The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-06-23


Trade Unionism In the Performance
of Its Benefcent Functions Must Be
Overthrown.
Essential to the welfare and indie
pendence of the masses is the free ex
ercise of certain Of their rights and
powers in the economic field. This
truth becomes clear to our minds when
we consider it as applied to the indi-
vidual possessing those rights and pow
ers. Let a man have the right to de-
eide when he is to work or is not to
work and let that decision be backed
by his power to keep himself from be-
ing obliged by immediate necessity to
offer his labor to an employer and the
consequence must be that he will not
sell his labor power until the terms
offered him are the best that the in
dustry can warrant. Similarly when
a number of associated persons may
freely decide as to whether they shall
work or not and uphold that decision
they have in their hands the economic
power to secure to themselves from
the products of industry share re-
stricted only by industrial success.
In the mere statement of the condi-
tons indicated by my words there are
suggested the reasons why labor is
compelled in present circumstances to
engage In the political struggle. 1t is
in q word. in order to set itself free.
Labor is bound by the letters of IN
just laws. 1t is labor's task to break
those letters one by one. The first to
be removed are necessarily those which
are the most painful. binding and de-
structive of labor's rights and powers.
There must in justice be no law for
mulated by judge or lawmaker which
can deprive a wageworker of his own
exclusive ownership Of himself, or in
other words, of those rights over his
own labor power which are guaran-
teed by the constitution and the con-
cepts of liberty implied In the funda-
mental principles of our republic.
There must be no law which can de-
prive the laborer of his right over his
power to purchase or to refrain from
purchasing whatever is legitimately on
sale in the community.
There must be an end to the unten
able doctrine that a right pertaining
to an individual singly becomes a
wrong when exercised by him in COM
bination with other individuals legally
enjoying the same right singly
mi In 70 at
which the labor movement comes into
contact with politics, since only by
force Of lawmaking can present laws
be abrogated or the limits of law
making itself be outlined.
AS the defense Of rights, manifestly
varying In their scope with respect to
men. women and children and in times
of peace or war, is the legitimate do
main Of government. so the defense of
those rights which peculiarly bear
upon the wageworker is inevitably the
especial concern of the labor move
ment / am impressed with the con-
viction, however that with the free
exercise of the rights which will leave
untrammeled the regular and reoogniz-
ed functions Of trade unionism the
workers OF this country will move for
ward by leaps and bounds to a general
condition Of unexampled welfare. With
those rights in full play they will be
possessed of the economic power to en-
able themselves 10 push forward to
greater successes, to justice, freedom
and a better humanity, the goal Of la
boris aspirations.
Trade unionism is self help. The
possibilities of self help by its means
have never yet been reached nor with
certainty f0reseen by any authority.
however president The dividends thus
far declared In its history by trade
unionism have been UNNECESSARILY the
highest ever known to any movement
Of the unprivileged and deprived class
es. Every trade or calling IN each year
since the formation of our federation
has moved its members upward from
the state in which they previously
lived In every walk of life the men
Of this continent recognize the benefits
worked through trade uniOnism. BY
far the greatest Of its benefits have
come through the exercise Of its eco
nomic power Let that lesson be taken
to the hearts OF all workingmen. Let
that thought be kept uppermOst with
any OF them when in danger OF being
lured away from union work by any
political party, whatever its name or
its pretenses or its promises.-Samuel