Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1909-04-08
SEVERE ARRAIGNMENT.

idle, dise0lute KnaYes Is tne teIu
used By Rev. John L. Belford, pastor
of the Roman Catholic Church OF the
Nativity, Brooklyn, to dercribe certain
labor union leaders. The slashing at
tack by the priest appears in the latest
issue OF the Mentor, The parish paper,
which he edits.
"This is the era Of the union," Gays
the editorial. "In Itself, organization
is good. 10 union there is strength.
But streogth can be used and abused.
So long as Il is used, it can hurt no one
and can help every one. Bat when 1t
is abused 1t can become real menace to
Industry and to business.
"The viriures OF the union have
been tod 80 often that a glance st It's
vices may be novel, if not interesting
A sturdy bodcrrFier called upon us re-
Gently for loan OF 81. he had been
out of work for weeks aud was In debt
to the union for dues. He could not
get a card until his dues we're paid. He
could not get work without a card.
The union would not lend him the
money and would not allow him to
earn it. The union made him g beg
gar.
"Some time ego the hodtarrlsrs felt
very strong, and made rule that no
man should use more than one band in
filing his he'd. Another rule was
that no hodcarrier might carry q stone
b IL pebble or capstOne, be would be
6ued for handling it. The plasteTers
have nov. He think, rule that men
must be employed 10 the order Of sppli-
cation. If a lazy drunkard appears for
work 10 the morning and is deUied, aud
steady, competent man appears in the
fferooOn and lie put TO work, the en-
poytr will be obliged 10 dismiss the
good man and put on the bad msD, OF
keep both and pay the good-for' 'nothirg
the same as the other.
sin q certsin skyscrsper 10 New
York there 1Ra laid hSe~sA- sill Il
had been 10 position some weeks when
il was discovered that the pattern from
which they sill had been cast bad been
made by Don-union psttern-msStr
The wicked man had since Joined the
union. bat when he had made that
nattern he was "scsb." The union
ordered the owner to take out that sill,
have il broken end have it Tecast from
pattern made By union man. He told
Them to 20 to sheUl. They called out all
the men 10 the building, nearly 300.
They remained out more than six weeks
Then the owner waI obliged to give in.
Bat, before the men would go back, he
had to psy 10 full their wages for ali
tbs tins they were Idle, SUN OF aoou'
SO, 400.
1--WE think we have told enough to
show that sll the wrongs are not done
BY the rich bosses. The men allow q
few noisy ltaders to make rules for them.
they support those leaders in idle
meas. AID the leaders, to convince the
men they are necessary, cause all kinds
of trouble. Almost every one OF them
has his price. Uuless employers pay
weekly he will annoy them and cause
them less Of lime and money, for which
there is no remedy.
"Ii the union could organize 90 as to
protect the members against imposition
aud dangerous situations, aud to indem-
nify them 10 cases Of accident or slck'
ness, it would have our hearty sp-
proyal. Bat being conducted, ss most
| of them are, 10 the interest not OF the
men. bat of a lot Of idle, dissolute
kusves who, In the guise Of leaders and
delegates, make it their business to cur
all production, to hamper industry aud
to hsrass employers, we cannot condem
it too strongly.
"Wheu the union employs it,
treugth merely to cOerce, to exclude and
to annoy, then it becomes a tyrsnt,
which every decent man should moi
merely despise, but do bic best 10 de-
throne When unions enthrone men
like Dsbs and Gompers and clOthe them
With the car like power they enjoy, they
must expect the body of the people To
oppose and condemn them. For the
Workingman who is honest aud indus
trious we bage the profouDdest respect
For the mechanic who shelters bis igno
rance. his drunkenness and his lsZines
under the skirts Of the union we hsv'
nrofound contempt"