The Calumet news., 1914-03-19
WHAT IS "UN-AMERICAN?"
An Editorial Bearing on the Cop
per Country Situation From the
Adrian Telegram.

IA
The old word "un-American" whica
is worked 20 death every DAY was in
voked once more recently by Chain
man Taylor of the congressional strik,
commission. 1T is un-American, "
says he, TO deny man the right 10
belong To some organization; and
consequently his committee will CEN
sure the Michigan mine owners for
refusing To employ members of tho
/ Western Federation.
This is a good time 10 consider thas
much abused word, and try to find on;
what it means.
When we call a thing m-American
it ought To mean that it is something
opposed 10 the general principles of in
| dividual freedom and justice upon
| which the American government is
! founded. In practice, however, tn"
word means anything under the sun
| Just whatever each particular speaker
wants ii 10 mean. \ grasping monopo-
! list would say il is "un- American 20
interfere i'm any way With his property
rights and his power to do as h.
pleases under existing laws; Meyer
calls it 'un-Amcrican" to interfere i'm
any way with the desrotic rule of his
labor monopoly.
But 10 como back To the Western
| Federation matter. let us take an i'm
aginary case, on a small scale right
at home.
suppose YOU are a farmer and YOU
keep three hired men. Two of them
Join the Farm Hands union. The
Farm Hands union is a concern or
eanizcd in Texas. and whose avowcd
purpose is to unionizc your Michigan
farm, TO compel YOU 20 pay every hir-
ed man 81 a day more, and To- employ
mono but union men, and TO discharge
no man without the permission cf the
union. You object. You say it is Your
farm, and YOU have "A right TO hire any
man chat is suited with the job. Tr"
Farm Hands union replies that You
haven't any such right and that it is
going To make you run your farm ac-
cording to it's ideas, and if you don't
IL will put YOU ont of business
Thcrerpon two of your men go on
"a strike ana tie mp your farm work
They refuse to work the soil or mill;
the cows. The third man undertakes
to feed your horses. hut the other two
drive him away: the next time he
tries il they beat him NJ.
.l,i
icidis ur the Farm Hqrds union ar.
rive from Texas t. take charge of
things. they are men who were act
i've i'm Texas i'm similar troubles, ard
you have read about how their fol-
lowers used to shoot "scab" hired
men, burn up tie buildings of the
unfair farmers. and occasionally
pie of now hired men and manage to
q grange.
But being considerable of an Amer
ican yourself, YOU stick To your
ground. You call on Sheriff Henig
and he sends some deputies To pro-
tcct your life and your property and
under their protection YOU get a cou-
pie o fncw hired men and manage to
get ln your Spring crops Mean"h'e
the o'her TWO men 'ssed on by the
I'Nas le'I'"S' hanE around IN"
pace 'heE 'hr'N st"''s al your
three employees. shoot into your ten
ant house at night while their wives
''''tk po'n your m'' ana IN" deputy
Sn'r'n WIN oroonS ana buckets Ga
MN
'l,"iN '''' 'NaS fellows see II rs
hopeless /" '"er'e \'d ana That the
Su'llI mems 10 protect YOU $" they
u'''u' It" can tho strike on ThcN
,','''','''' '''' '''" ''N' p'ch th"S' TWO