The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-11-15
THE LABORER'S HIRE
oRGANlzEDANDlk pEPENpENTwoRk-
ERs COMPARED.

Why Certain Glass Of working
People Have shared I.nbor's I'm
proved condition--An Argument In
Fnver OF Trades Unions.
The Newark Sunday Call, discussing
the progress made BY trades unions
during the past ten years, says;
1.-THE regrettable feature Of the prog
ress mnde Is that 1t has not been
equally distributed. Some trades have
had great benefits, but many have not
received substantial advantage and a
few none at ALL The class of working
people who seem to have actually suf-
fered is that large, respectable and al
together worthy body filing small cler-
ical positions"
No better argument In favor Of
trades and labor unions could be adj
vnnced than is contained In the above
quotation, writes Joseph II. Buchanan
In the New York Journal. What the Call
states Is true, and what its statements
imply is truer still.
Without exception the trades In
which the progress is most marked are
those in which the workers have SCI
cured the best organization. And the
other side of the proposition may be
stated just as strongly
Those branches OF labor which have
the least organization or no organize
ton at all have shared least In the adj
vancement Of the last ten years. The
large, respectable and altogether
worthy body filing small clerical posi-
lions are practically without organi-
zation, and they have no one but
themselves to blame for their condi-
ton.
They have not been overlooked and
neglected by the great organization
movement which has taken into its
arms nearly every other class OF work
ers. More time and energy have been
expended In attempts to help these
altogether worthy persons to help
themselves than have been devoted to
any other branch Of labor.
Labor There has been the rub Of
the trouble. A majority Of those occu-
plying clerical positions scoft AZ the
thought that they are lahorers They
are lust D BIZ too respectable Ia ac-
cordanee with an idea Of rcspectabilIty
which is happily almost obsolete.
They have spurned the thought that
methods which have been employed by
greasy mechanics aud hodcarriers
could be Of benefit to business men,
This was foolish and has proved fatal
to the hopes OF thousands tens Of
thousands engaged in clerical posi-.
tons.
How often we hear some such re-
mark as this Just think OF brick
layer receiving $500 for an eight hsur
day. while fret class accountants, ex-
pert stenoEraphcrs and the like. occu.
plying positions Of responsibility, have
to work for half that sum"
If the accountant and stenographer
don't know why such conditions pre-
vail they lack the intelligence pos.
sessed by the brickIayer. The latter
| can tell you why ne works only eight
hours s day and receives nesrly twice
I as much pay as was given him for a
4 ten hour day net many years ago.
4 Organization is what those employed
st clerical work need. Most OF them
have had opportunities TO learn the les
son Of combination from their employ.
crs. II seems. however, that they have
preferred TO cling TO the motto OF an
effete commeroialism- competition.
Ii is no answer to say that there are
80 many engaged At clerical work that
the stream OF recruits is so large and
constant that organization y inpossi.
BILE. The same thing might be said
4 with emphasis Of the pick and shover'
workers In addition to the home out
1 put Of laborers Europe sends us half q
million. more or less, cnch year
And yet we have powerful unions Of
\ exeayators, hodcnrfiers and other la
borers. and the union of coal miners is
one OF the strongest organizations ID
the country.
Two things are needed to put those
flling clerlcal positions ON the road to
Improved conditions first, they must
realize that they are laborers; second,
they must become iInbued with the
progressive spirit OF the age. which IL
cooperation for mutual benefit.