The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-08-08
WHERE LABOR UNIONS UpLIFr.
Carroll D. Wright Tells of Their Amer
icannizing Influence.


Carroll D. Wright has good word to
say in report to the president, for the
"Americanizings influence of labor
unions on certain classes of immigrants
who are most difficult to reach and up
lift through ordinary channels He
made his investigation in Chicago,
where great numbers Of Bohemians,
Poles, Lithunains, and slavs work in
the stock yards. The Poles began to
come into the yard in 1886 after the set
Element Of the great strike, but not as
strike breakers. This voluntary immi-
grafton increased in volume until by
1894 they had practical control Of the
common labor The strike of 1894 UNI
settled this movement temporarily.
Negro labor was employed to break the
strike, and has been an element in the
situation ever since. Two years ago
an enormous influx Of Lithuanians,
Slcvacks, and Russian Poles occurred,
swamping the labor market in the yard.
This was due largely to the threaten
ing war between Russia and Japan and
partly to escape compulsory military
duty.
The clan spirit was at first all power
full. Before the organization Of the
union this spirit threatened riots along
race lines, because foremen showed pre-
ference for men of their own clan. The
union was organized by trades and de-
partments, and its officers refused to
permit racial lines to be recognized A
bitter fight was made by the clan lead
ers, and subsequently Lithuanian
union was organized, which proved
signal failure No subsequent expert
ments have been permitted.
The unions in the stock yards, Mr.. |
Wright recites, are controlled by the |
Irish and Germans. As Bohemians or
Poles learn the language they are given |
minor offices. In their meetings the |
business of the union IL generally inter-
preted in FIVE languages. All business,
however, is transacted primarily in
English, although member may speak /
in the language he best understands, |
his words being rendened into English /
for the minutes. 1t is here that the |
practical utility of learning our Ian
guage is brought home forcibly to the |
immigrant. Commenting on the way
in which the Bohemians and Poles
would close their mouths when the
was mentioned, Mr.. Wright says
"The union is breaking down this /
trait of character, not as a matter of /
philanthropy, but from a selfish nee
essity. The immigrant must be taught /
that he must stand up on his own feet;
that the ward politician is dependent /
on him--on his yote-and not he on the /
ward politician. In this way he first /
learns that he Is part Of the govern
ment, and while this is done by indi- |
rection, in a large sense, there Is no
other force that Is doing 1t at all. The |
Pole, the Bohemian, the Lithuanian, the
Sloyak, and to a much lesser degree |
that somehow government is a thing |
infmical to their natural development; |
a thing which ought not to be. Being |
weaker than it, they must be silent in
its presence, and, if forced to speak, lie,
as for them to tell the truth would
mean Imprisonment or death.
@The drawing of these people away |
from their petty clique leaders results |
in mental uplift The only way the |
unionists can pull a slovak away from |
his leader Is along the lines Of thought |
they are working on. The very essence
Of the trade union argument on the inn |
migrant is an uplifting and an Ameri-
canizing influence. The unionist begins !
TO talk better wages, better working
conditions, better opportunities, better |
homes, better clothes Now, one can
not continually argue better in the
ears Of any man without producing |
something of a psychological atuios-
phere Of better in all his thoughts and
activities. If better food, better wages,
or even better beer, is the only kind Of
better one might get a Slovak or a
Lithuanian to think about, then the |
only way to improve his is to inject |
thought of better into the only ere
vice to be found in his stupidity.
The union point Of view is that a
Lithuanian peasant should not be
contented, satisfied and happy with the
Lithuanian standard of living in Ameri
ca, and that whatever the unions mo
tiyes for creating discomfort among the
Immigrants is the first step to
wards their improvement and ultimate