Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1913-09-18
LOCAL LABOR'S NEED
Should Immediately
be Organized as an Auxil-
iary Force That Will
Mean Untold
Strength.
BY ERNEST HAMILTON BAXTER

BY ERNEST HAMILTON BAXTER
One of the most startling
facts brought out at the re
Gently adjourned meeting oil
Dlstrlc5 Is, of the Boilermak
Hefs' Union, held in this city
Was the fact that the womeJ
members of the families of To-
cal workers and their womer
friends generally, are not or
gained IN auxlllarles. 1t is
an astonishing situation. 1t is
almost an enigma. as unsolvable
as the mystery of the Sphynx
Why it IS that the highly intel.
ligent Missouri Valley union
men would let slip by them this
opportunity to add to their re.
sources q force so potent, sc
mighty, is a question beyond
the power of the writer of this
article to answer, unless the
answer would be either that
they didn't think Of the idea,
or Gid not appreciate its vital
Importance 10 labor unionjsm.
Their fallure-your failure, if
you are union man could be
llkened only to the general who
would go into battle with only
his infantry and artillary regi-
and leave the dashing
cavalry standing idly by, for in
battle the cavalry always-or
nearly always "opens the fight,
and without fail il is the branch
Of service to report the position
of the enemy.
Women are the cavalry of
labor unionism. As was we'll
stated at the Boilermakers'
meeting, they do the purchas-
for the household. 1t is they
who discover the whereabouts
of the enemy, in the form of
non union goods on the market,
and report to the stronger force
Maybe the peaceful conditions
that have prevailed here and
the great strength of the unions
are responsible for the failure
to organize the women mem
oers of the families of union
men. Maybe
But what is the use of guess
ing at the reason for the failure
to take such a course? The
The facts remain that there are
no womens' auqiliaries and that
there should be. Also, there
remains the fact that there will
be womens' auxiliaries, if the
union men of this city are
awake to their own interests.
There was never a conflict
civil or military-that was sue
cesstul without the aid of wom-
en-. The union men employed
in this city are in fine condition
and as far as the writer knows,
there have never been any la
Dor troubles in Missouri Valley.
In fact I he present very friendly
understanding would seem to
presage permanent peace To-
cally Certainly it is to be
hoped that this will be the case.
If only the hare possibility of
local union men having trouble
in the future and then needing
the aid of the women members
of their families was to be TAX
en- into consideration, the slow
ness with which members of
the union have considered, the
organization could be
understood to some extent. But
that is not the point. You cam
not-or should ot-he selfish
enough to live within YOUR
selves. You have no right to
sit down quietly and in peace
because you are satisfied. Your
fellow workers in scores of
other trades are daily battling
for a living, and it is up to you
10 lend all the aid possible.
You can DO this through learn
ing how much non.union made
goods swamp the local market.
How are you going to do it?
You. MIR John Smith, never
bought a spool of thread, or a
stove, or a mattress in your life.
Yes, you've paid for them,
but your wife, or your
or sister has done the
purchasing. Before they
bought the goods did you coach
them as to union ard non union
made articles? 1t is a ten to
one shot that you never gave
the idea thought, and certain
ly you could rot expectthem to
be thoroughly conyersant with
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