The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1907-07-25

-hipihi, pnNSlcat or
materials the only assurance OF
success of any body.
Unionism, to he effective. must
be strong. In fact, it must be
overwhelming: it must control
Tho public, so long accustomed
to be obScquious to wealth and to
people of wealth, must learn that
money Is not the only power there
Is. The public must learn that the
solid front of united labor has II
power Il thousand fold more strong
thousand fold more effective,
and Il thousand fold more lust
than the whole united force of
wealth combined.
But first labor itself must realize
ithis truth. Labor itself must ap-
prlclate its own power.
Money, of itself, has no power.
The man of wealth. is the most
arrant coward in public life. The
pockctboOlt is the most sensitive
| thermometer in the social world.
Money power is entirely made up
of its command over labor.
If the laboring men were organ
lZcd so that none of that now un-
organized part could be used by
the corporate plundcrers to carry
out their criminal schemes, cor,
porate plundering would stop from
its own powcrlessne>s.
The way that corporate robbery
succeeds is by constantly taking to
itself Il part-uSually the larger
part-of the wealth created by
labor. This constant accumulation
is Invested or loaned out to the
worker SO as TO again divide the
little the worker has allowed to
him. Or ''invcStedn in land, so
that as landlord the "SyStem'' can
take all Of the remaining part the
worker has left after ScAntily feed
ing and clothing himself and
family.
The vast accommodations thus Sc
cured are so held TIL at if labor pro-
tests against this robbery the
money may be used to hire labor
(unorganized) to fight labor Cor
ganizcd).
If it were not for this vast field
ofunorganized labor this robbery
could be stopped.
Labor has the power. 1t is only
because of the lack of recognition
of this truth that large numbers Of
working men allow themselves TO
be used as Instruments of their
own destruction.
We say '!their own destruction. -
for the reason that the raising of
wages for organized labor raises
the wages of unOrganiZcd labor.
The bettering Of conditions of
work for organized labor betters
the conditions of funorganized labor
and so on.
If the unOrganized workers once
fully appreciated this truth, he
would begin to see the immense
value of unioniSm.
He would also see that higher
wages for others meant higher
wages for himself.
He would see that the cause Of
labor is one and that it would be
of, more benefit to his own interest
to join the striker or protector
against injustice than to Join with
the corporate robbers in their con
Splracy against the worker,
The unOrganized worker should
realize that all these labor CON
tropersieS are III one sense or an
other disputes about the division
of created wealth,
The swcatshop is merely a means
of taking larger amount from the
worker than could be taken under
Hvcable conditions.
Long hours is merely another
form of robbery.
Rent for land values, not for
houses or improvements, is an
other form.
And so we might go on and show
that all these industrial disturb
ances resolve themselves ultimately
into truth that the System is
taking from the worker that which