The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-01-06

to produce more and stronger leaders to
echo across other plains and catch the
ear Of those who have not as yet fall
len into line than the cry OF an advanc-
Ing standard Of life. :. ts.ss:s.; 1. = l..
The absentee! This man is the worst
OF the lot. He does more harm than all
otner disrupters put together. Every
gang. every clique. is made possible by
apsentees. The man who stays away
from the meetings Of his union is re-
sponsible for everything that is done
wrong. It Is far better to go to the
meetings and to make mistakes than
to stay away and find fault with the
mistakes. The absentee could not help
the enemies Of his union any more If
he were paid for it than by refusing to
Dear his share of the burden. Why
are there 10 many ignorant trade I'M
1onists who know nothing Of the bust
ness affairs Of their own union? It is
because they have been absentees.
There are plenty Of union men who
never go to meetings unless they are
out OF work. Then they are the loud
est shouters in the crowd.
1t sounds nice enough to hear an en-
ployer say that I'VE make no distinction
between union and non-union men,"
but they do. And in every instance
where it is found possible the union
man Is displaced to make room for the
non-unionist. And for this there are
several reasons, chief Of which is that
the non-union man Is willing to work
cheaper and longer hours. Another is
that the employer we'll knows that the
independent, liberty-lovdng" laborer
ras nothing back Of him, no recourse,
and he can take what is offered and
say nothing or quit, the last being an
alternative that in no wise is feared
by the employer.
The object of the unions is not de-
structive. It is constructive. though
the unions do go down deep into the
cause Of misery and despair. Organized
labor wishes our country to lead the
world in industrial production, in NOR
atty, in religious liberty, in the concep-
ton Of all that makes men noble, wom-
en- beautiful, and children bright and
happy. Organized labor appeals for
aid to accomplish emancipation from
industrial Injustice to establish uni
versal brotherhood, to help make each
day brighter than that which has gone
before, and your sympathy and CO.
operation that countless millions yet
unborn will rise up and say your
name is blessed.
Despite the fact that it has been
clearly proven that the living rates are
higher at present than ever before, the
employers have forced wages down in
some of the leading industries and are
now making an effort to enforce the
open-shop deal in order that it may
disrupt organized labor and beat wages
still lower. Stripped Of all hypocrit-
1cal phrases, the open shop means a
closed sh bp to members of organized
labor; it means discrimination in fav-
Or OF such workers who lack the moral
stamina to resist oppression: it means
the dragging of more children into the
shops and factories to take the place
OF fathers and brothers at lower wages
and longer hours; it means an in
crease Of crime, poverty, drunkenness
and insanity. It means degeneration,
chaos and the ultimate detruction of
our civilization. This is a grave prob
lem, one in which all humanity is at
fected.