The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1910-02-12
HARDEST BLOWS ORGANIZED LABOR
GETS ARE DEALT By UNION MEMBERS

If it were possible to compute in
any way the damage done annually
to organized labor by its own men,
bership the figures would in all
probability prove most appalling.
That this damage is for the most
part done unwittingly-or at all
events NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. little
difference; a blow is a blow. wheth-
er dealt accidentally or intention
ally.
OF the manifold incidents which
combine to create this damage none
are perhaps so directly injurious as
the buying Of non-union made goods
of any kind and the public exposi-
ton of fancied grievances against
local or international officials. Or
anybody or anything connected with
union labor.
The first named takes good, hard
cash out of union pockets and places
it in the Golfers of the enemies of
organized labor; the second places
an argument in the mouths of ia
boris enemies and stimulates the al
ready existing prejudice in the minds
of those not educated to the cause.
Every dollar spent for sweatshops
or other unfair goods is a dollar in
vested in retarding the onward move
ment of organized labor; every pub
licly uttered word on the part of a
union man against anything con-
nected with labor is a counter-move
to the arguments of the organizers
Of the movement.
If every union man and woman in
the world could be brought to realize
the all-importance of the little
things" mistakes of the kind set
forth would be scarcer than finan-
cial donations to labor from the
Manufacturers Association.
Ten cents spent for a pack of nom
union made tobacco won't make or
break organized labor, but If each
member of one-third of the unoffi-
cially reputed membership of the A..
F. Of l.. was to spend 20 cents a
week in that way the manufacture
ers of tobacco who are fighting labor
hardest would annually handle the
sum of $1,04O,00O of good, union
earned money. It's pretty tough,
bacco one has smoked for twenty
years-before labels were as popular
as they are today-just because lit
tie slip of blue paper doesn't appear
on the package, but there's lot of
harder things to give up, and among
them are ones principles. Also, so
long as you continue to support that
non-union factory the chances of
unionizing it are diminished by one.
The thrifty housewife (who some
times spend 10 cents car fare to
reach a bargain sale where they are
selling eight-cent goods for six cents)
may find it hard. on occasions, to
pay ten cents more and get a label
on her purchase than to take the
perhaps cheaper-but inferior-un-
labeled article; but if she pauses to
remember that it was organized la
Dor which fattened Johns Saturday
night pay envelope and gave him two
more hours a. day, at least. home,
and that the money she spends for
the unlabeled goods may later be
utilized by heartless capital to put a
kink in Johns envelope and to keep
him working a couple of hours or so
longer, she may think differently.
One of the first arguments that the
employers confront labor officials
with when an attempt is made to
unionize an establishment is that or
ganized labor does not patronize the
label. Taken generally, that argu-
| ment could be punctured in severa
million places, but so long as there
is even room for a toe-hold the te-
| nacious unfair employer will hang
| on to his own argument. It be-
! hooves every member of organized
labor to do his or her share to re.
move even that toe-hold, and there
is nothing that talks like cold cash
! The moment that the flow Of casl
swerves toward his label-using com
|petitor the other fellow will be-
come lebol convert, too.
| It is said that every knock is {
boost, and so it is-if you look at il
rightly. Every knock that you hand
g. labor official is a boost for non.
union labor. and vice versa.
The existing prejudice against or
ganized labor thrives on ill-timet
criticisms. of anything pertaining t.
Labor unions. and when it is remem
bered that this prejudice has alread!
reached even the legal bench of tn
UNITED States, it can readily be seer
that it requires no added stimuli!
from our side Of the fence.
Members of secret fraternal ORDER
do not parade their business on tn,
streets, at work, nor yet at home
Too many union men forget, perhaps
the obligations they took when the!
became members.
It is remarkable and yet poten
fact that not infreouently the hes
"tool-shanty" orators are abso1utel
tongue-tied in a union hail. Their
are those, too, who find it more con
venient to discuss the frailties of or
ganized labor either in part or Il
whole with somebody not identif1e,
with it. To such as these it can onl
be said with much emphasis that la
Dor has never yet run short of avail
able enemies, and that it is an abso
lutte waste Of time to create more.
Organized labor is moving forwar~
every day despite unfair legislatio,
and other retarding influences, an
| r. IN o,rl 3~, - -