The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1909-11-26

may misunderstood my attitude. and
that no man, no difference how design
ing, may be able to distort my attitude.
| propose in the future, as in the past,
to exercise the right guaranteed me by
the founders of our country; ! propose
if ! am sent to Jail when come
from there to declare again that | shall
not, for myself, purchase any product
of the Bucks Stove and Range Com
pany. make this declaration not to
tickle the ear of any man; / make it
solely that | may declare publicly the
conviction that is within me.
Nov, my friends, it seems to me that
this whole proceeding should prove Il
lasting lesson to the workingmen of the
United States and Canada. If all the
workingmen had been true to them
selves, if they had been true to their
obligation, there would not have been
Il non-union product on the market for
sale. The trouble with us is that we
are so concerned with our own affairs
that we pay little attention to the af-
fairs of our fellow -unioniSts. If the
workingmen could learn to realize that
they are the real employers of labor; if
they will in their every day life camy
into effect their open professions, it
will not be long before every man and
woman working for wages will be a
member of trade union. | believe the
time will come when every workingman
will demand and insist that the goods
he buys shall be made by union labor.
The merchants are only too anxious to
supply the products men want to use,
and the manufacturers will willingly
supply the merchants with the products
they demand The difficulty has been
that the union man has not insisted
upon the union label or upon union
product when he went to spend his
money. 1t is true that there are some
who have consistently and persistenly
demanded union made goods. 1t is per
fectly obvious by the amount of non
union goods sold that only small por
tion OF the union men have done their
full duty.
81 want to repeat that, so far as am
concerned let the consequence be what
it may am going to assert and eXer-
else while at liberty the rights gllaran-
tee,l by the organic law of the country.
regard myself as a good deal of an
American. | grew up with high pride
in being an American. 1t may seem an
idle sentiment, but | remember when |
was a small boy. when my step-mother
was so poor we could not buy bread
enough to satisfy our hunger or clothes
TO keep us warm that ON the cold win
ter nights | have crept out of bed to
get my fathers soldier coat and wrap
ped it around me to keep the cold from
me. | felt proud that was an American
and the son of an American soldier.
| am not less proud now of being an
American, but, my friends, l want to
see the world "Americanism" stand for
the flag of our country. l want all the
liberties, not the liberties that give us
the right to do things we do not want
to do; l mean the liberties that give us
the right to live out our own lives and
to be helpful to one another. l do not
believe in that liberty enunciated by
some of our courts which say that men
and women must have the liberty to
work themselves to death. l do not be-
lieve in the liberty enunciated by Judge
Tuthill of Chicago, who declared the ten
hour law unconstitutional, because it
would deny to girls and women the
right to work fourteen hours day.
do not believe in that specia of liberty;
but do believe in the spirit of liberty
that gives even to the most humble per-
son on our soil the opportunity to grow
and develop to the best that is in him
81 believe that this litigation will
have one good result. 1t will result in
making our people think; it will bring
home to them the necessity of working
in concert. Some years ago | had the
privilege of travelling through some
countries in Europe, and while in Ger
many visited number OF labor news
paper offices, and found in each one
men who seemed not to know enough
to conduct newspaper, although he
had very important title. Upon max
ing inquiry as to his function, We were
told that his duty was to go to prison
He was hired for small wage and ms