The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-01-19
CHRONIC UNION FAULT
FINDER WORKS DAMAGE
He Is the One Who Maligns
Officers and Is Ever Com
planning About Labor.
Editor Has His Say as Re-
CARDS This Species of Men,
bers of Labor Unions.

Credit for the following article is
due the editor Of the Coopers' Journal
and he depicts a species Of mankind
so familiar that we take pleasure in
reproducing it.:
1t is perfectly proper that we, in
this column, attack with all our might
the thing which stands out most
prominently in the way of the pro-
gress of our organization. and in order
to do so, most emphatically, we find
1t necessary to employ the platnest
kind Of language. The chief weakness
In our organization today is the weak
ness Of the chronic union fault-finder
He seems to abound in nearly all: To-
cal unions and examples Of discomfort
with the union, wrought by the seeds
81 disrupt soWn5 by, these hronic
|la.l |,faalt, a,.,9 t,aes sl9 :lI 8
portant sof Y tlhe = al istardly Vol 81
this species sof so-called union man to
poison the minds Of the local members
against the general officers. The off,.
GERS are not materially injured by the
constant pounding which they get and
personally may or may not care, for
usually the imaginary charges which
the trouble monger prates about can
be cleared up in about two minutes by
| the officer assailed, If he happens to
stumble upon an opportunity. but the
| unfortunate part of it is that the gen.
eral officers noe being omnipresent,
| like the great Father of the universe,
cannot be everywhere at the same
time, and therefore must be the silent
recipient Of these many cowardly
assaults without a shadow Of a chance
at defense. But as matter Of fact
! the organization which they represent
is seriously injured and its usefulness
| impaired by the creation Of suspicion,
doubt and lack Of confidence in the
men who are put at it's head. Here is
where the harm is done and it Is to
this phase Of the subject that we pro-
pose to devote our attention. No man
who Is honest will continue member
ship in an organization which he be-
| lieves is differed by crooks, thieves or
ignoramuses, and of those who believe
| that it is only the dishonest ones who
stay In the organization over so honor
| ablo and ever so faithful, each indi-
vidual member cannot have the oppor-
| tunity Of a personal acquaintance with
them and without an intimate knowl-
| edge of their personality, men who
| under ordinary circumstances are fair
minded, fall ready victims to the lying
| propensity Of the poisonous reptile
whom we have herein characterized as
| the chronic union fault-finder, and
| thus the general officers are convicted
Of almost every crime in the trade
upon calendar without a. trial or with
out even knowledge that they have
been charged. The fault-f finder de-
| clares headquarters is no good. They
are all rotten up there, all they want
| is your money" and thus the seed Of
| d1strust Is sown in the mind of the
| otherwise would-be good union man
! and gradually pounded in, there to re-
| main unquestioned, unless by chance
| he Is brought face to face with un-
| questionable evidence Of the honesty
and fidelity Of the official assailed.
| When these vile charges are made be-
! hind the backs Of the general officers
| there are often men present who know
| they are untrue, but 1mbued, as manv
are, with an inherent weakness, thew
| haven't the moral courage to get m
and defend the absent officer, who is
| tried, convicted and executed often
| times without even knowing Of the
circumstance.
| The success of the union must in
evitably depend upon the intelligent
standard of its members. II they are
weak, it will be weak; If they are
strong, it will be strong. Why can
we not put aside these inherent weak
nesses, and for the sake Of union, be
! men?