The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-03-24
TRADES UNIONS RETARD
COMING Of SOC|Al|Ms
Opinion of Hugh O'Nein in Organ
of the National Association
of Employers.
Story of Destruction Of Trade
Unionism in Australia and
Political Events.

Political Events.
1t was Malcolm McEcharn, ship
owner and capitalist who delivered the
commonwealth Of Australia to the So
cialists. He is the one conservative
on the continent that the Socialists
fight without notice. They are un-
der a debt Of gratitude, to the ship
ping millionaire, and the bitterest Of
Tense he suffers is the occasional re-
hinder Of the fact.
Of course McEacharn didn't want
Socialism. He only wanted to break
the power Of the trades unions. He
thought that their exactions had be-
come intolerable and that there was
some justification for that view.
Strikes were common and frequently
the cause of the quarrel was trivial
But the strikers were always success
full because the country was being
flooded with British money, and the
voice of the boomster was abroad in
the land. The union leaders were ig-
norant of the economic laws, and they
mistook the existing condition for one
Of natural prosperity. (Thats where
they made their mistake.)
McEachern knew better than that.
He knew that the burst would come
sooner or later and he prepared to
attack labor on falling market. He
figured to smash the unions and re-
move the heel Of the aggressive dem
ocracy from the throat Of capital. A
partial victory was not what he want
ed. He was after the whole hog. He
got it. (That's where he made his mis-
take)
The unonists were lions led by asses.
Eacharn knew that. Time after
time the shipping union made demands
upon the company; time after time he
granted these demands with smiling
readiness But day after day he went
on building to gether the units of a
force to fight trade unionism and that
was destined to sweep organized Ia
Dor out of existence. The plan was
collosal but the stolid patience with
which in the meantime he bore the
CALLING exactions Of the trades was
quite as great.
And then one day he loosed his
thunders and struck hard and straight
and true. He chose the time Of battle,
the cause Of battle and the place o.
battle. The union chose nothing. They
were arrogant with riches. a.<sf-sss..5s
,sasglgg m Tl9s asRss. s s1sassn 8
y OF the coasting Vesse1s over the charms
Of the stewardess. The captain to set
tie the difficulty-as he thought, poor
man-discharged the sailor. The union
demanded his reinstatement. McEach-
arm, knowing what the reply would be,
offered to put him on another ship
The union demanded reinstatement on
the same ship. McEarcharn in very
courteous terms pointed out that it was
impossible. Then the asses that led
the lions told him that unless the re-
instatement was effected within twen-
ty-four hours they would call off all
his ships and order a general strike
Then, like a flash McEacharn un-
masked his guns. Back went the reply
that the unions might strike and be
damned.
The strike was ordered and then
there followed battle grim and great
Union after union was called out, ship
after ship was laid up, state after state
was involved In the quarrel, until the
whole continent stood under arms In
less than four weeks the fires of near
1y every cOasting steamer were drawn.
The trade of Australia was paralyzed.
Four hundred thousand unionists
were idle. and every man Of them was
drawing half pay. Also every unem-
ployed man who looked like becoming
a free laborer was paid a weekly al
lowance from the general fund. to pre-
vent remaining the ships.
But the ship owners union that Nc
Eacharn had organized didn't even
try to remann the ships. The land
boom had reached it's limit, trade was
declining. very large coal reserves had
been laid up, the funds and member
ship of the unions were known to a
dollar and man. The ShipOWners
simply sat down on their hunkers and
waited
The trades leaders organized pickets
but there was nothing for them to do
'rhe problem was a new one. They
couldn't solve it. The owners were not
APPARENTLY trying to run their ships at
all. Patterson, who owned one fleet
wrote to a strike committee and in 4
vein Of powky Scotch humors offered
to sell them his ships.
Then it dawned upon the union that
the strike had become lockout. The
besiegers were besieged The weapon
of capital was not free labor but star.
VatiOn.
starvation won easily. Ten weeks
after the first shot the union capitu.
lated to the grim foe hunger that be-
fore then had bowed the neck of many
proud city. McEacharn had meant
to break the unions. And they were
broken all right.
Funds gone, membership decimated
courage wilted, the once great trade
unions Of Australia were counted oi,t
The capitulation was announced ir
the biggest public hall the labor lead.
ers could get John Hancock. ,hie
bodied and big hearted-the finest nlat
form man In Australia-rose in that
hall Of silent hundreds to tell the mer
that they must return to work on the