The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-01-26
UNIONISM'S
BURDENS
Handicaps That Retard the
Labor Movement.
DRONES AND DESTROYERS
DRONES AND DESTROYERS
Former Is Harmful in Negative Way,
But Latter Is Positive Force for
Evil--common Good Sacrificed
for Personal vainglory.

4uefc 10 u CLASS Va ulSh III uil luoNo-
ments who. not being satisfied with the
mere refusal Of, their cooperation, in
Elst upon making their opposition mani
fest on every occasion.
Not being satisfied merely to waste
time themselves, they wish to prevent
every one else from doing good.
They never see any good In any one
but themselves and are always doing
all they can to create distrust and sus-
picIon In the minds of others.
When an organized movement has In
fits membership considerable per-
centage of the latter class II Is indeed
handicapped. Being In the habit OF
thinking destruction, they act to de-
stroy, whether the object Of their at
tack be character, good works or the
organization itself. 1t matters not to
them, so long as they have the oppor-
tunity to destroy.
And when these individual destruc.
tionIsts are part Of an organized body
they then embrace the opportunity to
destroy by wholesale.
Every well meaning movement is re.
tarded by these drones and destruc-
tionists, and it is possible that the la
Dor movement has more than its share.
In labor movements the drones are
the ones who accept oil benefits with
complacency, but remain aloof from all
participation in the active work.
They stay away from the meetings
and yet wonder why things go wrong
when they leave the field clear for the
destructionists
They even refrain from giving their
financial support unless compelled, and
II the movement is criticised In their
presence they remain silent, or IL press
ed hard they say they take no interest
in the union affairs, Ms they don't go
near 1t. They "just belong. that's all"
In the hour Of trial or in the heat OF
the battle they drop Off like autumn
leaves to be swept by the passing cur
rent into new condition to which they
are still indifferent in their own Pc
culiar way
The destructionists, however, are a
positive force-for evil,
4 IL any member takes issue with them
and defends the union he is Immediate
ly denounced as mo good" and dis
paraging remarks are made about his
ancestors. Any one who defends the
union is mo good Its officers are de-
nounced as rotten etc, but about
this time they change their tune slight
ly by saying the union is ''all right,"
but the officers are rotten" and the
policy is wrong This change OF tune
Is because they want the Offices.
This lust of Office sometimes impels
them TO seek to demonstrate their
snaTtnegs by secession aud forming |
rival unions based and bent OH de-
struction or by stirring up Illogical and |
disastrous strikes, or both, and always |
with the idea OF displaying their
Ina ginary qualities of leadership.
Inevitably these abortiye attempts |
fail and these would be leaders are |
discredited. ANY temporary success
they may achieve merely increases the
height Of their false founded structure
and renders more certain and more dis |
astrous the Inevitable crash.
Thinking only Of self and Of destruc-
tion, the natural result is just what
they get--self destruction.
The history of unionism furnishes
numerous examples of the folly of such
leadership and Of the dire results ac-
cruing to their dupes, the members who
follow them, and 1t would seem that
no more object lessons should be neces-
sary, but they still exist, at least in
some trades.
It matters not to them that in their
vaingIorious attempt to shine by an
III conceived strike the families of
members may be plunged into destitu.
ton.
1t matters not that their poisoned
words may honeycomb a union with
suspicion or that their secession and
rival union may divide a trade against
itself In two factions or may harm the
labor movement generally, If only they
htl ChdASC " ASdu lhCJ grasp thu
at the first offer.
Why viii not those who sincerely be-
Iieve in the cause for the sake Of the
cause show equal zeali
Why will not the Indifferent drones
awake and join hands with the good
builders in overwhelm-
ng and Graduating the destroyers2
In spite of the apathy of the drones
md the activity OF the destructionists
he builders of the union cause have
in advancing 1t step by step
until it occupies today the foremost
position in the public mind.
How much greater progress could be
made If each unit in the great army OF
abor would build upon the foundation
If right thinking and in that enlight.
med and high selfishness which reeog.
lizes that the welfare of each is best
Ierved by the welfare Of all would re-
olive in future to support the cause by
light actionl
Reader, are you drone, destructonist
II builder?
Apply the test to yourself ane find
ut. Be builderl
Reason with the drone and fight the
4,o,,,or,t,-- o.ah saeona 1r;nss sts