Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1910-09-06
Teddy Advocates
Legislation for
LdbOring Men
Continued from Page One.


Continued from Page one.)
that he, perforce, has to accept
whatever a strongly organized body
chooses to give him, his individual
liberty becomes a mere sham and
mockery. 1t is indispensably nee
essary, in order to preserve to the
largest degree our individualism,
that there should be effective and
organized collective action. The
wage earners must act jointly,
through the process of collective
bargaining, in great industrial en-
terprises. Only thus can they be
put upon a plane of economic equal
ity with their corporate employers.
Only thus is freedom of contract
made a real thing and not mere
legal fiction. There are occasional
occupations where this is not neces-
sary; but, speaking broadly, it is
necessary throughout the great
world of organized industry. I be-
lieve this practice of collective bar
gaining, effective only through such
organizations as the trades unions,
to have been one of the most potent
forces in the past century in pro-
noting the progress of the wage
earners and in securing larger social
progress for humanity. l believe
in the principle of organized labor
and in the practice of collective
| bargaining, not merely as a desir
able thing for the wage earners, but
as something which has been
demonstrated to be essential in the
long run to their permanent pro-
gress
This does not mean that | un-
equivocally endorse any and all prac-
tices that labor organizations may
happen to adopt, in any or all prin-
ciples that they may choose to enun-
ciate. Labor organizations have the
weaknesses and defects common to
all other forms of human organiza-
tons. Sometimes they act very
well and sometimes they act very
badly; and | am for them when
they act well and am against them
when they act badly. | believe
that their existence Is a necessity !;
believe that their aims and pur-
poses are generally good; and l be-
lieve that all of them have occa-
siOnally made mistakes, and that
some of them have been guilty OF
wrong-doing. Just in so far as they
are strong and effective they tempt
designing men who seek to contro
them for their own interests, and
stimulate the desires of ambitious
leaders who may be clever, crooked
men, or who may be honest but
visionary and foolhardy. In other
words, in treating of labor unions
sin treating of corporations, OF
of humanity in general, we will dc
well to remember Abraham Lin
, coins saying that there is dea
of human nature in mankind.
, Whether in man or in an organ
lied body, of men, the power to de-
good means that such power may
be twisted into evil; and in proper
ton as the power grows, SO 1t be
comes steadily more important tina
5 it should be handled Alright. JUS
: in proportion as in it's proper func
ton power is important to socia
progress, so in it's improper function
it becomes fraught with social dis
aster.
Outside critics should appreciat,
the necessity of organized labor, an,
understand and sympathize will
what is good in it, instead of con
demning it Unfortunately On tn
r other hand, those within it's rank
should fearlessly analyze the crit
icism directed against it and ruth
Il lessly eliminate from the practice
;, of its organization those thing
\ which pustify such criticism and at
tack. This is the path, not only O
right, but of wisdom and safety