The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-02-24
LABOR NOTES OF
WIDE INTEREST

seem to overlook the fact that the
! men against whom the workers organ
ize into union do not keep out OF
politics. The money power is always
in politics. Ask the fellow who cries
Keep out of politics" whether he wants
laws passed in his interest and he will
tell you, ~Why, certainly" This is
politics. And the very men who are
opposed to going into politics are aften
eager to get on the begging committee.
say begging" committee and | mean
what ! say. | served on the begging
committee for years and speak from ex.
perience. 1t is most humiliating po-
sition. There is nothing Identifying in
going to one of the children and ask
ing for crumbs. Most of the legisla
tors are children, carrying out the die,
tates of their leadess+the political
bosses. Is it necessary that we have
a begging committee at the doors of
the legislative halls? 1t is and it isn't.
Ii is so long as the workers continue
to commit political folly and elect our
taskmasters into power. So long as we
bestow power on our taskmasters we
will have to beg for everything we
want. 1t will not be necessary to have
a begging committee the very moment
we place ourselves into power.
| 1t doesn't cost anything to elect our
own men into power, who fight our bat
tie between campaign times, but it has
cost the working class Vermont thous-
ands of dollars for wages and expenses
OF the begging committee in the past
twelve years, to beg for laws from
friends" who are friends only during
campaign times And other organiza-
tions have maintained committees dur
ing this time, so that if the entire
amount was totaled up, we should find
that it amounts to a handsome for
tune. Would it not be using better
judgment il the working classes in the
cities and towns outside OF Barre and
Burlington elected their own men TO
the legislature and to Congress and to
every office; that the workers be the
governments machinery and let the gov
eminent pay the bill, instead OF having
our masters there!
The salaries of all public officials
spring from the wealth created by the
workers. 1t follows then that the work
ers pay the salaries of their masters
in public office. The workers also pay
the salaries and expenses of legislative
committees, so the workers pay twice
for the same thing.
Workers, unitel You have nothing to
lose but your chains; you have world
to gain.
Recently mass meeting of about
$50 men engaged in working in the va
rious branches OF the upholsterers' trade
was held under the auspices of the up
holsterers' district council in America
hall, 724 Washington street, Boston, and
was the first in series to be held
for the purpose of organizing the mem
bers of the craft not now belonging 10
the union.
Among those who spoke were Pres.
James T. Moriarty OF the Boston c. l..
L., general organizer Dennis +. German |
OF the upholsterers' international union, |
and business agent +. L. Graves of
the Boston district council. Each told /
of strikes in three OF the large uphol-
STEERING shops in the city in progress
five months, and the meeting was en-
in voting that they be con
tnued until won by the union men.
After the mass meeting, many men
who had never belonged to the union
made application for membership. Those
present are employed in some one of
the following branches of the craft:
carpet mechanics, mat
tress, drapery, shade and awning max
ers.
Abraham Lincoln was a real friend
Of the working people, and he believed
in the real union labor and the right
to strike. Lincoln was wise en- his
lay and time, and his sympathies were
n the right direction, as witnesseth:
God never made man good enough
10 own another man."
"The working men are the basis for
Iii government, for the plain reason
hey are the more numerous"
at always seems strange that any
nan should ask a just Gods assistance
n wringing bread from the sweat OF
,ther mems faces"
81 hold that if there is any one thing
hat can be proved TO be the win of
leaven by eternal nature around us,
without reference TO revelations, it is
he proposition that whatever any man
arms with his hands and by the sweat (
# his brow, he shall enjoy in peace.
say that whereas God almighty has
iven every man one mouth to be fed,
nd one rair of hands adapted to fur
ish food for that mouth, if anything Z
an be proved to be the will of heaven, Z
{ is proved by the fact that that mouth G
) TO be fed by those hands without being |
nterfered with by any other man, who
las also his mouth to feed and his hands r
o labor WITH !
tot
Compulsory arbitration was vigorous :
v scored by President Gompers in
peeeh before the annual meeting of
he national civic federation, in New
'ork City. Mr.. Gompers declared that
he workers never would submit to ar
itration such as that proposed by bills
ow before the New York state legisla-
ure 81 agree with you as TO the de-
Inability OF preventing strikes, but
ont imagine you are going TO escape
hem by assuming TO make perfectly
atural activities unlawful. The at
empt to get away from strikes by the
lethods proposed would simply have
he same effect as to attempt 10 COM
ress steam or power in too limited
pace. You may do that for a while,
ut You will have an explosion from
hich no power on earth is potent to
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