The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-09-06

ehe nfSt Monday in Septem
per Is both State and National
holiday. On this day the entir,
people meet and discuss, in the
ofoadest sense, every phase of the
industrial problem, and every one
Is 1ree to suggest the best means
within his knowledge for the solu,
zion OF this, the greatest of ali
| questions.
In the discussion of the question
OF organized labor, the first oues.
tlon arises, is it necessary for labor
organization! VIII employers treat
iairly, divide properly with the
tosiers without organization Busi,
ness men, who in my opinion should
at all times cooperate with the
tollels in advancing wages and i'm
proving conditions are too often
found at the side of the EMPLOYER
advising the acceptance of the con
cohdltlons, on the ground that
halt loaf is better than no
bread" The organized workers of
our country fail to see the Justice
OF this and refuse to accept this
advice, and go on earnestly strup
gllng to compel their EMPLOYERS to
grant compenSatOns according to
the value of the services rendered
10 their employers, asking an hon
est division of the profits accruinp
as result of their labor and civ
ing to their employer faithful and
honest service in return,
Now, as to the necessity of or
ganlZed labor, we have only to 90
back III the history of the world
and look at the conditions of labor
without organization. In the Dark
Ages we find the lord controlling
the serf to that extent that it was
generally recognized that the lord
not only owned the services of the
slave but owned him body and
soul. IlI
Take the only country in the
world today where organization is
prohibited by law, and that is
China, and where in our country
today is there a single citizen who
desires to see the American work
lngman come to the level of the
Chinese laborer9 Take the con
dltions i'll our own country. In
l747 the first labor union was
formed in New York City. In
May of that year the bakers of that
city struck and refused to work
more than seventeen hours a day
1or ninety cents day. The strik-
e1s were arrested and thrown into
prison for this action. When
brought before court the Judge
heard their case and dismissed the
case, saying that they were doing
a great work in showing that the
working man had a right to be
heard.
In the year 1898 in Philadelphia
the bakers struck for a fourteen
hour day for which they should be
paid 81. The laborers ut the same
tlme struck for twelve hour day
for the same pay.
The board of trade Of Philadel-
phla met and called the merchants
OF the city to the meeting and asked
that they boycott all of the strikers
who wouldn't work sixteen hours
Il day for 81.
The people said of the unionists
that they were Il bunch of lazy men
who did not want to work and or
ganized themselves so that they
could strike when tired. They
were told to get out Of town and
the farmers we told to keep them
moving until they got to the edge
of the state line.
In the panic of seventy three
when there were only two organ
lied trades it was found that all IA |
man with five children working
with him could do was to buy the !
coarsest necessities Of life and live.
Now, when iabor is well organized |
and as result of this organization
has brought about the reduction |
OF the hours of labor, we find that /
they are not only steadily employ
ed; but that they make a rate of
wages to justify them to live in
some degree OF comfort and give
their children some education to
fit them for the battle of life.
We want more schools. better
schools; more teachers and better
compensation for teachers. We
have been told that it is impossible
to get a sufficient number of com
pctent teachers, and we have said |
that the reasons are that we failed
to give a compensation that Will
encourage both men and women to