves. ia~s :. r..
futing the claims Of the opponents Of
labor unions, the figures amply bear
out what thinking naen i'll 1Ise iapol
/ movement have been preaching foi
years namely, the necessity for h.-.
dues and extended hcnct:ts 10 make Il
successful labor union.
The British labor unions realized
this fact years ago and pointed out the
way, but the American labor Unions
have been SLOW to learn the lesson. In
| fact, only a few of them have learned
! it yet, as most Of them still believe in
conducting a union on wind instead of
good hard dollars
Wages are higher in America than
i'll any other country in the world, and
the dues paid into the unions are low
er. The average American work man
will object to paying Il five cent assess
ment to his union, but he will leave the
hall and think nothing of spending 50
to entertain his friends. 1t is on that
point that the American labor unions
are weak when compared with the
British organizations. Here we think
we can win strikes by buster and
sometimes by violence while in Great
Britain the unions put their money
against the money of their employers
and fight it out on financial lines.
No doubt some one will say that the
unions here accomplish more than they
do in Great Britain, where they all
have the beneficial system, but even
if we admit that such is the ease it is
no argument in favor of our cheap
financial system. The British unions
rely on keeping their membership in
tact during duh times and when
strikes are in progress paying the
members something with which to buy
bread. That is the only way you can
keep them, too, and is more sensible
and more civilized than trying to keep
them through fear and intimidation.
When the Cigarmakers' union adopt
ed the British plan of finance it was
only after years of persistent agita-
tion on the part of some of the farsee-
ing leaders. The rank and file were
opposed to it, or, rather, they We're OPP
posed to paying the high dues which