The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-02-05

the delegates off their feet, and resul
in his reelection.
THAT his long leadership and this
apparent impossibility to fill his place
has gone to his head, and made him
imagine that he is much greater a
man than he really is, is undoubtedly
the case, and accounts for the tactics
he has adopted in dealing with ques-
lions before Congress, where he has
unnecessarily antagonized men to
whom organized labor must look for
recognition of their demands. and
where labor measures are often OPP
posed on account of this very antag-
onism, which would otherwise receive
support.
There is no doubt but what cr-
ganiZed labor in this country would
be much stronger with a leader who
was more in touch with conditions as
they actually exist, and who would
bring to the front the new policies
which organized labor must adopt if
it expects to even maintain it's present
standing, to say nothing of making
future progress"
We quote portions of another arti-
Gle, a reprint, from the same labor
paper:
"Organized labor, through its lead
ers, must recognize the mistakes of
the past if they expect to perpetuate
their organizations or to develop the
movement which they head. No
movement, no organization, no nation
can develop beyond the intellects
which guide these organizations, and
II the leaders are dominated by a sell
fish motive the organization will be-
come tinged with a spirit of selfish
ness, which has never appealed to
mankind in any walk of life at any
time since history began.
1T can be said in extenuation of
certain leaders of organized labor that
the precarious position which they oc-
cupy as leaders has had tendency to
cause them to lose sight of the object
behind the organization. The natural
instinct in man for power and posi-
ton is in no small measure RESPONSE
bic for the mistakes of the leaders,
not necessarily in labor unions alone,
but in every branch of society. This
desire for power and leadership and
personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT causes men
who have been earnest md sincere in
their efforts in the starr to deterior-
ate into mere politicians whose every
act and utterance is tinged with the
desire to cater to the baser passions
OF the working majority in the socie-
ties or organizations and this is I'M
doubleday true when applied to the
present leaders of the Federation. |
We mention the Federation of Labor
particularly in this article because
that organization is the only organi-
zatiOn of labor which has vet found
itself In direct opposition to the laws
OF the land. There are other organi-
cations of labor whose leaders have |
made mistakes. but they have always
kept themselves and their organiza-
tons within the bounds of the law
and respected the rights of every
0ther man in considering the rights
of themselves and their constituency;
the motto of the Federation
Is just the reverse, and unless the
leaders, conform themselves and their
in accordance with the
avs OF the land, the leaders and the
itself must be disinte-
grated and pass into history, for in
America the common sense in man.
lind is developed to a greater extent
han in any other nation on the earth,
Ind the people, who are the court of
asst resort in this country, will never
lllow any system to develop in this
country which does not meet with the
of the majority of the citi-
ems of the country.
This must have forced itself upon
he leaders Of the Federation by this t
ime. If it has not, the leaders must
re eliminated. The organization
which they head has done many meri-
orious things in times past and the {
eople are always ready and willing
0 acknowledge the benefits which Y
heir efforts have brought to their /
as a whole, but at the
resent time labor organizations in '
eneral, and the Federation of Labor !
4 particular, stand before the bar of !
ublic opinion, having been convicted I
f selfishness and a disposition to rule I
II the people Of the country in the
interest CT the few. The people are