The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-11

toIAAhlAAtQ CliOAos
 Was Considered InlmicaI.
 '"There was a time when the orsaniza- tions of labor were not only considered inimieal to the welfare of society, but were condemned by the laws of the land and those brave souls who had the 'temer- ity to insist upon greater liberties ana
 upon the rights of labor to combine,
 were persecuted and prosecuted with re-
 lentless severity. But thanks to an awak-
 ened public conscience and to an enlight-
 ened and progressive intelligence, think ing men and women of all classes in
 America at least, now recognize not only the right of labor to organize for his own protection, but they also eoncede that associations of la&r constitute and represent a powerful Influence for good to all the people of our country. "It is of course natural to presume that those whose lives are dedicated to the labor movement may be biased in their opinions and thus incapable of re- cognlsng It's imperfections, but 1t should be borne in mind that the labor unions, unlike other associations of men, are conn pelled to take the people just as they find them. We cannot select the good from the bad, we cannot single out the ignorant from the enlightened; we are forced by our necessities and by condi- tions beyond our control to admit to mem bership every man employed in our indus- tries And we believe 1t not unreasona- ble to ask that we be judged not by our faults but rather by our virtues. we be- 1ieve 1t not unfair to insist that we be measured by the good we do and by the
 best that is within us.
 Great Men Endorse Unionisr.. "To find justification for our existence Prr iofa rely upon the claims we ourselves make. Abraham Lincoln, in speech delivered at Hartford, Conn, in 1860, while address ing the striking shoe workers, said: Thank God we have a system of labor where there can be strike. Whatever the pressure, there Is a point where the
 workman may stop Wendell Phillips | is quoted as having said: I rejoice at every effort workmen make to organize. I hail the labor movement. It is my only hope for democracy. Organize and stand together. William E. Gladstone said:
 Trade unions are the bulwarks of mod ern democracies; and so we might go on with endless endorsements from the
 great men of the world.
 But we need not depend alone upon the utterances of the immortal dead. we
 have with us as our honored guest this
 day, man whose name and deeds will live as long as the republic shall endure,
 one who has, on innumerable occasions spoken in no uncertain terms in defense of the right of the workman to organize, and so far subscribed to the constitution and principles of modern trade unions as himself to accept honorary membership in one of them.
 And now Mir President may 1 again bid you welcome, may l express the hope that your, visit among us may prove as pleasant to you as it is appreciated by us.
 T have the honor to introduce the President
 ] President Roosevelt said:
 The President Speaks. q am particularly glad to speak to this
 audience of miners and their wives and children, and especially to speak under the auspices of this great temperance society. In our country the happiness ot all the rest of our people depends most of all upon the welfare of the wage-work- ersand the welfare of the farmer. If we l can secure the welfare of these two l classes we can be reasonably certain that the community as a whole will prosper: | And we must never forget that the chief l factor in securing the welfare alike of wage-worker and of farmer, as Of every | body else, must be the man himself. '"rhe only effective way to help any l body is to help him help himself. There 1 arc exeeptsnnl times when anyone or
 us needs outside help, and then it should be gwen freely: but normally each one
 of Us must depend upon his own exertions 1 for his own success. Something can be | done by wise legislation and by wise and l honest administration of the laws; that l is, soemthing can be done by our action | taken in our collective capacity through the state and the nation
 Organize as Private Citizens. | "Something more can be done by com l binatlon and organization among our l selves in our private capacities as citi- l zens, so long as this combination or or | ganization Is managed with wisdom and | Integrity with insistence upon tho tights 1 of those benefited and yet with just re- I gard for the rights of others.
 But in the. last analysis the factor l most influential in determining any man s l success must ever be the sum of that l mans own qualities, of his knowledge, l foresight, thrift and courage. Whatever 1 tends to increase his self-respect, what ever tends to help him overcome the | temptations with which all of us are sur I rounded Is of benefit not only to him
 but to the whole community.
 1 "No one society can do more to help l the wage worker than such a temperance V society as that which I am now address l ing. It Is of incalculable consequence to
 the man himself that he should be sober
 and temperate, and it is of even more
 consequence to his wife and his children; l for it Is a hard and cruel fact that in l this life of ours the sins of the man are I often visited most heavily upon those l whose welfare should be his one special 1 care.
 Feeling of Anger and Contempt.
 For the drunkard, for the man who