The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1914-11-14
RIGHT TO ORGANIZE.

To every man, no matter what his
rank or station, there belongs, alons
| with the right to live, the right to
organize-to associate himself for a
legitimate purpose with others of the
same class or kind, or habit Of
! thought, for mutual help and self
protection. 1t 10 an inalienab1e right
Of which no human power. however
strong, may lawfully strip him. II
! is inherent in his nature as q social
! being-living,. walking, acting among
! and with other men:
Civil society itself is. "but, the result
| of this same natural propensity in
! man, conscious Of individual weak
| ness, to seek strength In united effort.
| And In the course Of the necessary
| regulation of the acts Of its members
| it consistently declares that they may
legitimately pursue happines so long
as they do not attempt to rob another
Of his life, thereby recognizing this
principle Of the natural law that
+ man has not alone personal rights
| and. duties. but social rights and
duties as we'll. And, as he may in
certain cases Of necessity individual
ity assert these personal rights, so,
! as a social being, In certain cases OF
/ necessity, he may assert his social
rights.
| To the working class in particular
should this right to organize be guar
anteed in every well-regulated COM
>monwealth. For. organization is
much more of a necessity to the
workers than to the capitalist or en-
ploying class. Individually they are
much weaker and less able to en-
force their just demands. An un-
protected workman Of the English
docks, or a worker In the mills at
Homestead, or a textile operative in
Massachusetts, has an infinitely
smaller chance of obtaining the prop
er ratio at wages and decent hours
Of work than has an Individual en-
ployer to obtain l1iS just share of
trade and the expected return from
his investments. -,
For the toilers TO-, live it: Is neces..
sary that they labor. We're this not
SO they might be free to dispose Of
their labor for any remuneration they
SO not one Of them can rightfully bar
gain away his labor for less than a
wage on which to live. In doing this
he is robbing his family, himself and
his fellow toiler. We have ohNEa-
| tions in this matter not only to our
selves, but to all around US. In low
ertng our own wage beneath the mar
/ gin Of decent existence we. are calls-
| ing other laborers to lower theirs; in
turn they are influencing still others
i and thus we have the inevitable re-
suit starved, inefficient workmen,
! cherries homes, wives leaving their
tiresides. for sweatshops and, factory
against their instincts of motherhoo d,
Wee tots going to the cannefy and
shrimp and oyster works, to help earn
ton that is bound to exist in regime
Of cut-throat competitions between the
laborers. @#s. ~" .>F,:*E z$tT
To protect himself and his fellows
from these things it is incumbent On
the worker to organize. In union he
/ Will find strength to put forth sue
cessfully his demands without this
! the right to live ). In practical life
would become, Z mere nullity and 4
I byWord without meaning. y nc
1 y Nor is this inconsistent in; anv nav
i with the we'll being 81 society. ar.
der is natures first law, and a lexiti.
mate, compact Organizations 81 ware
earners, intelligently and prudently
directed, makes Tor order. 1t ia east
4 en-, then, to determine the Justice al
4 the respective claims of all clasaee
than il society we're divided into !
Il chaotic mass OF struggling individ-
4 uals. To have capital highly organ
ICED and labor 1norgai,is ana az.
J. e fora lied is to have a 1opsided con-