The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-01-02

millions U0OtI Us AAC'
- almoct eoualingIthat of Europe,
tho United states contains large olS-
tricta together with conslueldoie
strata Of society in every dlStrico, III
which non-unionism Is the norma
and natural condition or the la'hiiy
breadwinners. In our agrlcui'uiai
states and in the dependencies, Wner-
ever, in fact, the landowner ana Inc
tillcr Of the soil are one, or even
where the qualified tenan FARMER -
vet so rare as to be in deman the
nrincinle Of trade unionism invariably
makes slow Roadway. Also. among
many professional and commercials
men who, though offering their laoor
FOR y hire. find il difficult TO establish
a common sCale-the expectations W
each being to find himself some ga!
In one of the highly priced places OF
his calling-the prevailing spirit Is
decidedly hat OF COmpeullon DIS
against one another. though II may
be that Of combination against lndl-
yiduals not yet admitted 70 thelr
ranks Even members of the typical
professional society or league who 40
not term their remuneration wages
but fees or salaries, are often
OF having taken up with trade union
principles by organizing and nave no
sympathy with wage strikers.
In the earlier days Of our Republc,
when agriculture was the pursuit OF
three-fourths OF the population, maj
yiduaI initiative, knowledge Of ones
calling and the virtues or personal
thrift were usually sufficient TO bring
at least a modicum Of success. Al a
time when developing trade n1onlsm
was absorbing much public attentlon
In Great Britain. and being hailed by
the working people there as an lnsti-
tuition promising more Tor thelr ma
terial welfare than any other, AHlerl-
cans in general were as yet bestoWlng
upon the organization OF labor
scarcely q passing thought. Remedies
for low wages or non-employment
for our ~wage-wOrkers Of that period
were to go West, or TO move from
place to place, or to change from one
occupation to another-in any even
to hustle reach out, with Ialtn
in the Astounding opportunities then
existing in the new and rich land
The social spirit encouraged eacf
man to launch out and do TOR him
self. L paddle my W canoe wa
a popular boast. II individual
proved his manhood by getting aheao
which almost invariably meant
shreWdneSS in amaSSinS wealth, ne
matter by whom produced. The Old
est of the trade uniOnlSts or TN!
country can remember Wnti Ni'
mayims which guided men to pros
perity in business, or in election Il
office, or to prominence in any wall
of life, were those which imposed IN
functions upon each person TO Worl
for himself exclusively and avoid en-
%tangling alliances with others, eSpe
cially with any Of his weaker Oreth
rem. The youngest OF our trade un
ionlsts may every day hear or peopl
I~1,~xr~ t%nt Nc ~ - 9 r
hold good.
Trade unionism in his country ha
had to make its way against wha
was undoubtedly the original Amer
can spirit-in business. All citizens
including the farmers, were assume
to be in business, producing an
selling for themselves. If a man wa
not in business he was. if made {
good stuff, expected to be on the wa,
through working. skimping and SAY
Ing, to going into business, whethe
IN agriculture, trade, manufacture
or a profession. To a self-made ma
who ardently held to this conceptio
Of society, which involves the pril
ciple hat to be successful one mu
rise must be an employer, mu
show his suneriority in acuuisitivene
over his fellows, the proposition tn;
there should be a w~age-workers' con
bination, possibly to be operati,
against himself, seemed almost bIa
phemous breaking away from Il
moorings OF accepted morality. SUI
O union was to his mind ContemptibI
composed Of an aggregation of ia
ures. q startling evidence Of soci
degeneracy. Many men, Self-made
made big through heredity, their d
pendentS and those attached to the
by social ties, therefore felt it
bounden duty to stamp out ira
unionlsnl. 70 continue to uphold
ancient precepts hat led to the s,
cess they hadfworshiped, to procla
that the possession of property "
evidence that the possessor was
mental giant, to hold that an @
ployer's business entitled him to ma
age it--and the employees-as
Willed.
me opportunities existing in
rlch, Sparsely settled country, I
emulation afforded in every co
munlty through the I'M Of
sei1-made men, the social atnosnh,