The Oakes times., 1912-08-29

~ - &aa Unkindly critics
when piqued. OF
at loss for an argument to support
their contentious, have at timea
'thoughtlessly charged trade unionists
as being thoroughly materialistic" in
possessing mo ideals or sentiments 4
and influenced by no great "soul-mov1
hng forces"
Sentiment in Organized Labor.
Such expressions can only come
from those who are not informed, or
such as are burdened with prejudice,
In order that those who run may read
and understand, few facts are here,
with uniolded so that cynics, critics,
opponents and friends may obtain a
glimpse in condensed form Of what
these same trade unionists have &C,
compished-because Of a great soul.
moving force burning within them.
Conserving Men and Women.
f, The farther the American people ad.
vance In this direction in the future
1he more surely will they observe true
economic principlcs-that is to say,
tine conservation of humdn resources
land human energy Of the toilers
lneans the ultimate safety and we'll
being of the nation and while it is
ronly too true. and pity It's It's true"
THAT the greatest form of waste from
(which our people suffer at this time is
rhe terrific waste OF human energy,
due to uneconomic methods. The aw-
ful slaughter of the workers whose
bodies are manned, or whose lives are
unnecessarily destroyed in some in
dustries and in Transportation, is gen.
orally caused by long hours, ignorance,
incompetence, haste or greed.
Still, while it is true that these
grave charges are daily substantiated,
Yet, If it had not been for the con-
slant vigilance and heroic persistence
OF the workers in providing remedies
for such awful possibilities, every
trade and occupation would be equally
subject to as frequent casualties as
pow occur in the mills and blast fur
naces of the iron and steel industry,
where organization Of the workers
has been slow to develop, as we'll as
in those coal fields, where the mine
workers are still subjected to serf-
like conditions by agencies of preda.
tory wealth,
K Is therefore. perfectly appro-
Drlate to draw attention to such a
comparison before enumerating the
legal measures Of prevention and
safety already established In the sew,
eral states: -s.s.: !s9s
The first subject covered Is natur-
ally the Conservation Of Time" or
''The 8-Hour Day." Without time to
recuperate, observe, study, reflect,
the workers are rendered hopelessly
unable to act either in their own be-
half or in cooperation with others for
the public good.
Shortening tho Working Day. .
Observe the communities where the
steel trust. the sugar trust, the cord.
age trust an dthe rubber trust are
dominant. and, where greed is all pow.
erful, where the workers grind out q
miserable existence twelve hours per
day, and in many cases seven days
per week, never less than seventy-two
hours, frequently eighty-four hours
per week. In such places race suicide
runs rampant. sickness. vice, disease,
drunkenness and deaths by violence
are the rule rather than the excep.
tion.
Boarding house shacks, corner sa-
looms and sQualor abound; homes,
schools and libraries are conspicuous.
1y rare or absent
Human life is held cheapest in
Pennsylvania, where the long and the
many work days are prevalent. But.
Ter loses 374 out Of every hundred
thousand of it's people by violent
deaths in industry; Pittston, 959, Nc.
Kees Rocks and McKeesport 29O
Shenandoah 279, Pottsville 276 and the
large city, Pittsburg, with its diversi
fed population, revels In violent
death rate of 191 per one hundred
thousand people, according to the
mortality statistics of the United
States census bureau in 1906.
The average age of these deaths by
accident Is thirty-three and hall
years. This fearful drain occurs
among men doing the work Of the
world before they have reached the
prime Of life or the maximum Of eff
cheney.
The unreasonably long work day
fhat saps vitality and vigilance from
the workers is the principal cause o.
this needless slaughter Of human be
nngs struggling for an existence.
So much for the s-hour day. W.
next come to the proposition of con
serving life and health by means o.
factory regulation and factory inspec
ltion. Much has been done in man,
states along these lines and this &C
complishment Is due to organized la
lhor Much Is yet to be done. and Or