The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-01-06

excite wave of sympathetic enthusi-
asm for him, which would carry the
delegates off their feet, and result in
his reelection.
THAT his long leadership, and this
apparent impossibility to fill his place
has gone to his head, and made him
imagine that he is much greater man
than he really is, is undoubtedly the
case, and accounts for the tactics he
has adopted in dealing with questions
before congress, where he has unneces-
sarily antagonized men to whom or
ganized labor must look for recogni-
ton of their demands, and where labor
measures are often opposed on account
of this very antagonism, which would
otherwise receive support.
There is no doubt but what organ
ized labor in this country would be
much stronger with leader who was
more in touch with conditions as they
actually exist, and who would bring to
the front the new policies which organ
lied labor must adopt If it expects to
even maintain its present standing, to
say nothing of making future progress"
We quote portions of another article,
reprint, from the same labor paper:
"Organized labor, through its lead
ers, must recognize the mistakes Of the
past if they expect to perpetuate their
| organizations or to develop the move
ment which they head. No movement,
no organization, no nation can develop
| beyond the intellects which guide
these organizations, and if the leaders
are dominated by selfish motive the
organization will become tinged with
a spirit of selfishness, which has never
appealed to mankind in any walk of
life at any time since history began.
ut can be said in eXtenuation of GER
tain 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 position
is in no small measure responsible for
the mistakes of the leaders, not neces-
sarily in labor unions alone, but in
every branch Of society. This desire
for power and leadership and personal
aggrandizement causes men who have
been earnest and sincere in their eff.
forts 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 of Labor. We
mention the Federation of Labor par
ticularly in this article, because that
organization is the only organization
of labor which has yet found itself ir
direct opposition to the laws of the
land. There are other organizations Of
labor whose leaders have made mis-
takes, but they have always kept them
selves and their organizations WithiI
the bounds of the law and respected
the rights of every other man in con
sidering the rights of themselves anC
their constituency; whereas, the motto
of the Federation is just the reverse
and unless the leaders conform them
selves and their organization in accord
ance with the laws of the land, thu
leaders and the organization itsel
must be disintegrated and pass int
history, for in America the common
sense of mankind is developed to ;
greater extent than in any other natiol
on the earth, and the people, who arr
the court of last resort in this country
will never allow any system to develol
in this country which does not NEE
with the approval of the majority o
the citizens of the country.
"This must have forced itself upol
the leaders of the Federation by thi
} time. If it has not, the leaders mus
: be eliminated. The organization whicl
they head has done many meritoriou
, things in times past and the people ar,
: always ready and willing to acknowl
edge the benefits which their effort
: have brought to their constituency a
; whole, but at the present time labo
organizations in general. and the Fed
. Grafton of Labor in particular, stant
. before the bar Of public opinion, haN
: ing been convicted of seIfishness and
, disposition to rule all the people o
I the country in the interest of the few
The people are patient and awaiting t