Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1910-09-07

! ly eliminate from the practises Of its or
| ganization those things which justify such
! criticism and attack. This is the path,
| nat only of right, but of wisdom and
f; safety. Public opinion in the United
! States is daily becoming more alert and
more intelligent and more forceful; and
| no organization whether trades union or
! corpora ton, whether industrial or non-in-
! dustrial, can endure or permanently
amount to a social force if it does not
harmonic with wise and enlightened
public opinion. Hitherto we Americans
have been over-occupied with material
things, and have neglected to watch the
play of the social forces about us. But
now we are awakening from that indif-
ference; and every form of organization
representing an important economic, polit-
ical, or social force must undergo closer
scrutiny than ever before.
L think that the next quarter of a
century will be important politically in
many ways; and in none more so than in
the labor movement. Not only are the
benefits of labor organizations more clear
ly understood than ever before but any
shortcoming or vice displayed in connec-
ton Herewith is also more clearly under
stood and more quickly resented. The
public is growing more and more to I'M
derstand that, in a contest between en-
ployer and employee-a corporation and
the contestants, but the interests of the
third party-the public--must be consid-
cred. Anything like levity in provoking
strike, on the one hand on the other,
is certain more and mere to be resented
by the public. Strikes are sometimes nee
essary and proper; sometimes they rep
resent the only way in which, after all
other methods have been exhausted it is
possible for the laboring man to stand for
his rights but 1t must be clearly under
stood that a strike is matter of last re-
sort. Our social organization is too COM
pick for us to fail quickly to condemn
those who, with levity or in a spirit Of
wanton brutality bring about far-reach-
ing and disastrous interference with its
normal processes. The public sympathizes
cordially with any movement for a good
standard of living and for moderate hours
of employment Il personally, for in
stance, cordially believe in an eight-hour
day, and in one day in seven for COM
plete rest) Where men and women are
worked under harsh and intolerable con-
ditions. and can secure no relief without
a strike, or, indeed, where the strike is
clearly undertaken for things which are
vitality necessary-and then only as a last
resor-the public sympathy will favor the
wage workers; but it will not favor them
unless such conditions as these are full
filled Therefore it is becoming more
than ever important that the labor move
ment should combine steady. far-seeing
leadership with discipline and control in
its ranks. Dishonest leadership is a curse
anywhere in American life, and nowhere
Is it a greater curse than in the labor
movement. If there is one lesson which
would rather teach to my felow-Ameri-
cans than any other; it is to hound down
the dishonest man-no matter what his
condition-and to brush aside with i'm
patient contempt the creature who only
denounces dishonesty when 1t is found in
some special social stratum There are
dishonest capitalists, dishonest labor lead
ers, dishonest lawyers, and dishonest
business men; dishonest men of great
wealth and dishonest poor men; and the
man who is a genuine reformer will de-
cline to single out any one type for ex-
elusive denunciation, but will fearlessly
attack the dishonest man as such, when
ever and wherever he is to be found.
Worthy Leaders Available.
For many years I have been more or
less closely associated with representative
leaders of labor unions. Some of these
men are among my close friends, whom
respect and admire as heartily as I do
any men in America. There are some of
them to whom I go as freely for assist
ance and guidance for aid and help, in
making up my mind how to deal with our
social problems, as I go to the leaders of
any business or profession. I cannot pay
too high a tribute to the worth and tnteg
rity of these men-to their sincerity and
good Judgment as leaders, But no move
ment-no leadership-nowever earnest and
honest, can endure unless the rank and
file live up to their duties, and search
for such leadership, and support it when
they find it, If the best men in a labor
union leave it's management and control
to men of poorer type the effect will be
just as disastrous as when good citizens
in city follow the same course as re-
CARDS city government. The stay-at-home
man in union is just much RESPONSE
bic for the sins of omission and commits
sion of his organization as the stay-at-
home in a city is for the civic con-
ditions under which he suffers and about
which he complains.
All that properly be done should
be done by all of US to help upward the
standard of living and to improve the
ability of the average man to reach that
standard. There are still in the United
States great masses of skilled and unor-
ganized labor, whose conditions of work
and living are harsh and pitiabIe. Tt is a
shocking Indictment Of our industrial con-
ditfon to be told in a matter-of-co
way in a government report that thous-
ands of workers in this country are COM
PEELED to toll everyday in the week. with
out one day rest, for a wage of S45 a
month. Such a condition is bad for them,
and, in the end, bad for all of US. Our
commercial development should be hear
tily encouraged; but it must not be al
lowed to commercialize our morals
1t is not merely the duty of the wage
Garner, but it is also the duty of the gen
eral public, to see that he has safe and
healthy conditions under which to carry
on his work. No worker should~be COM
PEELED, as a condition of earning his daily
bread, to risk his life and limb. or be
deprived of his health, or have to work
under dangerous and bad surroundings.
Society owes the worker this because it
be compelled to make this q matter of
contract; he ought not to be left to fight
alone for decent conditions in this respect
TEis protection in the place where he
works should be guaranteed by the law Of
the land In other words. he should be
protected during his working hours
against greed and carelessness on the part
of interruptions and th0ughtIess employ
ers, just as outside of those working
hours both he and his employer are pro
tected in their lives and property against
the murderer and thief.
Far Behind Other Nations.
This opens vitality important field of
legislation to the National government
and to the state alike. It IS 1unliliating
to think how far we IF this country are
behind most of the other countries in
such matters Practically all civilized
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