The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-04-15

about him. He ~ Judged harshly. II,
knows that he has wor success BY hare
work. He has labored days and nights
and Sundays. dIe IL 100 busy to DE d
bad man, and the very men who cen.
sure his morals he finds improvident
incorporate and shiftlesA and he
concludes that they are responsible
for much OF their misery and could
arise from II II they would only try
When this conviction becomes fixed
he will have little sympathy with To-.
Dor or its demands. TO my mind the
great fault in the labor world today
Is that each see the faults of the 9TH
er, but miss the virtues and personal
nj erits The wise OF one class habitual-
ly contemplate the foolish of the 9TH
! er.
You will find good and bad en-
ployers. Some with pure business
consciences and elevated morality.
Others bad and knavlsh, yet both are
forced to stand side by side In the
same Industrial struggle. The trickey.
| dishonest employer drags down the
elevated moral toned ones to their
level. The employer who pays his
debts must compete with, the one who
| never pays an honest det'. The hon
est employer must compete with the
one who sands the sugar, adulteratcs
the food, and papers the sole. The
one who desires TO treat this workman
honestly must compete with the one
who robs and oppresses helpless men.
women and little children in sweat
shops. I believe that II people would
investigate the conditions of labor.
and unite in one grand movement de.
manding honesty and fairness from
all employers, n premium would he
placed on honesty and punishment
would be measured out to the dis
Ecnest, cruel employer.
An effort has been made to educate
the public along these lines, but with
| little success. Labor has invented the
union label This label is a wise de-
vice. but do we not generally ignore
It in public? The labor union itself
often fails to remember its own prn
ciples. Recently committee of labor
men called upon an employer to re-
monstrate with him because he hal
employed non-union men. IL develop
ed during the meeting that all the
delegates were wearing hats made by
non-union men, and accepted cigars
manufactured In a non-union shop.
This Is a fair instance of Inconsistency
on the part of labor to assist Them
selves to victory. Even when laws are
made they are evaded by dishonest
employers and interruptions labor
leaders, and this gives them advantage
over hoaest employers and labor lead
ers. II has been found necessary to
create a system of inspection to see
that the laws are enforced. And so
we see and appreciate the difficulties
under which the honest employer has
TO work his way to success.
You will see, then, the employer IL
simply product of the times in which
we live. TO do him justice we must
understand him and the difficulties
environlng him. To condem him as
a shark or Oppressor without knowing |
what has produced him would be the
height of imprudence and folly. one
who surveys the situation calmly viii |
met agree with the Socialist thai every
employer grlnds the faces of the poor
o. is forgetful of the claims of the
workman to fair treatment To them
we are indebted for the growth OF
letter Industrial activities, attractive
AaNApAN anu tpuNhNlbiitiA
foclllties. l do not mean the fussy |
raternalism that gives us public H. |
braries instead of better wages but |
that sympathetic recognition we find |
for human needs In the heart Of the
employer for his workmen.
Our biggest employers today have
become rich by hard work, and no,
luck as some imagine They used |
their brains and hands without ceas-
ing. They saved and abstained and |
watched opportunities and whilst they |
grew rich themselves they have en-
riched thousands OF their fellowmen
and have given hundreds OF thousands |
comfortable homes.
Men rave about capitalists making |
er ormous gains. Do they ever think
of their losses? Millions are sunk.
and IL the business is a failure, who
sustains the loss? Those who work |
receive their wages Even surplus
profit IL used TO extend the industry
and give employment to greater num-
bers. You and l have seen the failure
OF the Marion Manufacturing com.
pany and thousands of Others. These
gave employment to many men ana
made their families comfortable and
prosperous. and many an employer |
who gave bread and butter to others
has been left pennlless. He who TO-
ments strife between employer and
workman does harm to both. There
are indeed wicked men on both sides
and there will always be chasm be-
tween the crowd of loafers who stand
on the court house steps, and the
hearUless rich hut there never should
be any antagonism between the
wealthy employer and the thrifty
workman.
So let those who wish to assist re-
form or the labor movement first
know and then judge. And when ex-
aggeration has been laid aside and
all conditions honestly studied we will
find the employer not the vampire
he Is represented to be by the Socialist
and much progress will be made in
the solution of the labor question.
United Brethren Church.
Communion services were held at
the United Brethren church yesterday
and previous to the evening service
Rev, J. w. Miles preached briefly re-
garding the Sacrament and its sig