The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-12-06

to the union. We have found that the
union card was not always the badge
of honor that it should be, but that
the drunken, the dissolute and the in
competent had too often taken advant-
age of the benefits of unionism. This
does not imply that the real heart OF
unionism is not good nor does it I'M
ply that many good and honorable
workmen are not numbered in their
ranks The church is imposed upon
by the hypocrite, the lodge is imposed
upon by the blood-sucker who seeks
to shift the responsibility Of his own
maintenance upon his fellows and so
has the union been imposed upon by
the thugs and the incompetents who
could not earn wages except for the
"scale" and whose chief concern is to
do as little as possible for days pay.
The unions must purge themselves.
They must have more regard for the
rights of others. They must make the
union card a badge of honor.
The old-time editor Of this paper, j.
Fred Meyers, used to say that any
man who could do anything, the small
est thing, better than anyone else, was
assured of a princely living in this
world. The union must recognize that
individual worth counts, that the sober,
Industrious workman is worth more
than the dissolute and the lazy and
the incompetent and is worthy OF bet
ter pay and more consideration. The
men should be encouraged to do the
best and the most that they can. The
effort should not be to level all work
ingmen to the plane of mediocrity, but
to encourage individual excellence. OF
course it should be demanded that
such excellence should be rewarded &C
cording to it's merit. There is no rea-
son why the workman who can do
twice as much work as his fellows
should not do twice as much work and
receive twice as much pay.
In short the unions must revolu-
tionize their methods if they wish to
retain the respect and confidence OF
the people. They must cease to be
Ravens for the vicious and the incom-
petent and become great bodies OF in
telligent workmen striving to excel, to
give the best that is in them and at
the same time eXacting compensation
for their eXcellency and zeal.
If the printers union were such an
organization, and we speak Of them
because we know more about
them, it's members would have no diff
fcLlty in finding good employment. II
we needed printer under such cir
we would simply send to
the nearest labor union and ask for
a man of the kind we needed conf
deut that he would be what the union
him to be and at least
that he would be sober and indus
trious and willing to do the best he
could. At present the union card
means nothing. The holder may be a
gentleman and a good and reliable
whelp Unionism must purge itself.
1t must throw out the thugs. 1t must
cease to decry the courts and work for
them. 1t must come before the people
with clean hands if it expects justice
and respect and esteem.
We sympathize with the honest
workingmen who have been so basely
betrayed by their leaders. 1t now de-
veiopes that the counsel for the de-
Tense and many of the labor leaders
have known for some time thai the
McNamaras were guilty, yet no at
tempt was made to check the flow of
money or the flood of resolutions both
OF which have made the cause OF
labor appear ridiculous. Mr.. barrow,
the chief of the defense, appears to
us in a most unfaVOrable light. he
has posed as great lawyer who had
sacrificed much and who had given his
great mind to the defense of labor
largely for the love of the cause. He
now appears as a man who, for fin1n
cial reward, has been straining every
nerve to shield from just punishment
men whom he absolutely knew to be
guilty. 1t would seem to us that Mr.
barrow has fallen from his high ped
estal and has become a very much
bread and butter criminal lawyer. 1t
seems to us also that he must be num-
bered among the chief betrayers of
the labor cause at this time. 1t seems
to US that in receiving and encOurag-
ing this great defense fund and in as
surfing the leaders of the justice OF
their cause, he was just as guilty as
the banker who receives deposits after
he knows his institution is insOlvent
We write too early to know the out
come, or what the sentence will be
il, this most interesting, complicated
and mysterious case that has ever
been a matter of American jurisprud
ence. 1t has overshadowed all the
other events of the week, even the
opening of congress. 1t is to be hoped
that the sentences will be severe, that
the investigation will proceed and that
the men higher up" will finally be
reached 1t is to be hoped also that
organized labor will now turn as will
ing aud as helping hand to the pros
ecution as it has to the Defense
Silage makes a satisfactory feed
Cor lambs as we'll as cows ana beef
cattle. 1t is one of the best available