The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-06-17

condition. But few, unions were dis
solved during a most unfavorable year.
Those that successfully passed through
the storm have, come out Of it with
their heads erect, stronger and more
determined than ever to take up the
struggle in behalf of the cause Of
labor.
Enjoys Confidence.
A careful analysi4 OF our financial
indica te@, tlaata the Federation
still enjoys the Yconfidence and sup
port Of the great body of membership
Of the labor organizations of the state.
The receipts were: $3,127.47; expenses
S1,850.20; balance on hand, $1;279.27.
II half our revenue was placed in an
crganization fund, and if the cities in
which there are unions would unite
with the federation to promote the
work of organization in the cities, some
exceedingly good results would surely
follow, for I believe that it is more
important to strengthen the present
unions at this time than it would be
to go out into unwOrked fields, where
considerable propaganda work Is nee
essary before we would realize the
practical and a theoretical way for
conducting the work of organization.
The thing is not 50 much that we
would like to do as it is what we can
do. So long as am secretary-treasurer
of the Minnesota State Federation of
Labor shall be interested in the work
within the. borders of the state, and !
shall trust to the same effort to be-
applied in the other states as we are
applying here. None Of us is capable
Of thoroughly covering the work of
hy1f {n
most good in our own state. It is our
cacred duty to do 1t, because ours is
the only organization formed for such
a purpose. Let us take up the, work
here and carry it on with a deter
mination that will bring the results
Of the workingmen and women Of the
state.
War Against Unions.
That determined war is being waged
against trade unionism today from
every influential point Of combining
manufacturers cannot be doubted or
denied Their lawyers are attempting
to outlaw labor; their judges are
judging against it; their press is
writing almost venomously against it
and their preachers are preaching
against it with all their might. At
no time within our memory has trade
unionism ever been subjected to such
4 cruel test.
Just eleven years have elapsed since
the Pullman strike. 1t was thought by
many then that organized labor had
received a death blow, but it has
since developed that although the Am
erican Railway union went down to de-
feat. and dissolution in the Pullman
strike, it only paved the way for more
powerful trade unions, the like Of
which have never before been seen.
Therefore we are justified in drawing
the conclusion that when history re-
peats itself. the present struggle
against labor unions being more bit
ter than that of 1894, so will union
ism come again with greater force.
Unionists who remain unionists
these trying times will live
to be proud of the sacrifices they are
now making, for the time surely will
come when the union labor move
ment will absorb practically all Of
the work.
The Open Shop.
The open shop Is nothing new. It
means the non-union shop. with it's
long hours, low wages and child labor.
1t means the employer Is the only one
that can and should decide what wag-
es hts employees should receive for
whatever hours Of toll he may name.
Because we tailed In the last ses-
sion Of the legislature to receive re-
spectacle treatment, from the state
is no indication that our
is. failure: Far from it. |
Our failure there should be an impetus
to us to push our work onward.
would recommend that a good,
strong committee be appointed by this
to evolve a plan of organ
tzation that will lead to the selection