The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-09-17
VALUE OF UNIONS
Results They Have Accomplished
... For the Toile'
THE ARlsT0cRATs OF LABOR.

They Are the Waeeworkcrs Who Have
Had the Intelligence to Fight To-
eether - Benefits Fer Organization
Clearly Proved.
Let him who questions the value OF
unionism pause to consider for mo-
nent Just one thing that unionism has
accomplished.
1t is well known that in the early
days of tie present factory system the
days work extended usually to four
teen or sixteen hours.
This long day existed for ali work
ers-the skilled and the unskilled. the
children as we'll as the men and WON
ell.
The workers had not yet learned to
organize. and as indivi duals they were
utterly helpless to effect change In
the hours Of their labor or In the scale
of their wages.
There were. of course. no laws to
protect them. and SO they lived entire
~ at the mercy Of their employers
The normal conditions that existed
little more than half century ago in
England and elsewhere throughout the
world of the factory system are equal
ed today only in certain plague spots.
When one reads the stories OF the
misery aud oppression. the long hours
and low wages Of those days one won
ders how the workers managed to live
at all.
How much the condition Of the
workers generally has been improved
it is by no means easy to say. but we
do know that the condition Of the
workers has vastly improved wherever
they have learned TO value unity.
In those trades where the men have
known enough to tight for their rights
and to stand together there has arisen
what some scoffers like to call an
"aristocracy of labor"
! And il in certain trades there are
indeed aristocrats of labor 1t is simply
because they have had intelligence
enough to tight together. to pay dues
to one organization and 10 battle al
ways with unity and solidarity.
And what they have done all other
workers can do.
The .aristocrats' hold no patent on
their method of action. and by acting
| in the same manner all other toilers
can win all the "aristocrats" have
won.
Now. it is difficult to ascertain just
how much union workers have benefit
ed by higher wages.
In that matter there Is always the
| question as TO the increased cost OF
| living. which makes difficult any COM
| parison Of wages here and abroad or
| Of wages now with those Of forty
| years ago.
The best one can do is to compare
| wages and hours today in one trade
that is organized with the wages and
| hours in another trade that is unor-
| gained.
| This has been well done by the de-
| partment OF labor at Washington. and
| the figures gathered by that depart
ment show beyond dispute the enor-
| nous benefits that have come to labor
as a result of organization.
Consider for one moment the follow
| ing facts:
| We ali know that the workers in the
iron and steel trade are poorly organ
| lied. and we find that the hours OF Ia
Dor in this trade are from sixty to sew
1 enty-two per week.
The hot blast men in all parts Of
/ the country work about eighty -four
/ hours per week.
/ On the other hand. we all know that
| the stone and granite cutters are well
| organized.
When we look up the figures Of their