The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-08-31

There is seldom day passes but
somewhere in our country from one
to score of our fellow men are as
saulted or murdered by members OF
this band.
Then remember the homes blown up
or burned. The famines bounded the
rioting, burning of street cars, wreck
Ing OF trains and attempted or success.
ful killing of passengers.
The general disturbance of industry
and the thousands of dollars forced
from tax payers to pay extra police,
sheriffs and militia to protect, even
In feeble way, the citizens from the
mobs of the members of the American
Federation of Labor.
Then you will realize why the great
peace-loving majority of over so mil
lion Americans protest against the
growth of this crime-tainted organiza-
ton comprising perhaps one and one
half million men, of which 1t Is esti-
mated at least seven-tenths are
peace-loving citizens and are mem
bers by coercion and are not in sym.
pathy with the three-tenth who have
gained control and force their me-
thods
We find that few designing men
have seized control of the American
Federation of Labor, just as some
shrewd capitalists have secured con
troll of some railroads and other inter
ests and are now twisting and turn.
ing them into machines for personal
profit and fame.
These men cunningly plan to force
workmen to join and pay 25 to rs
cents a month in fees.
Various methods are used to Gin
duce' workmen to join.
| First, they talk of the tyranny Of
| capital making slaves of workmen
Then they work up enthusiasm
about the Brotherhood of man. and
! other talk which experience has
shown lcites the emotions of work
men and they are induced to Join
and pay fees to the leaders.
The 5000 workmen in Battle Creel
/ are, as rule. free from the dictates
of the great Labor Trust and still gel
| the highest wages in Michigan. L
! they had yielded to the smooth tall
of the agents of the trust and joined
they would pa in fees from 81 ,250.0(
| to 100000 a month to the big trust
and be subject to strike orders an,
time.
Now they save that and put the
money into home and family comforts
! But the managers of the American
! Federation of Labor have worked
hard and long to harness them.
The trust has sent small bales O
money and last winter Is Organizers
! to tie up Battle Creek. They hiret
! halls and gave picture shows, smokers
rich returns when they succeeded il
having them tied up hand and foot.
But they failed and the last of these
organizers left Battle Creek on Ma.
! Isl Say Ing IL 5 no use.
/ The workmen knew the record O
this great trust and formed their owr
association to protect their rights ant
also to protect them from the big La
Dor Trust
In Philadelphia some 1000 indepen
dent street car men, who mainly hat
/ families. had their own union and re
fused to join the big trust, preferrins
1 to be free to work or not as the,
! pleased.
But the trust planned to force then
into the fee-paying ranks, SO STRIKE
was ordered to compel the Traction
company to kick out these men ant
4 hire only Labor Trust members.
1t was not question of wages o
hours but to push the free men out 0
their positions where they were earn
ing good money to support their fami
lies. The strike was ordered, not t
raise wages or reduce hours, remen
Der, but solely to throw out member
: of an independent union and max
places only for Labor Trust members
and thus show the independent me
| they could not earn living unles
: they first paid fees to the trust mana
! gers.
incidentally the people of Philade
phia must submit to no car service
J rioting and bloodshed with millions
losses while these fee-hunting, motor
. ety-seeking trust leaders were teacl
ing the world that industry cannot b
carried on except by workmen VIII
: first bend the knee, bow the head an
d pay fees.
S How these men as strike leader
love to see their names in the papei