Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-02-08


lockouts and labor warfare is Battle
Greek, Mich.
The story? The work people, mer-
chants, lawyers, doctors and other citi-
zens became aroused and indignant at
the efforts Of the labor unions through
out the country to destroy the business
of one of our largest industries-the
Postum Cereal Co., Ltd, and at the
open threats in the official union pa
pers that the entire power of the Ma
tional and State Federations of Labor
was being brought to bear to punish"
the industries of Battle Creek, and
particularly the Postum Co.
This sprung from the refusal of G.
w. Post to obey the orders of the
away from various papers that refused
to purchase labor of the labor trust
the unions.
Mr.. Post was ordered to join the
unions in their conspiracy to ruin"
and 'put out of business these pub
listers who had worked faithfully for
him for years, and helped to build up
his business. They had done no wrong,
but had found it inconvenient and
against their best judgment to buy
labor of the labor trust. 1t seems
anyone who does not, purchase from
them upon their own terms.
An ink maker or paper maker who
failed to sell ink or paper would have
the same reason to order Post to help
ruin these publishers. So the peddler
in the street might stone you if you
refused to buy his apples; the cabman
to run over you If you refused to ride
with him; the grocer order the manu-
facturer to discharge certain people be-
cause they did not patronize him. and
so on to the ridiculous and villainous
limit of all this boycott nonsense, in
trying to force people to buy what
they do not want.
If a man has labor to sell let him
sell it at the best price he can get just
as he would sell wheat, but he has no
right to even intimate that he will OBJ
struct the business, or attempt its ruin
because the owner will not purchase of
him.
nous and arrogant with their despot-
ism that common citizen who has
some time to spare and innocently
thinks he has a right to put a little
paint on his own house finds he must
have that paint taken off and put on
again by 'the union or all sorts of
dire things happen to him, his employ
er is ordered to discharge him, his GRO
Ger is boycOtted il he furnishes him
supplies, his family followed and in
suited and his life made more miSer-
able than that of a black slave before
the war. If he drives a nail to repair
the house or barn the carpenters
union" hounds him. He takes pipe
wrench to stop leaking pipe and pre-
vent damage to his property and the
plumbers union" does things to him.
He cannot put a little mortar to a
loose brick on his chimney or the brick
layers, plasterers or hod carriers union
is up in arms and if he carelessly eats
loaf of bread that has no union
label on it the bakers union" pro-
ceedS to make life miserable for him.
So the white slave is tied hand and
foot unable to lift a hand to better
himself or do the needful things, with
out first obtaining permission from
some naughty, ignorant and abusive
tyrant of some labor union.
1t would all seem rather like COM
ic opera, If it did not rob people of
their freedom; that kind of work will
not be permitted long in America.
Some smooth managers have built
up the labor trust in the last few
years, to bring themselves money and
power and by managing workmen,
have succeeded in making it possible
for them to lay down the law in some
cities and force workmen and citizens
to "obey" implicitly, stripping them
right and left Of their liberties
They have used boycotting, picket
ing, assaults, dynamiting of property
and murder to enforce their orders and
rule the people. They have gone far
enough to order the President to re-
move certain citizens from office be-
cause the ''Unions" wern't pleased.
That means they propose to make
the law of the unions replace the law
Of this government and the union lead
ers dominate even the Chief Execu-
tive.
This is government of and for the
people and no organization or trust
shall displace it. But the unions try it
every now and then, led by desperate
men as shown in their defiance of law
and support of law breakers.
The union" record of assaults, Grip
ping Of men and even women and
children, destruction Of property and
murder OF American citizens during
the past two years is perhaps ten
times the volume of crime and abuse
perpetrated by slave owners during
any two years previous to the Civil |
War. We are in horrible period Of |
lethargy, which permits us to stand |
idly by while our American citizens !