Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-23
Idle American Workingmen.

10 the Editor or Inc star:
The condition Of the working class, as
stated by eminent labor leaders and re-
ported in The Star of the 18th instant,
does not make pleasant reading 1t ap-
peals to every friend of the laboring
man to ask the reason of this condition.
Mr.. Gompers seems to imply that the
fault lies with Congress. But Congress
cannot create wealth; It cannot create
industry; it cannot control the laws of
supply and demand The trouble lies
deeper. We cannot go into all the
causes, but there is one potent cause for
which the wisdom and good sense of the
labor unions should find a remedy. With
the vast number of men already unem-
ployed. why should 5000 more who are
receiving good wages and are contented
with the same be ordered in midwinter
to lay down their tools and join the
ranks of the unemployed? There may be
some reason for this. but to the mass of
our citizens the course looks suicidal.
The employers open their doors and in
vite the men to return and they refuse.
The case is not alone. Mr.. Schwab is
one of the largest industrial operators in
the world In one year he says he lost
100000 because of the attitude of
union labor" Never again." he says,
will any sane. conservative business
man build ship here (San Francisco)
until the labor situation has materially
changed Here is something that drives
work away, and labor loses its reward
Admiral Melville made a more startling
charge. He says: Because labor unions
won't let skilled workman teach his
trade to his own son. the United States
lost the $50, OOO. 600 contract for ships for
the Brazilian navy" A good part of
that $4,000 600 would have gone into
the pockets Of our workingmen-a tidy
sum for a season of depression. Con-
gress in ordering certain ships to be
built directed that two should be con-
structed in this country. The cost was
$1,1OO,OO0 more than they could have
been built for abroad. In a recent de-
bate in Congress it was stated that our
government today owns thirty-eight
steamships that were built abroad. The
reason is they can be built for from 30
to 80 per cent lower than they can be
built by union labor in this country
Evidently there is something in the
union policy that drives work out of the
country and leaves our own workmen
stranded. This ought not to be. If our
union friends will take these facts as
a policy better for them and for the
country. No friend of the workingman
wants to see him driven to the street.
The unfortunate thing is that he should
drive himself there. To the writer's
knowledge buildings have been stopped,
a printing establishment has been driven
out of existence in this city by extreme
demands. The loss falls in measure on
employers, but more severely on the
workmen and their families, and the pres
sure comes sooner or later for charity
humiliating to the honest workman. the
more so as he knows it is really need
less. An unemployed workman living on
friends told the writer he did not know
why he was idle; he had simply been
ordered by a walking delegate to leave
his work and was compelled to obey ana
to suffer. There are thousands in a SINH
lar condition today. Is there no relief
for this? 7. S. CHlLDS.