The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1910-02-10
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LABOR LEADERS BAR SALOON
Liquor Traffic Tends to Decrease
Wages and Must Be Eradicated--
Unions for Temperance.


Unions for Temperance.
All doubt as to the attitude of union
labor toward the saloon, declares the
Western Christian Advocate of Gin
cinnati is cleared away by the I'M
equivocal statements of prominent la
Dor leaders during the recent annual
convention of the American Fedora
ton OF Labor. which was held in To
ronto, Canada. THE time has come"
proclaimed Samuel Gompers, the fed
eration's president. when the saloon
and the labor movement must be di.
Vorced." Others who spoke no less
emphatically were Thomas L. Lewis.
president Of the United Mine Workers,
John Mitchell, ex-president of that or
ganization, and John b. Lennon, treas
urer of the federation. Said Mr..
Mitchell a leader idolized by the
unions:
Poverty has driven many a strong
man to drink. and drink has driven
many a strong man to poverty. / am
not at all impressed with the argu-
ment that If you close down the liquor
traffic you bring about a calamity.
Rather the contrary. There is a read
tustment 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
cent upon himself until he has first
provided for his family. The average
workingman does not yet earn enough
10 give mis- family all the comforts
they deserve. He has no money to
spend on drink without robbing his
family. / believe that, as the labor
movement grows, so will the tenn
perance movement grow"
Mr.. Lennon, discussing the effect of
the liquor traffic on the standard of
living. declared that ito the trade
unionist there is no redeeming feature
In the saloon" We quote:
What is the effect of the LIQUOR
traffic on the standard of living of the
people? Is there any influence gone
out from the saloon that has helped
to make men and women better? The
labor movement is essentially a moral
movement. II stands for equal oppor.
tunity for men and women, though it
believes that II 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 factories, in workshops.
and at washtubs who ought not to be
there? The trade union movement
was opposed to child labor. vet who
could deny that the liquor traffic was
driving into industrial life boys and
girls who should be in the school or
on the playground? The liquor traffic
tended TO decrease wages, 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."
Said President Lewis, who believes
that 1.-THE trade unions are doing more
for the cause OF temperance than anv
other institution in the world"
IF you want to know where the
miners Of America stand upon the
temperance question, I'll tell you. In
our constitution we have a clause
which forbids any member to sell in
toxicants even at a picnic. That's
what we think Of the liquor traffic.
Some people say that the saloon is a
necessary evil. l don't believe in that
kind of doctrine. ! don't believe that
legislation alone will eradicate the
traffic. Nothing but the spread Of ed
ucation will accomplish that.
The Christian churches are estab-
lished for the purpose Of replacing
paganism with Christianity; the trade
union movement is organized to edu.
cate the people, to drive out igno-
rance, and elevate the toilers of our
land. Because the liquor traffic tends
to enslave the people, to make them
satisfied with improper conditions.
and keep them ignorant. the leaders
of the trade union movement are
called on TO fight the saloon. Lit.
erary Digest.