The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1911-12-15
Lei Both Obey the Law,

/
ments in the press and by speech that
the cause of union labor in this coun-
try has received death blow. 1t is
argued that the crime ofthe McNa-
maras was a result of unionism; that
unionism drove them to this deed, and
that therefore unionism is responsible
for it. Then others do not go this far,
but say that SO long as the McNamaras
we're union men, that unionism is bad
thing.
The crime of the McNamaras was
the result of their own deviltry land
fanaticism. A few radical, irresponsi-
BILE and ignorant leaders may have been
in league with them.
Labor leaders of this country, for the
most part, are the genuine American
citizens. The believe in this country
and its Institutions. They believe that
the law exists for their protection as well
as for the protection of the man who
employs labor.
They are thinking men and therefore
must know that no cause was ever adj
vanced by assassination. They know
that violence is nothing but the exhibit
of the brute in man. They are reason
able people and therefore must see that
no good could come from a campaign
of assassination or of destruction of
property.
The reasons that impel laboring men
to organize are the same that drive
capital into association or the same that
make men form themselves into an
association for the purpose of govern
ment.
Unionism is labor operating collect
lively. Each laboring man, seeking
without the assistance OF others to better
his condition, would make small prog
ress.
The capitalist, seeking with his own
money to put through great enterprise,
could not go far.
So long as capital organizes labor must
organize. There is no more reason why
labor should not band together for its
own good than there is against num-
Der Of men forming club, association
for pleasure, or church congregation.
II unionism should be destroyed root
and branch in the United States to-day
there would be condition of industrial
slavery in this country within five years.
Capital itself can make better progress
by recognizing unionism as factor and
dealing with it than it can, depending
upon labor when it is disorganized |
mass.
Labor may draw lesson from this
case; that is-union labor it.
self must recognize it has no privileges
over any other class of citizenship.
II union labor seeks to limit output,
il it seeks without an agreement-simply
because it has the power-to put in
regulations which operate for its benefit
alone, it then becomes trust and estab-
fishes czardom of labor, which may
be just as oppressive and unjust as a
czardom of money. We protest against
the monopolies of wealth, against the
tyranny of organized money and with
equal right we can protest against a
of labor for the reason that
abor itself is wealth--is dolIars-for the
dollar is merely the measure of some
hing which labor has produced or given
value to.
II the principles of union labor are
% grow, unionism must be tolerant,
must be tactful, and demanding liberty
'or itself it must grant equal liberty to
,thers.
1t is unfortunate that labor leaders in
his country have set themselves aside
IS separate class. Many OF them have
aught their followers to believe that
employers are sitting up at night de-
Using schemes to place additional bur-
lens on them. II they violate law
hey feel that the law is wrong and that
hey are not wrong. They look upon
II other men with suspicion. They
question the motives Of men seeking to
nforce the law.
Gompers made stupid blunder when
he night following the arrest of the i,
fcNamaras he tried and acquitted the
nen and announced his verdict to the
Torld by declaring that the arrest was
rame-up,