United labor bulletin., 1912-07-18
CONFESSION OF A HYPocRITE.

| On being asked to write an article on
| the use of the union label, 1t occurred
to me that a personal confession would
be of more benefit than an essay.
| The reason why any one, particularly
a union man, should be insistent upon
| the label may be stated in very few
words: l ought to be sure that, when
employ labor, | am as fair to my en-
ployes as l want my employers to be to
me. When / buy any article which is the
product of labor, l employ labor. The
/ only way / can be sure that the labor
which you may find more or less tire
best conditions and paid for at the best
rates which collective bargaining has
been able to obtain for it, is by seeing
| the label of the union which exercises
| Jurisdiction over the production OF that
| article.
And there you are. So II you have seen
| the light and become convinced that 1t is
your duty and your privilege to work
| against the men who are striving to bet
| ter their condition in life. you can spare
yourself any further persual of a creed
WHICH you may find more or less tire
some. II not, perhaps you can benefit
by the experience of one who, after a
| considerable number of years as a mem
ber of union and considering himself
a pretty good union man. has gradually
awakened to the knowledge that he could
qualify as a first class hypocrite.
What kind of unionism is IL when
man contents himself with paying hiS
dues to his union, attending its meet
ings when It is not too much trouble
never kicking about necessary assess
ment and obeying the laws of the union?
These things are all right to do, but the
union pays us cash for doing them
whether we. do them or not. II we do
these things we do only our duty. II we
do them not. we are reaping where we
have not sown.
In all these years during which have
been calling myself a good union man,
have only looked at things from the
STANDPOINT OF the Typographical Union
To be sure my hat has-almost-always
has a label in 1t; my shoes generally
and sometimes my collars, have borne
the labels OF the crafts which produced
these things. But in many cases this only
happened SO. The unions which control
these crafts had so developed themselves
that in many cases the merchants sold
me the articles bearing the labels with
out my asking for them. In such cases
had not helped any.
But | did not, when | went to buy
bread, make sure that the Bakers label
was on the loaf / could. you know. but
| did not. When | went to the barber
| shop did not think to look for the shop
card on the wall. The butchers shop
card was total stranger to me-and is
yet, / am sorry to say; but | ask for
1t. That has a tendency to help, you
know. When | went to buy suit OF
clothes | looked at the quality of the
cloth and / looked at the price tag, but
| never looked just inside the pockets
for what should be one of the chief requ
istes in the eyes of a man who consid
ers himself fair to those who work for
him.
AS for underwear and socks and neck
ties, with the label on, why, ! didn't
even know there were such things. And
yet there are such things, and I can
get them by taking little extra trouble
to find them.
And yet I was good union man."
What do you know about that?
Now, | wonder just how lonesome
ought to feel In making such a confes-
sion as this. am inclined to suspect
that, IL there were not quite lot of
| union men like me, these unions which
are now having SO fierce a time to es-
tablish conditions and wage scales to
lift them just little way out OF their
misery. would find their road good bit
easier to travel.
The whole Bulletin Is not at my dis
posal. SO you will just have to look the
field over for yourself. and see II there
is not some place where you can help,
in which to help.-Charles p. ingalls,,
Printer, in Rochester Labor Journal.
- nj