The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-09-20

ANY WOrker VINO SlueS against
his fellows and helps break up a
strike, is indeed a s'scab' on hu-
manity. His nature is combina-
tion of hyena, hog and shark.
The fat man, with full stomach,
hard heart and selfish blood, has q
haughty way of settling the ques-
tions that he does not understand.
Most sickening of platitudes, most
nonsensical of nonsense concerning
mans relations to man is the Gus
tomary talk about the ssscab''
workman.
A number of men combine to
better their condition. The law
will not help them-it considers
only supply and demand and the
rights of property. Public opinion
helps them a little, but not much.
They must strike, and their only
hope is in their own courage and
the loyalty and decency of other
workingmen. They are making a
sacrifice for their wives and chill
dren. They are fighting one of the
fights that gradually bring up the
scale of living to a grade of decen-
cy. And each time their enemy
appears in the form of other work
ers. Every time that men, hard
pressed, strive to better themselves,
there are found vile and selfish.
and heartless creatures to take the
places of the men ON strike. And
what does snug prosperity say to
thist What is the attitude toward
The ''Scab' of those who should be
at least sympatheticf
They talk balderdaSh about "the
right of the laborer to work where
he will.''
They shrek and howl this tune:
'"The sacred right to earn a living
must not be interfered with.
W hatever else happens remember
that any man may sell his labor to
whom and where, to do what work
he pleases." Sickening hypocrisy,
heartless hypocrisy
When this nation is fighting an
other nation do we allow any of our
men to sell s'his work'' to that
other nation 2 Suppose an Ameri-
can in the Philippines was starving,
and sold his muscle and fighting
ability to our enemy. What would
happenf Would the prosperous
say that he must be permitted to
sell his labor, and do as he chooses
with himselfi Not at all. He
would be despised by every human
being, even by those who hired
him. And, if caught, he would be
hanged, as he deserved to be
hanged, with the shortest of trial,
and all possible disgrace.
The 'sScab' workman is simply
traitor in the army of human la
Dor. He is miserable, cowardly
renegade. He is despised by all
honest workers, he is despised
equally by those who hire him.
Unless utterly depraved he des-
pises himself.
Some strikes are based on right
eouSneSS and need-most of them
are. Some strikes are based on
nasty decision, on a misguided sense
ol power, or on other evils. There
are good strikes and bad strikes,
good workmen and bad workmen,
good employers and bad employers
but OF "ScabS there is only one
Kind. They are all towards, all
traitors at heart, and all deserters
for profit.
But If we must endure the ttscab''
let us at least not try to excuse
MIN. let us not shed sorrowful
tears over the plight of a hyena
eating corpse.
No man has a right to take the
law into his own hands. The right
10 vote gives to the majority power
TO make laws. If workers lacL
brains to use that power, it is theil
own fault, and they have no right
to make themselves the law. There
fore 1T Is wrong, criminal. unwor
thy, to visit physical punishment
upon even the meanest ssscab. :,
But contempt he should have. ant
he has it.
The men who plead for tn,
scab," always hypercritically ant
always despising him in theil
hearts, are those who use him. tn,
employers fighting their men