The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-21

The only place in the United States
that guarantees freedom from strikes,
lockouts and labor warfare is Battle
Creek, Mich. ~ .'.< '.'|
The story? The work people, mer-
chants, lawyers, doctors and other eiti-
zens became aroused and indignant at
the efforts Of the labor unions through
out the country to destroy the business
of one of our largest industries-the
Postum Cereal Co.,, Ltd, and at the
open threats in the official union pa
pers, that the entire power Of the Ma
tional and State, Federations Of Labor
was being brought to. bear to "pun
ish' the industries of Battle Greek,
and particularly the Postum Co.
This sprung from the refusal of G.
W. Post to obey the orders'' of the
unions to take, the Postum advertise
ing away from various papers that re-
fused to purchase labor Of the labor
trust-the unions. .Ts .s...,
Mr.. Post was ordered to Join the
unions f. their s9nsRiraey; to tbssa rum UNI
fishers who had worked faithfully for
him for years, and helped build up
his business. They had done no wrong,
but had found 4 it, announcement and
against their best judgment to buy Ia
| Dor of the labor trust. 1t seems rule
of the unions to conspire to ruin any
one who does not purchase from them
upon their own terms. H. -.
An inkmaker or papermaker who
failed to sell ink or paper would have
the same reason to order Post to help
ruin these publishers. So the peddler
in the street might stone you IT you
refused to buy his apples;, the, cabman
with him; the grocer order the manu-
facturer to discharge certain people be-
cause they did not patronize him, and
so on to the ridiculous and villalnous
limit Of all this boycott nonsense, in
trying to force people to buy what they
do not want. .... -.-..
If man has labor to sell, let him
sell it at the best price he can get
just as he would sell wheat, but he has
no right to even intimate that he will
obstruct the business or attempt it's ruiz
because the owner will not purchase
of him.
The unions have become so tyrannous
and arrogant with their despotism thai
spare and innocently thinks he. has {
right to put. a little paint on his owl
house finds he must have that pain
taken. off and put on again by thu
union' or all sorts of dire things hap
pen to him, his employer is ordered t.
discharge him. his grocer IS b9ycottedi i
lowed and insulted and his life mad
more miserable than that of blacl
slave before the war. If he drives
nail to repair the. house or barn the car
penter's t'union'" hounds him. H
} takes a pipe wrench to stop. leakin
pipe and prevent damage to his proopeert
and the plumbers uunion" doe! does thing
J to loose brick on his chimney or tn
, "union' is up in arms and, if he care
lessly eats a loaf Of bread that has n
"union'' label on it the baker
"union' proceeds to make life misera
BILE for him. --~ ~ a.
So the white slave is tied hand an
foot unable to lift hand to better hin
= self or do the needful things, withou
. first obtaining permission from som
naughty, ignorant and abusive tyran
+ Of some labor union.
3 It would all seem rather like conf
opera, if it did not rob people of thei
q freedom; that kind of work will not b
E permitted long in America.
9 Some smooth managers have built u
r the labor trust in the last few years,
/ bring themselves money and power an
t by managing workmen, have succeede
Q in making It possible for them to. la
r down the law in some cities and fore
/. workmen and citizens to ''obey in
q plicitly,' stripping them right and Lei
= Of their liberties.
! They have used boycotting, picketinI
assaults, dynamiting of property an
q murder to enforce their orders and ru
( the people. They have gone far enoug
a to order the president to remove certai
i. citizens from office because tt
. "Unions' weren't pleased.
n That means they. propose to make tt
J. law Of the unions, replace the law {
4 this government and the union leade
r dominate even the chief executive.
e This is a government Of and for Il
people and no organization or tru
t. shall displace it. But the unions tt
l. it every now and then, led by despera
II men as shown in their defiance of la
n and support Of law breakers.
g The uunion'' record Of assault
If Gripping Of men and even women al
!. children, destruction Of property al
II murder Of American citizens duri1
II the past two years is perhaps ten tim
the volume of crime and abuse pc
N petrated by slave owners during al
two years previous to the civil We
We are in a horrible period Of lethare
is which permits us to stand idly by VIII
" lour American citizens are abused CT