The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1908-05-28
THE GOLDEN RULE.

Golden Rule should be applied to
all questions between capital and
labor, for just as soon as the CAPT.
tailst are willing to guide their
line of conduct by thas principle,
most of the differences between
labor and capital will have com
pletely vanished. When the CAPT.
talIst IS prepared to treat the
woi kers as he would himself be
treated, the questions that now
cause trouble and controversy,
such as women selling their honor
for bread, little children and
younger girls exploited in I'M
healthy factories, men and women
working for a wage that scarcely
keeps body and soul together, and
the hundred and one other Unjust
ices that the workers are forced
10 labor ~under will no longer be
commended for.
Under the application of the
Golden Rule the welfare of the
multitude and not the interest of
the few will predominant. No
capitalist would desire his own
child to slave in an unhealthy
workshop. No capitalist would
like his sister to work for such a
scanty wage othat perforce she
would be compelled to barter her
virture on the street. No capital
ist himself would desire to work
long and excessive hours of labor
for a salary that was insufficient to
keep the wolf from his door. No
capitalist himself would like to be
forced to work in an establishment
that was menance to his health
and an invitation to disease.
No capitalist himself would de-
sire to risk his life and limb among
defective and dangerous machinery
that could be made safe. The ap-
plicatiOn of the Golden Rule would
Danish such conditions as these.
and in doing so would also Danish
much that now causes strife be-
tween different sections of the
community. Yes, by all means.
let us have the application of the
Golden Rule to the questions at
fecting the industrial welfare of
the workers. Organized labor be-
lieves, and always has believed.
in the Golden Rule. In no other
organized aggregation are the
principles of the Golden Rule so
fully carried out as i'll the organ
lied labor movement, with its
motto of one for all and all for one.
the injury of one is the concern of
all. and knowledge is power.
Where i'll the world can You find
a more chivalrous expression of
the Golden Rule than when hun.
drcds of workers, with no gricv-
ance of their own, throw down
their tools, risk their situation and
endure sacrifice and ofttimps
hunger in an effort, not to, benefit
their own condition, but that of
their more unfortunate brothers
and sisters who are struggling for
justice? In the great battle of the
printers for the eight-hour dav
just brought to such IL glorious
conclusion, hundreds of printers.
who already enjoyed the shorter
workday; assessed themselves 10
per cent of their wages to help
their less favored brethren to win
the same boon, and less than
1900 men raised $4,000 900 to
wage that magnificent contest in
side of Il short two years.
Service and self-sacrilice have
been the principles that have been
animated the trade union move
ment- The Golden Rule can and
will yet settle this great question.
when character will count for
more than wealth, and the hum
bleSt individual will be the care
of the state; when the greatness of
a nation will not consist in the