The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-03-25
TRADE UNIONS PROVE
NECESSARY TO LABOR.
No Necessity for Condoning
Organizations of Bread
Winners,
All Civilized Governments
Recognize 1.abor's Right
to Organize. s

We take it that we need offer no
apologies for the existence of the
tradse-union. We fail to find any ne
cessity for condoning the organizations
Of those who live by the sweat Of
their brows. It is a right conceded by
all men Of fair ideas, whether they toll
Or not. The right is admitted by the
most powerful governments of the
earth, and such being the case, the ad-
vantage of organization should be
availed Of by every human being who
has to work for living. -
The necessity of organization must be
very apparent to any one when We
take into consideration the strides that
have been made in recent years, and
are still going on, toward the central-
ization of power in the hands of those
who control to a large extent the
wealth of the country.
The great combinations of capital,
pools and trusts that we now have to
contend with make it easy for them to
absorb or limit the earnings Of the
workers to the smallest possible SUM
on which life can be sustained wher0
they are allowed to 60 unbridled. Those
facts are daily brought to our attention
by the entertainments Of the employers
in one form or another upon the work.
ers To our mind the most practical
and speediest way to combat the power
Of those gigantic combinations is for
labor to combine just as thoroughly
and effectively as capital is combined.
The opponents Of trades-uniOn8
complain that organized labor, with its
great and growing strength, is now q
trust, and able to dictate terms to the
employers or tie up the industries OF
the country. Such may or may not be
the case, but is there any good reason
why labor should not be in a positior
at all times to enforce its legitimate
demands. The other fellows have set
the example, and we should not be too
slow in following up their trail. If cap
ital combines to increase it's power,
why should, not labor also combine :?
We ought at least to be on an equal
footing at all, times with our employ
ers and in position to insist upon
that which is reasonable and fair. In
what other manner can Wes obtain fair
treatment and. keiE dealin( snntee e.
81 uniting our II 60 u ssy g. q IL - !lE
would It be tor an individdal empl6yes
to seek redress for any grievances he
may have at the hands Of the billion
dollar steel trust? Go into the Con.
nellsvillecoke region, where the work
ers are in a state.,of peonage, and in
the. other unorganized sections domi-
mated by the trust; and you will And
the answer. The great working classes
of our country are too Indifferent to
their own interests. They seem satis-
fed to take the crumbs that fall from
their masters table, and by their ac-
ton would drag others down to the
same depths Of degradation and de-
spair as they themselves seem con-
tented to forever endure.
The trades-union stands for all that
is ennobling and inspiring. 1t makes
men more ambitious, Independent and
self-reliant. 1t is the means of pro-
noting the material, social, intellectu-9
al and moral advancement and pros
perity of the working forces. 1t is one
of the greatest factors at work today
in building for present and future
generations a better and brighter ex-1
istence. Let us all throw In and help
lift ourselves from onr present environ-
ments and try to attain the higher
plane. BY so doing the reward will bs
ours a, ,