The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-03-18
IMMIGRANT PROBLEM
IS SERIOUS TO LABOR
First Real Lesson In Self Gov.
eminent to migrants
From Trade Unions.
How Labor Movement Is Deal.
ing With Greatest Ques-
ton Of the Times.

Curoiusly enough, however, as soon
as the immigrant station Is frankly re-
sarded as an industrial one, the really
political nature of the essentially in
dustrial situation is reyealed In the
1act that trade organizations which
openly concern themselves with the
immigration problem on it's industrial
side, quickly take on the paraphernalia
and machinery which have hitherto
associated themselves with govern
mental life and control. The trades
unions have worked out all over again
local autonomy with central councils
and national representative bodies and
the use Of the referendum vote.
They also exhibit many features of
political corruption and manipulation,
but they still contain the purifying
power of reality, for the trades I'M
ions are engaged In a desperate strug-
gle to maintain standard wage
against the constant arrival of un-
skilled immigrants at the rate of
three-quarters Of a million a year, at
the very period when the elaboration
of machinery permits the largest use
Of unsk1lled ,men. the first real les
son in self-government to many imni-
grants. has come through the organi-
cation of labor unions, and it could
come in no other way, for the union
alone has appealed to their necessi-
ties. And out Of these primal neces-
stiles one sees the first indication of
an 1dealism of which one at moments
dares to hope that it may be sturdy
enough and sufficiently founded upon
experience to make some impression
upon the tremendous immigration
situation.
Many Foreigners in Strike.
Perhaps the fact Of greatest social
significance is that the strike Of 1904
was not merely strike of skilled labor
for the unskilled, but was strike of
Americanized Irish, Germans and b.
hemians, in behalf of Slovaks, Poles
and Lithuanians. This substitution of
races in the stockyards has been a con-
tinuous process for twenty years. The
older nationality has already disap-
peared from the unskilled occupations
and the substitution has evidently run
along the line Of lower standard of
living
Those who attended the crowded
meetings Of last summer and heard the
same address successfully translated
by Interpreters into six or eight Ian
guages, who saw the respect shown to
the most uncouth of the speakers by
the skilled American men who repre-
scented distinctly superior standard
of life and thought, could never doubt
the power of the labor organizations for
amalgamation, whatever opinion they
might hold concerning their other VAL
ues. This may be said in spite of the
fact that great industrial disturbances
have arisen from the underwriting of
wages or the lowering of. racial stand
ard. Certainly the most notable of
these have taken place, in those indus
tries and at those places in which the
importation Of immigrants has been de-
liberately fostered as a. wage lowering
weapon, and even in those disturbances
and under the shock and strain Of
long strike. disintegration did not come
along the line Of race cleavage.
How Unions Blend the Races. =
1t may further be contended that this
remarkable coming, together has been