The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1909-08-06
ORONES OF UNION|SM
Reap Benefits TO Which They
Contribute Nothing.
THE lNGRATES OF INDUSTRY.
BY lndirection They Profit Through
the Efforts Of Organized Labor.
Three Glasses Of konunicn Wage
Farmers Defined.


to refer 10 those wage earners who re.
main aloof from the unions either
through ignorance or prejudice or III
difference.
The ignorant uOnuniuuiSt Is usually
one who comes from IA rural cOmmu-
atty where there are no unions and
where sentiment for or against unions
Is practically Uniformed. Such wage
Garner may become Il stout champion
Of the union cause or an avowed enc
my. depending largely upon his treat
ment at the hands of union men and
depending somewhat upon the amount
Of respect shown by union men toward
the union cause. The uHion member
who talks against the union and Sian
ders its officers keeps many an honest
worker cut of the movement
The preiudi ed nonunionist may be
one whose prejudice was created in
the manner Just indicat d. or he may
be prejudired by education along mar
row lines CT by youthful environments.
Ee knows even less than the ignorant,
because, being entirely ignorant Of the
.,
the union movement, he thinks be
knows it all.
He may be a nOnunioniSt by choice
because of some personal difference or
to spite some one. His view Of the
field of industry is wholly distorted.
In his exaggerated opinion of his own
individual Importance ard Of his SUI
apin rio no of n
sCab. in which case he not only in
jures his fellows. but himself as well,
and can find his sole reward in the
title Of industrial hero conferred on
him and his kind by that eminent au-
thority on union and Industrial mat
ters, eX-presdent Eliot of Harvard.
But In these days Of schools and
publications the ignorant and preju-
diced nonunionists are not so numer-
Gus as to be dangerous. 1t were far
better for them and for the movement
If they were good union members; but.
as ignorant and prejudice are dispelled
by that broad intelligence born Of the
association in unions of many men of
h.any minds and spread through the
various industries from man to man,
the ignorant and prejudiced are far
outnumbered by the Indifferent
The Indifferent nonunionist Is simply
so much driftwood floating with the
tide. He accepts conditions as he finds
them and makes no effort to improve
them. He will neither exert himself
to better himself nor will he give even
his passive support to the efforts of
others. The ouly thing he can do is
to growl. He growls at the job, the
boss, the union and himself.
Occasionally he is swept into the
union when the rising tide engulfs the
place where he happens to be en-
ployed.
Such benefits as come to him as a
result of union effort he accepts as a
matter of course, never giving credit
to any one and especially not to the
union
And such union benefits do come to
the nOnunionists of all classes.
1t Is readily admitted that If unions
did not exist wage earners would be
working for less than half their pres
ent wages. This includes nonunionists
as well as unionists.
The first effect of union is to tend
to protect existing wages against re-
duction. In this insurance nonunion-
lists reap benefit, though they con
tribute nothing. Labor travels to the
points where the highest wages are
paid, and when wages are forced up
at one point competing points often
have to advance wages to keep labor
from going to the higher paid point
In this case the nonunionist does not
usually reap so large an advantage as
the unionist. but he gets an indirect
benefit from the union struggle, for
which he contributes nothing, and
these benefits and others more or less
direct could not come to him If the
union did not exist, and yet he con-
tributes neither time nor money to
the cause.
Now, II these substantial benefits
have accrued to all workers, union
and nonunion. because fraction Of
them We're united In unions in which
a still smaller fraction did all the
work, how much greater would the
result be If the ranks of the union
were swelled by adding the nOnunion-
lists
There are too many Industrial in
CRATES who want to go through life
living on the unions and giving moth.
Ing to the union cause In return.
In the present age no man can live
his life apart from his fellows.
our civilization Is interdependent
You are bound to leave some sort of
impression upon society, either good
or bad.
You are bound to reap benefits from
our highly organized government and
Industry.
1t IS for you TO say whether you
will be a drone In the hive or whether |
you will do your share In supporting
the movement to collect the honey.
If you choose the latter the hand Of |
every uniOnist Is outstretched in fra
ternal greeting. If you choose the |.
former the fate of the drone In the /
actual hive of bees should be uncom-
planingly yours Shoe Workers Jour
nal
There IL little that the government .
can do for the workingman compared |
with what he can do for himself-A.
Lincoln.
Antiquity Of Tennis.
Among all the popular games of to-
day none perhaps is OF greater an
tlquity than tennis, for It is said to
have originated In the ball games of /
IL. II In,