The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-02-18

~S~S~ese~
Flate trades unions have been
very much in the limelight.
Everybody grant, has right
to his own opinion on any
question. I.admire man who gives
his opinion and backs it up by giving
his reasons for holding it. I was sur
prised the other day by reading an artl-
Gle against trades unions. The writer
claims they are menace to commerce,
and is pleased that the courts are put
ting a curb on them, and points out
that the great loss of life on American
railroads is due to great ext ent TO the
fact that railroads are not able to en-
force discipline because OF unions. 10
saw the least that is very unfair view
to take of unions. To make matters
worse lie does not make any attempt to
nrove his statements. l suppose he
would argue that what he says is we'll
known To lie true. There are good
manv people like that. Now l have
never yet met man who could argue
logically that the principles of trades
unions were not sound. Their protect.
i've and economic principles are quite
enough to justify their existence. Men
have as much right to combine to get
the best price for their labor as capital
lists have to combine to- meet competl-
ton.
In this country we often hear the So
called captains of industry declare that
the day of private enterprise is at an
end. that it is day for big things. The
workers think the same. They also
were under the impression that all men
were equal in the eyes of the law, but
the law curbs trades unions and lets
.capitalists do as they like. To put IT
in plain English there is one law 1or
labor and another for capital, ana
nothing is so certain to create iawless-
ness as to discriminate between classes
IN courts of law. 1 do not mean TO IN
fer that the law has been harsh Win
labor. hut it has been lenient with CAPT
tai to a marked degree, and there are
plenty of dem a yogues ready to point II
ont and tell the mt II to bic TX the law
DO the men want law? They certain!
do not, but they do want justice at INT
hands of employers. would not lik'
to guess what would be tie CONDITION
of the workers today if it had not beel
for these unions. They are endowed
,r;tb common sense. The recent cleo
-tion showed that union II Ell do not al
ways do what their leaders tell them
do. and that tLey will listen to reason
In the famous Brookland agretmen
the masters came like men with thel
books to prove that they We're losin
money. There was no talk about lake
hooks. The mems leaders went INT
the matter and agreed to a reductlo
in wages. Many disputes have bee
settled the same way. On the oth'
hand, how many times have we see
the masters refusing to receive II
union leaders, calling them lot OF ID
aqitators living on the fat of the Ian
playing on the ignorance of the wor
ers. Has any man just cause to 81
that the majority of workingmen
ignorant? Time after time the CO
trary has been proved.
More than twenty-five years ago
old Tory said that such men as Gla
stone would send the country to M
giving Jail birds and ioungers wltho
property and the ignorant workers
vote. Gladstone replied that he
faith in men, that property or tax p'
ing was no real reason why NJ
should vote. Any man who took Il
line of argument would have to adj
that the man who had most prope
and paid the biggest taxeswould hi
the right to vote most. We know t
Gladstone believed in one man
vote. The whole matter turns on
equality of man. All men are equa
the sight of God-each has duty
perform, and each has a right to
vote and no more in saying what
laws shall be. When the voting 7
got his vote in England he prom
returned tory majority to the lie
of Commons, and on theeve OF &c
al election ministers ask the quest
what are the clear-headed workers