The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1909-01-07
THE
ADOPTION OF
A UNIVERSAL
LABEL
Continued from page. y

products, and insisting that every com
modIt, bear the union label
Organized labor's gcratcst need is
the wholc-heartcd support and cduca.
zion of tue people toward its accumu
lation of power. No court of Justice
viii deprive the people of the right to
select the kind of goods which they
buy. The education which is best cal
cuatcd to build organized labor is that
stands for Justice and peace, and a
higher plane of citizenship and moral
ity A general label is the tool by
which the machine can speedily be con
9tructcd. On the highway of destiny a
man meets no one but himself En-
thusiasm and carncstncss are contGgi.
Gus. Il is impossible to make others
feel sentiment unless YOU feel it your.
self.
At present there are scvcnty-two
different labels issued by the crafts
affiliated with the American Federation
of Labor, and l can safely say withou;
fear of contradiction. that in ninety
nine cases out of a hundred no trade I'M
ionist knows much, or for that matter
anything at all, about the labels Of
other crafts. If the laboring people
who should create the demand and who
are to make the purchases of union
made goods are unfamiliar with the diff.
ferent characters of labels, and if the
people studying and advocating them
are ignorant of the multiplicity Of en-
blems, how can labor expect the world
at large to be conversant with the var
ious designs or be impressed with their
significance No union should promote
solely and exclusively the interest of
its individual label. Each union should
pursue a broad course of merging its
interests with every other affiliated
union, to the end that labor should
grow in power in solid and general
eral that every mechanic will take
pleasure in becoming member of an
organization representing strength and
Justice.
Apparently most trade unionsts are
in love with the design of their own
label to the detriment of their and
every other label, and at the sacrifice
of the welfare of the American FEEDER
ion of Labor. The love for individual
labels is like the NEUROLOGICAL story of
the youth, who, fatigred with hunting,
heated and thirsty, came to fountain
with water like silver, and as he stoop.
ed to drink, saw his own image and
thought it some beautiful water spirit
As he stood gazing with admiration at
those bright eyes, those locks curled
like the locks of Bacchus or Apollo the
round cheeks, the ivory neck, the part
ed lips, the glow of health and exercise
over all, he fell in love with the reflec-
tion-the reflection OF his own face
He tried to tear himself away, but
failed to do so, and while lowering over
the brink of the fountain, gazing a.
the face he loved so well, fell into the
pool, was drowned, and so disappeared
forever.
The same conditions exist with the
various labels. Trade unonists seem
to be so infatuated with the face OF
their own label that they cannot resign
themselves to combine theirs and others
into one general label They do not
realize that as the label is divided, so
the label and labor falls, They prefer
going on and on, looking into the foun.
tain at the reflection OF their label, I'M
til they likewise sing into oblivion.