The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1905-02-04

The only place In the United States
that guarantees freedom from strikes,
lockouts and labor warfare Is Batue
Greek, Mich.
The story? The work people, mer-
chants, lawyers, doctors and other cltl-
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 indl5trieS--the
Postum Cereal Co, Ltd, and at the open
threats in the official union papers that
the entire power Of the National ana
State Federations of Labor was nelhs
brought to bear to punish" the lndus-
tries of Battle Creek, 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 advertising away
from various papers that refused to puF-
chase labor of the labor tTust-the
unions.
MIR. Post was ordered to join the
unions in their conspiracy to rum
and put out of business" these pup"
fishers who had worked faithfully for
him for years and helped build up ms
business. They had done no wrong
b.. had found it inconvenient n
against their best judgment to buy Ia
Dor of the labor trust. 1t seems a rule
of the unions to con8pire to RUIN any
one who does not purchase from them
upon their own terms.
An ink maker or paper maker VINO
failed to sell ink or paper would nave
the same reason to order Post to help
ruin these publishers, So the peddler
in the street might stone you II you
refused TO buy his apples; the caDman
to run over you ii you refused to ride
with him; the grocer order the manu-
facturer' to discharge certain people be
cause they did not patronIze him, ana
so on to the ridiculous and villainous
limit of all this boycott nonsense, in
trying to force people to buy what they
do not want.
If a man has labor to sell let him
sell 1t at the best price he can get Just
as he would sell wheat, but he has no
right to even intimate that he will OBJ
struct the business, or attempt its ruin
because the owner will not purchase
of him.
The unions have become so tyran-
nous and arrogant with their despot-
ism that a common citizen who has
some time to spare and innocently
thinks he has a right to put a little
paint on his own house finds he must
have that paint taken off and put on
again by "the union or all sorts OF
dire things happen to him, his employ
err is ordered to discharge him, his gro
Ger Is boycotted if he furnishes him
supplies. his family followed and in
suited and his life made more miser'
able than that of a black slave before
the war. If he drives a nail to repair
the house or barn the carpenters
"union" hounds him. He takes a pipe
wrench to stop q leaking pipe and pre-
ven damage TO his property and the
| plumbers union" does things to him
He cannot put a little mortar to a
loose brick on his chimney or the
bricklayers', plasterers' or hod car
riers' union is up in arms, and If he
carelessly eats a loaf of bread that has
no union label on it the bakers
union proceeds TO make life miser'
able for him.
So the white slave is tied hand and
foot, unable TO lift a hand to better
himself or do the needful things with
out first obtaining permission from
some naughty, ignorant and abusive
tyrant of some labor union.
1t would all seem rather like d comic
opera, II it did not rob people Of theil
freedom; that kind OF work will not be
permitted long in America.
Some smooth manager have built III
the labor trust in the last few years, t.
bring themselves none and power
and by managing workmen have sue
ceeded in making it possible for them
TO lay down the law in some cities ant
force worRmen and citizens to obey
implicitly. stripping them right ant
left Of their liberties.
Tbey AVE used bovcotting. picketinc
assaults. dynamiting of property ant
murder 70 enforce their orders and rul,
the people. they have gone far enough