The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1905-01-20

cause it desires to protect the dishonest
workingman who will not oay his bills,
but because it desires to protect the hon.
est workineman who through illness or
misfortune may be temporarily unable to
pay his bills. It opposes the enactment
of such /: law because the present coliec-
tion laws are ample, ard because the
state should not be made collection
agency for handful Of men who, reaiz-
ing their own unfitness for business, ack
the state to protect them against the re-
suits of their own foolishness.
Many Of you are farmers, and you per-
haps can not understand why tradesmen
ask for the short hour working day when
you work fro., twelve to fifteen hours.
But remember that you gentlemen live in
the open air, under the blue skies and
beneath the health giving sun, while the
majority of tradesmen are cooped up in
doors, deprived Of sunshine and pure air
and at the mercy of every trust and COR
poration that exists. AS farmers you
should remember that when organized
labor is fully employed at remunerative
wages your crops sell for good money and
prosperity is mutual. Every advance
won by organized labor is profitable to
you and redowns to your advantage.
Therefore organized labor believes that if
you will study the fundamental principles
OF unionism you will not hesitate to join
hands with US in seeking to secure iegis-
Iation that will make life easier for the
workngman. protect him against convict
competition and make him valuable Gus
toner for the products Of the farm and
ranch The free Iaborer is = patron Of
the farmer, while the convict laborer is
an expense to the farmer Which one,
then. the convict the free iaborer, is
entitled to consideration at your hands?
You will be told by opponents of labor
unoinism that unionism is a trust, and
that organized labor denies to the unor
ganized iaborers the right to work. Both
assertions are untrue, and are believed
only by men who can not distinguish be-
tween an association of men for mutual
benefit and an association of dollars for
selfish reasons. Organized labor recog-
nizes the inaIienabIe right of every man
to work where he sees fit, for whom he
sees fit and for what he sees fit, but hav
ing made all the sacrifices, borne all the
expense and suffered all the pains Of
bringing labor up from the depths and
making it honorable and profitable, or
ganized labor refuses to work alongside
the unorganzed member of the same craft
who is SO selfish, mean, sordid and short
sighted that he will not assist with all
by which he profits. Organized labor does
not deny the non-union men the right to
work, but it does claim the privilege Of
refusing to work alongside such man,
because it would lower seif.respect.
The non union man is like the man men,
toned in the Bible, who reaps where 9TH
ers have Gown. He seeks to enjoy the
benefits without sharing in the expense.
Organized labor stands for better cti
zenship, better homes, better working
conditions and for better country. 1t
opposes greed and seIfishness, the sweat
shop" and child labor. It stands for equal
pay for equal work. 1t stands for >aII that
is good in our national Iife-it is a prac
ticaI patriotism that double discounts the
mouthings of the professional patriots so
well described by Samuel ohnson when
he defined their brand of patriotism as
1.-The lact refuge of a scoundrei."
We ask your careful consideration Of
the requests that organized labor submits
to you in your capacity as lawmakers,
feeling confident tha if you give them
the consideration asked for you will rec
ognize the justice upon which they are
founded.