Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-08-04
THE REWARDS OF LIFE
Self Betterment Is a Universal
Desire.
TO SECURE BETTER WAGES.

The Most Important Lesson For Work
ers to Learn ls tho Value Of Thor
ough Oroanization-A Divided Union
Can Achieve No Permanent Success.
Everybody wants good wages.
For any person in or out of the
trades union movement to loudly pro
claim his belief In the desirablllty OF
higher wages should not attract OK
trnordlnary notice for he only voices
the desire OF every human being.
Though all humans may not work
piece work or day worz,yet all work
Tor wages In the sense tnat every one
Is trying to get something in return
for the energy he cXpends. and whcth-
or the desired return be money wages
| or pleasure or honor or success, no
matter what 1t is men strive for they
are never satisfied with what they
receive. but want more
| This unrest TINT exists in every hui
man being containing an ounce of
gray matter Is the saving salt OF am
billion that makes progress possible to
the human race.
No one darcs TO say that the uni
vcrsal desire to accomplish self better
mcnts 10 n dctrlmcnt to the human
family or that the desire In individual
cnscs to improve ones condition Is In
any way rcprchcnsiblc.
1t Is therefore generally admitted
that not only does everybody want
more but also that such desire Is
praiseworthy. and the effort to attain
1t should be persisted In until success
| full
Union men, therefore, need not spend
any time discussing whether they want
more wages because everybody does or
whether their desire is commcndable
because everybody comedies 1t Is.
1t IS one thing, however. to want
moro pay and to know you ought to
have 1t. and 1t Is quite another thing
to get it.
| TO secure improved wages and con-
ditions ii Is necessary that the issues
be we'll and carefully considered. well
framed and ably presented. The condi-
| ton of the employers business, the
condition of the industry generally, the
relation of one employee TO another.
competitive comparisons Oh the points
| Ill uiNDult, lnt COuultlOu III tilc uDlOu
locally and generally NIL these and
many more should DO considered by
the ablcst executive board union can
| select
Even with the ablcst board nctuated
| by the highest motives and with most
| just cause II is no easy matter to raise
wages. Such n board may be laborlng
| under some trivial instruction from
the mass that. applied to the particular
dispute. may be fatal to success or such
| q board may make an innocent mis-
take OF tactics with tho same result
| Such n board. however, will achieve
| permanent results where II does sue
coed and will not try to face members
with counterfeit successes.
| We will cite two Illustrations of whnt
we mean by counterfeit successes.
Suppose solo leather room employs
forty hands, four of them being sole
cutters Mt S275 per day. tho other thlr-
ty-six receiving less than S2.To and
down MS low MS 81. Assume board
desires 70 pose rs successful leaders,
and they make q settlement for two
years. giving four men % cents per
day each, making 50 each. while at the
same time the other thirty six are tied
for two years with no hope of increase.
Such settlement as this would cost
the employer 81 more per day and Ia
mighty cheap wage insurance for him.
and, besides. from such n board he
would naturally obtain some other con.
cesslons OF value to him.
Next in order will be for the trucu.
lent board to announce voclferously
that "the sole leather workers of Blink
willie nre getting SO per day" So they
are 90 per cent OF them.
Suppose In another department.
method Is employed that costs more
thnn another method that might be
employed at far less wages than the
men now receive. The men re-
ceive comparatively good wages; but.
takIng advantage Of temporary condi-
tons. an advance Is forced on the ex-
isting method. thus fastening and Of
fcring n premium for tho introduction
of the cheaper and low wage method
H The first illustration is q sacrifice of
90 per cent of the members involved
while the latter partakcs of the phi
losophy that kills tho hen that lays the
golden egg.
Both of these Illustrations show ex-
tremely bad tactics.
Too often has the decision In these
matters been carried by the man with
the loud mouth ana empty head. and 1t
behooves the level headed, conserva-
tive members who have too long stayed
Mt home and whose future bread and
butter is at stake to attend tho union
meetings and defend their interests
against incompetcncy and lunacy.
How much the lesson will cost we