The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-06-07
THE EIGHT HOUR DAY CONTEST.
Its Effect On the Tong Masses in the Industrial World
OF To-Day. -
For the Eight Hour Not Only for
Closed Shop Well Between the International typographical
Union and the Typothetae.

cent toward sustaining the very in
Estitution which brought this bles-
sing; for, remember, the employer
pays the same wages to non union
men as to union men and gives them
the same improved conditions.
have served upon several arbitre-
tiOn commissions where disputes
existed between the employer and
employees that cost the union CON
siderable money in order to avoid
a strike; but the non union man is
never known to contribute a cent.
and yet he gets all the benefits Sc
cured. Do we realize that all
secret societies and other helpful
societies are closed shops? Yes,
even the church itself. The union
requires no more than does the
Methodist church. We ask those
who desire to become members,
and enjoy its benefits to subscribe
to our doctrines, to obey our laws
and rules, and to contribute to its
support. But suppose the people
demanded to enjoy all its privi-
leges, but not perform its duties or
support the same, how long would
the church exist7 The union man
well knows that unless he can
maintain his union he will soon
see a reduction in wages and the
old conditions soon return. Look
at the condition to-day of the
workingmen in the South, where
unions in many trades and factories
ri n mt yfcf- Il l., III
condition under which both white
and black exist and the impossible
ity of getting laws to protect women
and children.
The closed shop is guarantee
to the public (who are the largest
factors after alp, who buy the
goods manufactured, that if the
"union label'' is upon the goods
the workingman has been well paid
and the goods made under good
sanitary conditions. To say the
demands of some labor unions are
unjust cannot be denied. But let
us not forget that it is human to
err that even the church makes
mistakes; and let us also not forget
that the Typothet9 is as much a
union of employers as the Typo
graphical Union is of workingmen,
and their rules are as severe on
each other as the mems are. 1t is
always a sad sight to me to see any
part of our United States army. L
am sorry that we need them, but
as long as other nations are armed
I suppose we must have our army
and navy; and SO long as employ
ers are organized and ever ready
to take advantage of the employee,
SO long the men must be organized
to meet them. 1t is as absurd for
the employers to dictate what kind
of organization the men shall have,
as for other nations to try to dictate
what kind of an army or navy we
shall possess.
Let us all pray that the day may
soon come when both employer
and employee can meet as brothers,
and when both will be willing to
throw away Siair weapons of war
fare and settle all disputes by the
Christian principle of arbitration !;
but until that d;ly comes the work
ingman must protect himself as
best he can and with the best equip
ments he can find, which to him is
a strong union and closed shop.
The workingmen have as much
right to say with whom he will
work as the employer has to say
whom he will employ. History
has proven that it is only by insist
ing that all the worliingmen shall
be union men is it possible for
them to maintain their union. This
then, in word, is a contest to de-
/ termine whether the labor union
shall exist or not. Therefore, the
workingman viii ever contest for
the closed shop, as the existence
of his union depends upon it,
Northwestern Christian Advocate.
Tho Pr:v, TO D1fertiyo