The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1910-09-02
LABOR DAY.

Lpbor's great holiday us again at
] nd. From its annual observance or
, nzed labor should garner many a
! son for good. 1t is not enough that
ganized labor should parade upon this
y: nor is j. enough that the day be
spent wholly in sports and merrymak
ing. 1t should be observed with a view
to impressing upon the general public
the principles upon which organized
labor is founded, and educating the
public to knowledge of what organ
lied labor is doing for the uplift of
she working masses. Whatever OF
benefit that accrues to labor in the
way of shonter hours, better wages,
better conditions and more hopeful out
look, must of necessity result from the
activity of the trades unionists of the
country. Capital will not confer bene-
fits without coercion. The unorganized
masses have no means of making an
influence fel., even if it had an influ
ence to exert. II remains for the or
ganized workers, through co cooperation
and mutual sacrifice, to bring that pres
sure to bear which shall result in the
betterment of all workers. the organ
lied and the unorganizcd. Labor Day
will have been spent in vain if the or
ganized workers who observe it fail to
fit themselves to properly lay before
the public the objects and aims of
trades unionism.
The union man who feels that shorter
hours and higher wages are the sum
total of unionism is detriment to the
cause of organized labor. The men who
work hardest and sacrifice most to ad
vance the interests of unionism are men
who would lay down the burden to.
morrow if wages and hours were the
only ends to achieve. Better industrial
conditions, like human liberty, must be
fought for every day if they are to
be retained. Liberty. like mamma. must
be renewed every day, else it mildew
and decay. The industrial movement
mus. ever go forward. else it must in
evitably go back. 1t can not stand
still.
Back of the parades and the paraders
must be the grim determination to
struggle onward and upwards; to for
ever fight for better tomorrow; to
keep hammering away, educating, agi-
ting, that when those of us active
lay shall have laid down the burden
may leave to our children better
lustrial heritage than came to us
..om the pioneers of the industrial
movement. That union man is false
10 himself and false to his fellows who
neglects or refuses to educate himself
so as to be able to stand forth any
where, at any time, and give reasons
for the union faith that is within him.
We may well be proud of what we
have achieved in the comparatively few
years of organized effort that lay be-
hind us. But what has been done is
but small part of what must be done
If labor is to come into its own.
To the ranks of organized labor every
where, whether under the Stars and
Stripes of our own United States.
whether under the Red Cross of st.
George, the Lilies of France, the Eagles
of Germany-1or whatever banner ii
may be-th;s humble little labor news.
paper extends its fraterna greetings
and its best wishes. May the ranks
grow longer and more solid every day
until at least every day shall be labor s
day-dahor's day in which the laborer
may receive the full fruits of his toll
and stand forth under the blue dome
free man-free in fact as well as in
name.
For the speedy coming of that glad
day let us all work and pray