The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-12-05
Ever yjlDOly's Column.
For frse dseusaoa Industrial sussteas
All Inserted =.
a1 W respondents -.

which lead to success or failure.
honor disgrace, life or death. Society
is or ought to be. profoundly concern
ed in the nature of the environment
that Is to mold the character and de-
termine the career Of its children, and
any remissness In such duty is rebuked
by the most painful Of penalties and
these are inflicted with increasing
severity upon the people of the Unit
ed States. EUGENE v. DEBS.
REFLECTIONS OF A WORKER.
Fellow workers-workers Of the City
of Duluth: In your struggle for bread,
that you may gain more of the things
that are essential to fuller enjoy
ment of your we'll being and happiness
you the workers who work with your
hands towards furnishing yourselves
with the necessities that will sustain
you, that on the morrow you may
again enter the factory and workshop
to resume the same duties you per-
formed On the day previous-to you I
speak.
1t is to you In your downtrodden
condition that, I say, I hope some
word of mine may render you some
encouragement, some Cancellation that
there does exist a possibility, hope
that we may strive for, that we may
work for, that will give us the right
to hope for something better in the fu-
ture. And that hope to be that our
lives will not be the same in the fu-
ture as they have been in the past
but lives in which we may enjoy the
fruits of our labor, and that we may
open the book Of nature and read
therefrom the truths of the great law,
which must be observed by all men. .
We the hand workers are the power
that gives force to the world. Were
1T not for our labor what could there
be IN the world as we know it today.
1t is our energy expended for OUT ma
terial needs that gives life unto in
dustry. But is that all we should ex-
pect? The very necessities that will
keep body and soul together, should
we not have g. proportional share of
the good things? Are we not as
good! Are we not men Of the common
parent? Should we not have the right.
to enjoy life as our maker intended we
should? Is it not fair to assume that
we as human beings should enjoy the
fruits of our labor, unrestrained by the
class laws as made today by man?
we men of common brotherhood, who
nave been guided by false teachings as
false as the persons who have taught
Them; for the reason they could better
their own condition, and could better
enjoy the fuller life they were living,
at our expense, have concealed truths
we should all know.
But I do not wish to condemn all
men who have risen above US in the
common understanding of the term,
for the reason, many Of them know the j
exact conditions, and feel pity for us,
yet they are held in check and re-
straint, by the fear of criticism and
being ostracised from the social class
to which they belong. We all must
remember that each individual owes
unto society duty Of doing something !
for society, that he may say, have
done what T believed to be the best,
and believe that the world is some
brighter for my being sent into it.
Here I assume the right of speak
ing plainly, and to speak what I am
forced to believe to be the truth. I
do not wish to become harsh or SEEM
[ngly hardhearted; but what I shall
say is said in the interests Of the
class of which am a member, and
say in the same spirit that President
Roosevelt made the statement, II am
fair know 1 am fair" The president |
made the assertion in defence Of what |
ne believed to be right and just, bas-
ing his belief upon the assumption
that classes did not exist, although he !
later gave us the information that !
they did exist. The inequalities as |
they are forced upon US, have pressed
Us so hard that we are at last COM !
PEELED to study their causes. We find !
the people of our country divided into
two classes. namely rich and poor. the
rich having become 30 wealthy, have
been compelled to resort to unnatural |
means OF spending there wealth, while !
honest labor has begged upon Bonded !
knee for a few more crumbs from |
their socalled worthy masters; but |
what was the answer? Only curses
vile, and as they fell grated upon our
ears, only added to our wearied minds |
another burden for US to bear.
Shall we believe longer that our
should be the home of the !!
master and the slave? Can we longer |
allow the stamp Of a Cain to be |
placed upon the brow of honest labor? |
P. G. PHILLIPS.