The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-26
COLORS USED BY
LABOR UNIONS
Factions So Designated in
France.
CHURCH AND STATE QUESTION
Old Issue Appears IN a New
Form.
The warfare Goes steadily on--rhe
Government II After the Church
And The Church II After
The Government's
& Schools.
a.

ny A. M. L,AMouREux.

Paris, Dec 25.-At strike which has
been going on for the last two months
among the weavers at Lille Ia at
tracing much attention In the poll
teal as well as in the labor world.
since 1t has revealed certain new and
curious aspects of the development OF
French trade unionism. Hitherto the
great mass OF French workmen have
been affiliated to two labor organiza-
ton popularity known as les syndi-
cats Rouges and les Syndicates Jaunes
The '.reds" as their designation i'm
plies, are violently revolutionary in
their methods and ideals, partisans
of direct action" and impatient OF
Parliamentary Intervention for the
Improvement OF the lot of the work.
Ing classes. The "yellows'' are, on
the contrary, relatively law-abiding
citizens. who have SUFFICIENT political
sense to act ON the maxim that bird
In the hand is worth two In the bush.
and who cooperate loyalty with the
Socialist Radical representatives in
tthe Chamber OF Deputies whenever
they propose measure OF social re-
form. They are anti-Collectionists,
moreover and they are not anti-Mili-
tarists. The general opinion in the
Labor Exchange affiliated to the GEN.
eral Confederation of Labor has all
along been that the .yeilows" are
renegades at the beck and call of the
conservative masters unions, which
have become particularly powerful In
the Department of the Nord and in
Paris This view has been indignant
ly repudiated by the "yeilows," who
are at present. moreover. working
shoulder to shoulder in the region Of
Lille within the red syndicates in
order to obtain an increase and q
uniform scale of wages.
This state of things would In it
self suffice to give special interest to
the Lille strike, but the situation Is
still further complicated by the In
PRODUCTION of new factor In the form
OF labor organization known as the
green" unions. whose attitude is
causing astonishment among the
members of the masters associations.
The large majority of the masters In
the Department of the Nord are fer
vent Catholics. pillars of the Church
who contribute to the maintenance Of
the Catholic institutions in the re-
gion, and one of their pet ideas has
been to further the organization
among their workmen of safe labor
union, whose pleasaantly-tempe
green ensign would not offend their
eyes. The greens" indeed, had their
origin in the Christian Democratic
clubs, and are patronized by the &C.
clesiastical authorities. Yet In the
present quarrel they are resolutely
siding with the reds" and the 'yel-
lows" against the masters. The To-
cal Catholic organs. moreover as
the strike has proceeded have taken
the side Of the strikers. and the
priests, are reported to be encourag-
ing the wives of the men on strike
to advocate a resolute attitude.
The Catholic masters who had en-
couraged the greens now apparent
ly perceive that they have nourished
viper in their bosom, and, IL the
views expressed to q reporter of The
"Matin" by a leading Lille manufac-
turer may be regarded as representa-
tive, the employers are on the point
OF revolving against what they regard
as the insolence of the clergy In
seeking to obtain control OF certain
unions which formerly they them
selves had complacently encouraged.
Throughout the whole district"
says this manufacturer, ''the priests
are adopting q novel attitude and II
may be remarked. by the way, that
this new attitude" furnishing. at all
events, as 1t does an indication of
the energy with which the French
Catholics aare seeking to adjust them
selves to the situation created by the
ldisestablishment OF the Churches. Is
only what was to be expected. In
view of the fact that the priests are
no longer Civil servants and can COM
bine and agitate to their hearts con-
tent for the nrst time in century
The masters at Lille approve OF COM
bination which rcinforces their own