Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-29
Coulter Dry Goods Co.
w. G.. 7. u. Department
BY JULIA A. GARRISON

The department of Temperance and
Labor" was taken up last week; but
the subject is one of such vital i'm
portance it can scarcely be touched
upon in a single column article, there
fore, it is given further consideration
in this number.
Mr.. Mitchell, the great labor leader,
in an address before the labor con-
vention in Toronto, said:
Poverty has driven many a strong
man to drink, and drink has driven
many a strong man to poverty. 1 am
not at all impressed with the argu-
ment that if you close down the liquor
traffic you bring about calamity
Rather the contrary. There is a read
justment of society. Nothing has done
more to bring misery upon innocent
women and children than the money
spent in drink. No man has a right
to spend a cent upon himself until he
has provided for his family. The
average Workingman does not earn
enough to give his family all the COM
forts they deserve. He has no money
to spend on drink without robbing his
family. I believe that, as the labor
movement grows, SO will the temper
ance movement"
Mr.. Lennon, discussing the effect of
the liquor traffic on the standard of
living, declared that ito the trades
unionist there is no redeeming feature
in the saloon" He says, "What is the
effect of the liquor traffic on the stand
ard of living of the people? Is there
any influence going out from the sa-
loon that has helped to make men
and women better? The labor move
ment is essentially q moral movement.
1t stands for equal opportunity for men
and women, though 1t believes that it
should be made more easily possible
for women to become home makers.
Who could deny that the liquor traffic
was driving women to work in fac
tories, in workshops and at washtubS
who ought not to be there? The trade
union movement was opposed to child
labor, yet who could deny that the
liquor traffic was driving into indus
trial life boys and girls who should
be in the school or on the playground?
The liquor traffic tended to decrease
wages but never to increase them.
The use of alcohol made workmen less
skillful, and drove men to lower scales
of employment and reward. Every
cent spent in the liquor business was
wasted, bringing no social benefit or
moral uplift."
The trade-union movement is organ
ized to educate the people, to drive
out ignorance, and elevate the to1lers
of our land. Because the liquor trafnc
tends to enslave the people, to make
them satisfied with improper conditions,
and keen them ignorant: the leaders of
the trade-union movement ar called
on to fight the saloon.
Not only the purely trade-union
movement in the ranks of labor is
taking this stand, but also the Soclalist
labor movement throughout the world
The American Socialists first took no
tice of the liquor problem in their
national platform of 1908 In whlcn tney
said: ANY excessive use or sueh
liquors by the working class post
pones the day of the final triumph CT
our cause" The Austrian Socialists
were the first to take stand, In 19oS'
when they declared:
'Orhis convention declares that alco-
holism has a disastrous effect on the
physical and mental powers OF the
working class. II,
ing from alcoholism should, therefore,
be neglected"
The Socialists of Germany declare
it to be the duty of organized labor 10
see to it that the workingmen, ana
esnecially their children, be enl1ght-
ened by oral and written propaganda
on the dangers arising from the use
of alcohol and the drink-treatlng
habit.
Among the many rich nuggets OF
thought left us by Abraham Lincoln
is an earnest statement made when
asked If he did not believe that GOO
was on our side. He said "God is my
witness that it is my constant anxiety
and prayer that this nation should DC
on the Lords side"
To get the people "on the Lords
side" is the effort Of good men and