The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-11-14
LABOR MEN
ARE AT WORK
Continued from First Page.

that has ever existed on our continent;
our Federation which, instituted in this
city in 1881, has continued its uninter-
rupted path, progress, advancement, and
success to this day; our Federation,
which has not only helped to organize
so large number Of our fellow work
ers into unions; which has not only Sc
cured economic and material improve.
ment in their condition, but has obtained
legislative and administrative action
national, state, and municipal; our Fed
Grafton, which has sown the seed OF
unity, fraternity, and solidarity, by and
through which the workers have better
sense of their duty to help them bear
each others burdens: to realize that in
the advancement of their brothers good
they themselves are largely interested
and advanced for their own good. We
are proud, too, of the fact of having SO
nurtured and cultivated the general pub.
lie mind that it has a better and higher
conception of the rights and interests Of
the toilers.
"The movement of labor as expressed
and typifed by our trade unions and by
the American Federation of Labor, il
constructive, not destructive in character
and achievement. 1t aims and works to
build up character and manhood, and in
stills higher conception of the duty Of
man to man. 1t proclaims as a cardi-
nal principle, and acts upon it, that in
this world of ours man can not live for
himself alone, but that in fact and in
truth it is the duty of man to be his
brothers keeper and helpmeet. To make
man, woman, and child more noble, beau
tiful, and expectant of brighter and bet
ter days to come; to work on and give
their effort to the attainment of these
hight ideals, so that today may be bet
ter than the day that has gone before
that tomorrow, tomorrow and tomor-
rows tomorrow may each witness the
Inauguration OF better day--in word
to continually make life better worth
living, is the work and the mission ofour
enrolling trade union movement, the
American Federation of Labor.
Our Movement Extended.
On the continent Of America our labor
movement is expanding and extending
to all its beneicent influences. We have
not only our international trades unions
local trade unions, but we also have our
Etate, dominion, insular, and territorial
declarations, our COL central labor unions
trades assemblies, and local federations
Our limits are no longer from Maine to
California, from the Lakes to the Gulf
but we include the whole Of the United
States, Canada, Hawaii, Cuba, Porte
Rico, Mexico, the Philippines, and Brit
ish Columbia. 1t is superiluous here to
refer to the vast advantages secured by
our international unions for the members
of their respective crafts and callings-
they have been more than thrice told
They will bear telling again and again
and it is strongly urged That our inter-
national unions, as further illustration
of the greater possibilities for good in
the future by trade union unity under
the banner of international trade union
ism, should gather the material and data
30 that they may put their achievements
before the world and demonstrate to the
indifferent and to the scoffers and the
unthinking, as we'll as to the friends,
the vast good already accomplished.
Labor's Key to Growth, Permanently,
and Success.
Again | feel it incumbent upon me TO
impress upon theminds of trade unionists
the necessity of making the unions OF
greater benefit and advantage to work
men, not only in the direct etTortto main
tain and advance their material condi-
fion in the matter of wages, hours, and
conditions of employment, but also by
providing a system of benefits for the
mebership and protecting them in all
their vicissitudes Of life, and to provide
these, the necessity Of establishing the
payment of higher dues in the unions.
There is no good reason why our UNI
ions should not, apart from their protec-
tive, trade, and labor features, become
the guarantee to our members for the
payment of benefits by reason Of likeness,
unemployment, loss Of tools, superan-
nuation, travelling, death, etc. etc.
Surely, recent Investigations have de-
monstrated beyond question how largely
the wage earners of our country are
mulcted by excessive premiums paid to
so-called insurance companies and socie-
Ties. Our unions, by their very economy
of administration, by their experience,
as well as by their mutual interests, do,
and can, give greater returns for dues
paid than any other institution on earth.
AS against the objection Of some who
assert that these features are not func-
fions of unions, is the answer that the
functions of the trade union movement
in the interests of the working people
are without limit.
AS against the aspersions Of oppon-
ents, we fearlessly assert, and can easily
demonstrate, that, man for man, or as
ISOLATION for association, the officers and
the great rank and file in our movement,
are as honorable, high-minded, faithful,