The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-10-01

spent over million collars IN ueIenu-
ing criminal members brought before the
courts and it has at times tied up in
dustries and squeezed extra money out
of the public, but 1t can never perma-
nently raise wages beyond what the in,
dustry can stand. In fact the highest
scale of wages is paid in factories indie
pendent of the Labor Trust. 1t is uni
versally admitted that the individual quail
ity of the working members of the unions
has declined and it persistently endeav-
ors to keep our youth from learning
trades except in the restricted number
set by the trust and entirely under its
control
It's warfare and criminal record is some
thing fearful to contemplate.
The homes of workmen burned or blown
up and other property destroyed has run
into millions of dollars while the citizens
who have been beaten, MANNED or muir
dered aggregate in the past ten years
several hundred thousands.
There were over 5000 men assaulted or
murdered in one strike, the teamsters)
In Chicago few years ago. All of this
violence has been done to establish the
fact that If the common man asserts his
right to freedom and declines to bow
down to the orders OF the Labor Trust,
he must be punished and forced into sub
mission.
1t has cost the common citizens mill
lions of dollars to support police and
soldiers to preserve property and protect
themselves from the attacks of this trust.
Next Move.
Discovering that the people object to
being attacked and having their property
destroyed, the Labor Trust members con-
clude their next step should be to elect
members Of the Legislatures and Con-
gress who win change old laws and make
new ones, so that the Labor Trust may
safely carry ON the work and not be
punished. Hence the demand that they
be exempt from the trust laws and that
the hands Of our courts be tied so no in
junction can be issued to prevent them
from picketing, boycotting, slugging or
blowing up property.
We were treated to a good illustration
of how trusts work together when some
chiefs of the Steel Trust Joined the chiefs
of the Labor Trusts at the republican
convention in Chicago and agreed among
themselves that the Steel trust would
work for the Observation-Disclosures
hands-of-the-courts platform demanded
by the Labor Trust If in turn the Labor
members would work for repeal of the
Sherman antitrust law demanded by the
Steel trust. Both working to be free of
laws which were obstacles to their fur
Their control of the people, and what
would be the condition of the common
man II the National Citizens Industrial
Association and Its allies with their law
yers headed by James A. Emery had not
fought them to a finish and insisted that
these trust planks should not be included
In the republican platform?
We have an Association now made up
of citizens through which the rights of
the common man can be asserted and
defended to an extent at least.
Thus by organization. the trust organ
izations can be met and checked.
The common citizens who read the pa
pers, vote and attend to the affairs of life
are far and away in the majority over
the members of any trust, labor or cap
ital. and when they understand the hid
den attacks made on their liberties they
act and win.
Who Shall Rule?
Now tha Iahor Tr}1Sf openly asserts