The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-09-02
OPEN SHOP STANDS As
DEADLY FOE To UNIONS
As the Criminal Stands to Organized
Society, tho Nom unionist Is to
Labor.
How Foremen in "open Shops" Graft
With lnsta llment Houses and
Workinqmen.

There is a man in this city who is
employed in one of the installment
houses, and whose duty it Is to look
up the credit of workingmen. When
ever man is out Of job his house
is usually first to suffer.
This man to whom we refer Is also
student of the labor question. His
business compels him to be and recent
ly he furnished the following for the
Labor World:
In the same relation that the GRIM
inal stands to organized society, In just
such relation stands the non-unionist
to organized labor. This analogy in It's
clearest conception may be seen In the
open shop" with this exception, la
Dor stands ever ready to admit the
non unionist to full membership, to
make him respected and self-respect-
ing citizen. But society ~ society
strangles or imprisons its criminal and
recognizes no open shop" where the
public welfare Is at stake.
No ma never advocated an open shop
but with hope Of thus disruptfhg a
trade union, and took this course rather
than openly fight the organization. 1t
may be true that few ill-advised
employers are caught by the specious
argument of tricksters and try to run
an open shop fairly If they have
ever investigated the system they have
found it only source of revenue for
INSCRIPTIONS subordinate managers.
knew Of one foreman in an open
shop, employing about two hundred
men, who cleared $40 weekly on the
difference Of Individual salary and the
general payroll. The selling Of Jobs
outright Is not so prevalent as for
merly. but advertisements may yet be
seen in the daily papers on that line.
The best graft for open shop FORE
men today is In acting agents for in
sta1lment houses: the deeper you are
in debt the surer you are Of a steady
job and the best work. Yet these
are minor evils Of the open shop syst-
tenn. The spirit of American inde-
pendence" is not only impossible here,
but the worker is at the mercy of a
gang of petty bosses. soon finds that
thrift will follow fawning," and comes
to desptse himself as much as he de-
tests the non-unionist who works be-
side him.
Several years ago New York pub
Usher was waited upon by committee
of his workmen who had found con-
ditions under the open shop system
SO unbearable that they demanded a
unino shop. Nothing more. That
covered the bill. The publisher prov
ed that he was working his men under
the best conditions possible; that his
payroll (averaged) was more than the
union scale; said that he would be
glad to listen to any individual COM
plant, but refused toallow anyone to
dictate to him whom he should or
should not employ. a little inside in
formation resulted in an order that all
! men in his employ must become mem
bers of the union or seek work else
where. He became convinced that his
interests as an employer were best
conserved by. strict card" shop.
The open office inevitably leads to
the non-union shop. to the destruction
| of the union, which means starvation
| wages and a degenerate and despica-
bic mob Of workmen with no soul
above the belt line.
And for these blessings some employ
ers now ask us to apply individuality