The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-01-11
THE ENEMY'S DESPlCABLE
METHODS.

No method of attack is more con-
tenrptibly unfair than that of calling
anything by a reproachful name for
the purpose of in1puting to it attri-
butes wholly foreign to it's principles,
functions and aims.
With men of organized labor a shop
is conceived Of as being union or non-
union. The terms closed shop or open
shop have no place in their vocabulary
because the words in their usual &C.
ceptation convey ideas that misrepre-
sent the facts.
The members of the civic commit
tee, and their advisors, by adopting
terms invented by the enemies Of
labor, show that the integrity of the
union shop idea cannot be assaulted
without first misrepresenting it.
The terms invented by our enemies
, and appropriated by the civic commit
tee are ingenious enough, and if tricks
and strategy are to take the place Of
honor and integrity in this contro-
versy, then their use of those terms
will accord with such program.
In certain sense the civic com>
mittee is compelled to misrepresent
the union shop in order to maintain
it's ground. Mr. Drew when here, had
to lie like a horse thief in order to
get a following. The fact is, that the
principle of the union shop is now,
always was and ever will be eternally
right, and must be misrepresented
before it can be gainsayed.
In the hope of currying favor with
the public they use the term "open
shop as being the antithesis Of union
shop, and to make this word juggling
complete they substitute closed shop
for union SHOP" The term CLOSED
shop is suggestive Of exclusiveness,
deprivation of rights, etc., and the
term is generally distasteful to the
ordinary mind. The term open shop
is suggestive of freedom, opportunity,
liberty, conditions which in the alb
stract are cherished by all men.
Now as a matter of fact, the i'm
proper conditions which the civic COM
mittee predicate of the CLOSED shop
do not pertain to the union shop and
can have no existence anywhere else
than in a mon union shop; and
whereas, also, the union shop" is &C.
tually the only open shop" because
it is always open to all workmen who
perform their duty
OF course admission to the union
shop implies not only rights and
privileges but also duties and respon-
sibilities. So it is in our free, liberty
loving country. Admission to citizen
snip, Notwithstanding our freedom
does not mean unlimited license to dc
as zone pleases without regard to the
rights or interests of others.
The union shop is open to all mer
and women wage-earners, who are
willing to assume their reasonable
share Of those responsibilities thai
pertain to our enlightened civiliza ton
Let us enumerate few of them:
l. Render faithful SERVICE to tnei,
employers.
2. Insist upon a scale of compen.
sation reasonably commensurate will
the nature of the employment, ant
present-day necessities.
3. Cultivate the virtues of honesty
frugality and good citizenship.
Surely no individual need apologize,
for a single one of the foregoing re-
quirements. Experience has demon
strated that communities are bette
morally and more prosperous com
mercially, where the union shop AM
its principles are observed in all thei
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