The Gem worker and the Idaho labor herald. (Boise, Idaho) 1914-1917, 1915-07-08

at last gained enough prestage 70
compel it's enemies from speaking
out their real thoughts concerning it.
This is the most potent proof Of an
advancing power. Our great busi-
ness pirates, still able to create the
impression to great extent that their
operations are legitimate are not now
The outspoken denouncers of labor in
general and organized labor in parti-
cuIar. They now say patronizingly
~We do not question the right Of labor
TO organize bnt we uphold the right Of
the "scab" to earn living. 1t is now
necessary for them to assume COM
pliance with organized labor's legal
right to protect itself by Cooperation,
but let no union man deceive himself
with the thought that they have
changed their minds concerning union
labor. Silence is now forced upon
them because this country still gaar-
antees the laborer the same right in
the selection of governmental officials
that is given the millionaire monopol-
ist. The only reason there is business
oppression, unjust privileges and
monstrous fortunes in this country is
because a great majority of the people
have not as yet been able to compre-
hend the fact that such fortunes are
not rewards for great service, but are
in many instances built up by dishon-
- 80
powerful men of large business affairs
have been the most unscrupulous and
for over a generation in the building
up of their fortunes they have flag
rantly violated every law of either
man or God. The most unfortunate
fact in this connection is not that they
have been able to accumulate large
fortunes dishonesty but that their ex-
ample has lead others to believe that
it was necessary to be dishonest IN or
der to succeed. The making of a
Rockefeller also was the cause of the
making of thousands of smaller
Rockefeller who had his point OF view.
And il is the point of view that counts
anyway and not so much the size of
the fortunes held. But the power of
the inordinately rich few, with John
ID. Rockefeller as CONSPICUOUS ex-
ample. has been extended long past
it's natural time because the mouth
pieces of public opinion have been
gathered by these unscrupulous men
in an effort to prevent the spread of
enlightment, which in its turn cause a
demand that economic justice be en-
forced.
One of the most important prob
lens of which organized labor should
concern itself is the matter Of financial
support of those organs of publicity
upon which organized labor depends
for spread of its message among those
whose occupations are such that or
ganization has as yet seemed unnec-
essary. AS long as the monopolostic
employer of labor has control of
the editorial policy of most OF
the great dailies it will be ne
cesar for organized labor to do its
utmost to counter-act the falsehoods
printed and published for the purpose
of poisoning the minds of the people
at large against the organized labor
movement Once the whole people
can look at the unionism movement as
il really is, can understand its purpose
as a whole and can learn that violence
and blood-shed in contests with capi-
tai are only isolated incidents which
are as much deplored by organized
laborers in general as they are by the
people at large. the movement itself
will spread more rapidly than it has
in the past and will continue to grow
until practically all labor is organized
and invincibie in any struggle where
its contentious are just. Union labor
ers should also scrutinize their own
officers closely and discountenance
any form Of arbitrary violence in labor
trouble because capital is in such a
powerful position in this country that
while Il can in many instances use
wholly illegal force to win a dispute
II can bv its control of the large pub.
icity campaigns create the impression
that all violence is started by the la.
borers belonging to the unions. La.
Dor can. not use force successfully
against capital, neither can that clas:
of capitaIistic employee who use.
force againct labor really afford to dc
so. 1t is only thru arrogance on hi
part that he mistakenly thinks so. TIL,
time when equality before the law II
answering for crimes of violence hai
been slowly but surely coming and I
will not be long until the rich ex
ploiter of labor who is responsible 10
the death Of laborers or outsiders vii
be punished by long term prison sen
yences regardless Of the size OF thu
individual fortune at his command.
49,
As long as the railroads OF thl
United States are in the hands Of pri
vate monopolists It will be necessarl