United labor bulletin. (Denver, Colo.) 19??-1915, 1910-03-25
KICKS AND KINKS.
Professional Trouble Workers.

Professional Trouble Workers.
/ don't believe that one-half of the
deviltry that comes from the bosses side
in the labor fight can be traced back to
the bosses themselves. And there's a
good deal of it, even though it's covered
up with polite phrases and smooth deal
ing. There is no smuggling done. and no
picketing, but they use the courts as
clubs, and the silent blacklist as a blud-
geon, to say nothing about some other
weapons that make no sound, but which
quietly do the business in a way that is
eminenty respectable. That's what
makes the thing all the more maddening.
The fellows who hatch these things are
the sharp lawyers who have gotten fat
jobs as secretaries" of employers or
CARNATIONS. They are certainly making
the most of their chances for holding on
to the positions which pay them more
than they would ever earn in a legitimate
law practice. It's simply another way
that some lawyers have of getting liv-
ing by keeping folks stirred up. They
have the advantage because of the fact
that they can do their dirty work in the
dark, where no one can meet them, and
compel them to prove the charges that
they are all the time making against the
labor union.
There's sometimes just enough truth
in what they say to make the whole yarn
seem plausible. They will select some
insignificant strike event and play it up
to beat the band. That's alwys been
their business. They have been accus-
toned to making out case for their
client, no matter how poor case he
might have to begin with. It's been their
policy to keep out of court every fact
which might in any way favor the other
side. And they are doing it in this new
job. Once in while they will get hold
of something which is clearly in line with
their general charges, because, under
great excitement, laboring men do occa-
sionally commit acts of lawlessness, and
they will say or do some other fool thing.
Then is the time to watch the game. |
Your expert employers agitator will work
the daily papers for all they are worth
and they are worth good deal to him
then-and he will print hundreds of thou
sands of circulars and booklets, SO that
the whole world may know about the
great menace" of organized labor. If |
we had as many press agents as the
bosses have, and If they were one-half
SO slick, and provided that we could get |
our stuff into the newspapers, we could
put out some stories that would make /
mighty interesting reading. But we have
neither the men nor the money with
which to do the job, and l don't know
that we care to do it. These business
agents of the bosses have a fashion of
calling secret conferences of frightened
employers of labor, and then, with much
mystery and many confidential whispers,
they go through the motions. When they
get the bosses into the proper hypnotic
condition their poor victims are ready
to cough up millions of dollars ito fight
this demon of the industrial world-the
professional labor agitator."
into the trap. I'll confess that there are
times when some labor unions should be
fought to a finish. If were a boss,
rather think I'd feel like putting them
out of business when, for instance, they
get into rank jurisdictional fight which
works the very mischief with all the
trades concerned, or when they make de-
mands which are simply ridiculous. But,
In the first place, you can't put the labor
union out of business. 1t is simply
question as to whether It's going to be
n good unionism or bad unionism. And /