The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-01-26
HON. BIRD 5. COLER
AND THE Open SHOP
The Labor Unions Are the
True Progressive Forces
Of Society. !.
The Open Shop Means the In
PRODUCTION of Poorly
Paid Labor.

1d1Q AdUOI.
There is not today in America poll
tics more practical man than the
Hon. Bird S. Coler of New York. nor
one who. keeps more in touch with the
throbs Of the political pulse than he.
He Is versatile and cultured. His
speech upon any subject carries with
it the weight of authority, and evil
dences the deep thinker. To him the
atoms Of creation, who barter their
lives to the accumulation Of ill-gotten
gain, through falsifcations and gloss
Ing of deeds Of inky hue are but legal
lied felons, and the high moral plane
he occupies will not permit any con-
tact with such class, and so. his de-
nounciations Of characters Of this sort
stand out prominently as excavations
which the thinking public would do
we'll to read and ponder over. Yet
he can be merciful to wonderful
degree, even when personally attacked,
as was exemplihed in the case Of his
treatment Of the Rev. Drs. Mains and
Eaton of the Methodist Book Concern,
Of whiskey advertising notoriety, not
withstanding that he himself was
Methodist. It is pleasure to be able
to point to such men as Mr.. Coler In
public life who are always willing to
help the weaker brother and demand
justice for him even at the expense of
being belittled by so-called Christians,
the latter being unworthy to unlatch
the shoes Of the former from the stand
point OF Christianity. We will now
refer to a speech delivered at Yale by
Mr.. Coler on Municipal Ownership"
when he took occasion to mention the
benefits the country was receiving
from trades unionism and incidentally
score the "open 81 shop" Macintyres,
Elises and Manufacturers Associa-
tons reformers 60. In opening Mr..
Coler said:
thank you for inviting me here
to talk to you on social conditions.
For the study of social conditions can
! have no other purpose than ameliora-
| ton. 1t is a study too painful to be
! inviting merely as an intellectual play
thing. There is too much in it Of sor-
row and suffering, of futile endeavor
and unavailing sacrifice, Of blind sell
fshness and 1nsensate cruelty, Of
blasted hopes and blackened souls, Of
the bitterness of defeat and death.
What an age long travail has been the
| experience Of humanity! What
| cloud Of sorrow haungs over the past!
However, despite countless obstacles,
throug selfshness entrenched and in
justice clothed with power, through al
most impenetrable ignorance and I'M
believable cruelty, civilization has
slowly but steadily advanced.
Perhaps the most significant de-
velopment Of our generation is. the
realization by the people at large that
they have in their own hands the
power to mitigate many evil features
of the social system.
IF it is true that socialism has made
rapid strides in this country in recent
years, the fact is due entirely to the
very interests which profess the most
devoted attachment to the Individual
istic principle. It is due to the men
who have banded together to con-
troll all the productive agencies Of this
country for their own enrichment
They are Of course, brainy men and
strong men, and circumstances have
shown that they are absolutely un-
scrupulous. They are entrenched In
both our great political parties and in
our legislatures. They have been al
lowed to use and control public SER
vice utiliteies, and they have abused
} the franchises which have been given
to them. They have seized one priv
ilege after another. They still faunt
in our faces the old bugaboo of So
, cialism, but this is a scarecrow thai
has out-lived it's usefulness. They
may call it the tendency of the time So
! cialistic, but the American people dc
not care very much what they call 1t
II now wish to speak of trades
!. unions. Here we find the toilers or"
ganized and here we find the source
Of all the agitation for better cond1'
tons. I know it has been said thai
their efforts tend to limitation Of the
earning power of brain and muscle, bu
, that is not true. AS they are human
like the rest Of us, it may be true tina
! some among them have abused thei1
|, power. AS a whole, however. they have
done a marvellous amount Of good IL
= this country.
There is an organized effort just nov
to break up all labor unions. Thu
:. corporations have entered into an al
lance to prevent their extension ant
, destrop their influence. The campaign
- is on for what is known as the 'opel
: shop It is being prosecuted withou
regard to expense and some of tn
J. best brains in the service of the cor
!. porations are directing the fight. TIL
'. rather attractive battle-cry Is 'Labo
, must be free!' We are told that 1t
a protest against the tyranny OF tn
!. unions.
1.-THE open shop means the introduc
r. ton into our population Of a poorly fec
y poorly paid. Ignorant anarchistio ele
a mont, il means the employment in tn
d mines Of thousands and thousands q
r. men whose only weapons against op
), position are the shotgun and the bomt
). It means tho reduction Of wages an
r tho degradation of labor. 1t mean