United labor bulletin., 1909-11-19

constitutes a good union man." and this
is not alone the case among the printing
trades, but every union has among its
members men who pay little attention
to the label. Let us be consistent and
it will only be a short time until every
union man in the city can proudly say
he wears none but union-made hats, col
lars, ties, shirts, stockings, shoes, cloth
ing and jewelry and smokes union-made
cigars and chews union-made tobacco;
buys union-made brooms and bread for
his home and everything else that bears
the union label-the emblem of indus
trial freedom:
We are used to hearing the expression,
He is good union man. phrase COM
mon even outside the domain of trade
unionism, and 1 hear it SO often misap-
piled that am prompted to give my own
views as to what 1 think it means We,
of trade unions, are all agreed that the
terms rat" and "scab'' are quite synony-
nous from our moral viewpoint; most of
us also are quite familiar with Mr..
Gompers' and Mr. Mitchel1's characteri-
cations of this type of the human family.
OF the other fellow-the scab, the rat
who steps in and takes our job when we
go on strike, sometimes from grim neces-
sity, sometimes an old hand at the game
and there are many of the latter-very
little can be added to what has already
been said or written.
There is no difference in the product
which they put upon the market Neither
is there-and this is a point wish to en-
phasize-much difference between them
and the people who use this product. am
not confning myself to the printing in
dustry; this will apply in the hat, shoe.
glove. clothing, and any and all indus
tries where workers are banded together
for the elimination of the sweatshop and
the rise of the working class.
work in union printing establish
ment. So do some others of these good
union men" But how many of them
patronize the United Cigar Stores smoke
Dukes mixture and Bull Durham, and a
few other brands of tobacco (?) one
would be surprised TO know.
Now show me the difference between
the union man who deliberately buys a
product which he knows is made under
sweatshop or unfair conditions. and the
man who makes the product. BY buying
the goods, the one makes it possible for
the other to live. doesn't he? It is pretty
hard these DAYS to dodge and say that
union goods can not be purchased; some
times they can not, as in the case OF
straw hats. It is also true that only one
I firm in the world makes Uneeda biscuit;
must we buy Uneeda biscuit? How many
unionists are there whose wives do not
purchase these goods2
The printer man-what is the first
thing he does when handed a piece of
printing? Looks for the label of course.
And if he does not find it there is some
thing wrong with the job. from his point
of view But this same good union
man. when he buys his tobacco of the
United Cigar Stores. has apparently
shifted his viewpoint. Now try to rec
oncile his view with that of the union
tobacco worker. and where are you? Just
previous TO the last union election. l was
approached by candidate for delegate
soliciting votes. who very incautiously
exhibited a package of unfair tobacco. !
Immediately introduced him and his to-
bacco around the shop. This reached
the ears of some of the other candidates,
who made good political capital out of
it. and the man failed of office. with a
splendid margin. Verify. we need educa-
tion of a kind.
My idea of the good union man" is
the one who. through realization of the
class struggle. or study Of economic
conditions. or better still. a devotion TO
the principles of trade unionism, faith
fully carries out the bargain he makes
with the union upon his initiation into
it. Find member of this union who is
living up to his obligation, and you will
find one who has no scab goods in his
home or on his person.