The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-12-21
70 the Editor Of the Labor World.

To tho Editor Of tho Labor World.
sir-1n looking DER the columns of
your paper, I see that some real estate
and business men are supporting the
Builders Alliance in their demands for
the open shop in Duluth, contending
that the closed shop is detriment to
this city.
Could you tell me if these real estate
agents are the men who opposed our
city owning the private ter plant
that was poisoning their own families
with it's sewerage infused water. dur
Ing tho many years organized labor
was trying to protect the city health
by buying the water company's planto
Are they the real estate men who
drove the American Shipbuilding COM
rany over to Superior, from Duluth,
through their dog in the manager
policy of holding up land values?
Are they the business men who
doomed up West Duluth and New Du-
luth. and taxed the city for 12-foot
sidewalk that led into the bush where
they rotted out but was very sldom
used and blasted the lives of working
men who put all their savings into
lots that had to be sold for taxes to
these same real estate men exploiters?
Are they, the business men who
helped squander the widow and or
pfans' funds in. 1885, in fooling the
I people to vote the dollar above the
| man, and as a consequence are now
dealing in bogus money that will
| neither pay car fare or buy postage
stamps, but are glad to use the dis
pissed 60 cent dollars for their full
value. without a fear at the I'm God
we Trust" motto on them?
Are they the business men who Is
years ago lifted the Sunday closing
lid" after Mayor Davis had clamped
| it down and made US, suffer Is more
years Of crime and debauchery on
Sundays?
Are they the business men who
| padded their painters repair accounts
| 10 per cent to skin the nonresident
property holders and scared investors
away?
! Are they business associates of those
Superior business men who are after
its mayor to ease up on the diorderly
houses because it might hurt their
pockets during the Christmas holi-
| days?
Is not the working men (who you
| told US in November, 1906, though one
| OF your editorials received less than
! Is per cent Of their earnings building
| up this city, rather than the business
! men who gamble in corner lots and
| create taxes for working men to pay?
We had open shop in Duluth in the
later sos when the Spalding and
Board Of Trade was built, when the
90-cent laborers was drive around the
buildings like cattle by curses that
could be heard for two blocks, drop
| ping from the lips of foremen that
were shipped in from Chicago by the
Chicago contractors. Mr.. Drew may
think # is nice, the Builders Elk
| change and the real estate men may
also think so, but organized labor does
not think so. and what is more will
not have it; and these real estate men
! who have rode on the neck of the
| labor class so many years that they
| think they own it, must tumble of or
they are liable to get hurt by a rude
shock that will bring them to their
senses. aid realize that this city be-
| longs: +" the awhc!a ne"n1a and no
| class. sy~ =
Were these business men associates
| Of John II. La Vague and J. J. Cos
tello, who when d. Samuel Thompson
fuiled while building the Miles block
III the good? old open shop days OF
1884, and compelled his employees to
accept IL per cent cut in their wages
because the pernicious nine months
lien law would have allowed. their
wages to have been held from their
families during all the following
winter, spring and summer, even after
they had put lien on the building
by w. w. Sanford? No wonder Mr..
Miles made. q large fortune and lost
1t. and labor had to organize itself to
get a living wage for the real estate
agents, with nothing to lose, went on
exploiting the owner and the producer.
and then have the impotence to claim
that they are the backbone OF Duluth
ever since those times. st NM 81 b
Finally, II they. are the men sas de-
scribed in the above lines they are
not At and proper persons to honestly
adjudicate the labor troubles Of this
city as free ana unbiased citizens:
lsssB5 JACK plano. 5
linton Man yol1r mix
Idsalex thak the 1lsll sPh0ne III Un1a3y.