The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-01-06

THAT his long leadership. and this
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-
tons 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 antagon-
ism, which would otherwise receive
support.
There is no doubt but what organ
ICED 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 ex-
poets to even maintain its present
standing, to say nothing of making
future progress"
We quote portions of another arti-
Gle, reprint, from the same labor pa
per:
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 move
ment, no organization, no nation can
develop beyond the intellects which
guide these organizations, and If the
leaders are dominated by selfish mo-
tive the organization will become
tinged with spirit of selfishness,
which has never appealed to mankind
in any walk of life at any time since
history began.
1T can be sail IN extenuation Of
certain leaders of organized labor that
the precarious position which they oc-
cupy as leaders has had a 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
BILE 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 and sincere in
their efforts in the start to deteriorate
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 societies or
organizations and this is undoubtedly
true when applied to the present lead
ers of the Federation. We mention
the Federation of Labor particularly
in this article because that organiza-
ton is the only organization OF labor
which has yet found itself In direct
opposition to the laws of the land.
There are other organizations of labor
| whose leaders have made mistakes.
but they have always kept themselves
and their organizations within the
bounds of the law and respected the
rights of every ether man in consider
| ing the rights of themselves and their
constituency; whereas, the motto of
the Federation is just the reverse, and
unless the leaders conform them
selves and their organization in &C.
cordance with the laws OF the land,
the leaders and the organization itself
must be disintegrated and pass into
history, for in America the common
sense in mankind is developed TO a
greater extent than in any other ma
ton on the earth, and the people, who
are the court of last resort in this
country, will never allow any system
to develop in this country which does
not meet with the approval of the ma
| jority of the citizens Of the country.
This must have forced itself upon
the leaders of the Federation by this
time If it has not, the leaders Nust
be eliminated. The organization which
they head has done many meritorious
things in times past and the people
are always ready and willing to ac-
knowledge the benefits which their
efforts have brought to their constitu-
ency as a whole, but at the present
time labor organizations in general,
and the Federation of Labor in par.
ticular, stand before the bar of public
opinion, having been convicted of self
ishness and a disposition to rule all
the people of the country in the inter
est of the few. The people are pa
tient and awaiting to see II the object
lesson which they have been forced te