The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1915-05-07
By JAY FOX.


I don't know who invented the La
Dor Forward" movement, but whoever
he was he or she tor it might have
been a sister, has the true insight in
to human nature. Man is made in
such a way that he requires frequent
stimulation in order that he fulfill his
duty to himself and his fellow man.
Being a social animal he is subject
to the influence of his fellows; and,
being largely a creature of sentiment,
he is influenced and moved to action
by the enthusiasm of the orator.
The churches understand this very
well and for centuries have had their
"envangelists" and missionaries in
the field condusting christian For
ward" movements, making new con
verts and stimulating old members
reviving their tagging interest in the
church. Indeed it has been truly said
that the history of missions is the his
tory of the expansion of the Christian
! church. At the end of the nineteenth
century the Protestant church had
! 55S missionary societies spending an
nually over nineteen and a half mil.
ion dollars.
Some Pertinent "Why Nots"
If this enormous sum is deemed
we'll spent in converting men to the
Christian faith, int it meet that we
should pay some attention to the
work of converting them to the union
| faith?
To be sure every union, individu-
ally, has its missionaries and spends
/ vast sums yearly on the work of or
ganization. But the Labor Forward
movement is the first attempt to do
missionary work by the united efforts
of all the unions in a given city at
one time. If unity is good in one di-
rection, why not in another? If we
unite to defend our rights against the
employing class, why not unite to
! fight the apathy and Indifference OF
the nonunion workers to their own
welfare? Why not make a united eff
fort to get the non-unionists into the
unions?
Missionary Workers in the Unions
And, indeed, there is need for mis-
sionary work of this character right
in the unions amongst the members
They need to be stirred up, to be
reused, to be helped to throw off the
weight Of apathy and Indifference that
sets on their shoulders, and merely
months after they are due. If the
Labor Forward movement would not
bring in single new member, if
nothing more than to stir up the old
members and caused them to take a
deeper interest in the union and its
work than the discharge of their finan-
cial obligations, all the time and eff
fort expanded by the live, active mem
bers who compose the Forward Group
would be we'll spent.
For it is a well demonstrated fact
that the unions with the greatest pro
portion of active members is the
strongest union, enjoys the best work,
ing conditions and gets the biggest
wages. And it is coming to them.
A workingman gets nothing for
nothing in this world and he must
pay double price for what he does get
The Union is Your Trust
If you want results through your
uaiOn you must Dig in ard work for
them the same as you dig in and
work for the boss every day. only
The work you do Ger the union bring
r,lny times biger,' results. NJ idlei
sits in the shade and makes 4 profit
on the work you do for the union. The
union is YOUR corporation" YOUR
monopoly" YOUR trust" and you
do the work and enjoy all the fruits OF
/ your labor
The union is the only place you can
| work without some parasite taking