The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-09-09
ROOSEVELT FAILS TO BE C0NSlST tent
. =. IN ADVOCACY OF OPEN Sn0P.
Strong Editorial From New York American Of Labor
and Relation of Organized Labor 80 tho NH.
- ..4 .~, :*Unorganized Workingmen. VII. +
Cardinal Gibbons Hits the Nail the HeadHe Puts His Fin
: ger at the Very Heart of the Question That In
wolves All Economic Troubles. ~*" 5 T..

Millions Of people read the speeches
made at Wtlkesbarre on Thursday. It
was an unusual sight in the world g
history. The president Of the United
States; cardinal of the church Of
Rome, and John Mitchell, head of a
great labor union all talking from the
same platform on the same subject
and practically at equals.
President RooseveIt's Speech.
Mr.. Roosevelt although nominally
attending gathering Of temperance
advocates, paid more attention to the
labor question than to temperance.
He .endeavored to seem friend to
union labor. His desire, as the prest-
dent of the United tSates, to- please all
kinds OF people in the United States,
makes excusable what would seem
otherwise an effort to be two things
at once.
Every workingman knows that to
him especially applies the saying:
HE that is not with me Is against
me-" Mr.. Roosevelt told the great
crowd that he was friendly to unions,
and that he was just as friendly to
b4Ac 11lC11 IAdL OCSAoJ AAAAOAA0s AAAS wv
laration was unqualiftedly for "the
open shop" a statement that the man
outside Of the union must be allowed
at his pleasure to take the place of the
man striking for better pay.
We quote some Of Mr.. Roosevelt's
phrases:
mo one society can do more to help
the wage-worker than such temper
ance society az that which am now
addressing.
"Everything possible should be done
to encourage the growth Of that spirit
Of self-respeet, self-restraint and self
reliance which If Il only grows
enough, is certain to make al! those
in whom it shows itself move steadily
toward tho highest standard Of Ameri-
can citizenship. ..
ut 10 a proud and responsible privi-
Iege to be citizens Of this great self
governing nation; and each Of us needs
to keep steadily before his eyss tho
fact that no 10 wholly unfit to take part
in tho work Of governing others unless
he can first govern himself.",
Those are really fine sentiments. Let
US examine them, and perhaps add a
little something to them.
Mr. Roosevelt thinks that the man
outside Of the union, the man who re-
fuses to make the fight with his fell
low workers, to stand and suffer with
them, should have the same rights as
they have. The union man who
strikes, who sees his family 70 hun
cry, that he may get. shorter hours and
better wages for other workers in the
future. MUST ALLOW THE SCAB
MEANWHILE TO sTEA4 IN AND
TAKE ADVANTAGE, WITHOUT RE-
PROOF, OF HIS sELF-SACR1FICE
AND EFFORT. ~; =: =
Does Mr.. Roosevelt REALLY: think
that the traitor has the same rights
as the honest fighter in an army?
Does he believe that the shirker,
the man who hasn't. the courage to
stand with his fellows: REALLY
should be allowed to come in and play
the scab and sycophant, and steal the
job of decent workman?
Mr.. Roosevelt praises most: justly
the good work that temperance So
oiety can do.
He might nave added that nothing
can do as much FOR TEMPERANCE
as strong labor union, q powerful or
ganiation with mem we'll paid.
ANY man who knows anything about
it will tell Mr.. Roosevelt that Drunk
enness is the sister Of Poverty and "
Disease.
1t is the poor, UNDERPA1D man
lui ~ r.; ho,
It is the overworked man that
drinks-his exhausted system calls for
stimulant.
It il the servile. dependent, strug-
Cling creature that drinks-he has no
pride, no reason to be proud, so drink
takes the place of ambition with him.
Any employer of labor. will tell Mr..
Roosevelt, If he doesn't know it, that
there is three times as much drunk
enness among the scabs whom he de-
tends as among the regular union
workmen- although : the union is a
comparatively recent feature of our
national life.
Most truly Mr.. Roosevelt says that
everything should be done, to encour-
age "the growth of self-respect, self
restraint and self-reliance." etc. among
American citizens.
Is there any institution calculated to
develop self-respect and self-reliance
among the workingmen AS THE La
Dor UNION DEVELOPS THOSE
QUALITIES? / ii
And is there any creature on earth
so devoid of self-respect and self-re-
lance as the poor, miserable scab that
eagerly steals. the job Of a more cour-
ageous man than himself?
What gives man self-respect in a
republic? Isn't it the feeling that he
is as good as any other nan--EVEN
LABOR DAY-GAL -FOUR @:,z--
HIS EMPLOYER?
Can "a man have self-respect II he
is employed on suffrance. like a. cat
in a farm house, apt; to be kicked out
at anybodys whim?
: Is there any influence that will de-
velop ;self-respect and :self-reliance
among men as much, ais the power. OF
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