The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1915-04-16

~ ECAUSE OF public opinion that
has been formulated and
IL reused by organized labor the
old workday OF fourteen to
sixteen hours has practically passed
away. The twelve hour workday OBJ
tafns In but few industries, whereas
ten, nine and eight hour days have
been secured by organizations. Then
the benefit Is necessarily bestowed
upon allied trades, because OF associa-
ton In the same industry. The burden
Of the eight hour fight has been borne
by organized labor Now there are few
who deny labor's claims, and there are
many sympathetic scientists and pub
licists ready to substantiate them. This
is a heritage the organized bestow
upon the workers Of today.
Organized labor created the senti-
ment for an eight hour day--it has
made possible and secured the eight
hour day for many trades. Without or
ganized labor it would be impossible to
maintain an eight hour day In any
trade or industry. The labor move
ment, which is the organized workers
directing and controlling their own af-
fairs and destinies, Is the only depend
able defense and protection of those
who work for wages.
II the workers surrender control over
working relations to legislative and ad-
ministrative agents they put their In
dustrial liberty at the disposal of state
agents. They strip themselves bare of
means Of defense-they can no longer
defend themselves by the strike. To
insure liberty and personal welfare,
personal relations must be controlled
only by those concerned.
But after all, even IL 1t is the quicker
way, is the quick way always the best
way? Suppose you have boy for
whom you are fondly ambitious. You
wish him to be business or a profes-
sional success-do you start him In
either at the age of ten or do you wait
upon the process of education? When
profession. do you dictate and regulate
each feature. or do you advise and
leave the boy to solve his own problem
and make his own decisions?
So with the eight hour or shorter
workday In private employment. 1t is
as stated In the beginning, the funda.
mental objective for workers who are
seeking better things. But when forced
upon them by law or given them with
out their appreciating its value, they
frequently look upon as injustice OF
hardship. They have lot been able to
make agreements for the adjustment
OF wages, hence they apprehend that
decreasing the hours of work means tc
them decreased pay.
Often securing the eight hour day by
outside agencies means that organiza
tion Is retarded or checked, which III
time means that continued progress
and future betterment will be prac
tically impossible.
Doing for people what they can and
ought to do for themselves is a dan
gerous experiment In the last anal
ysis the welfare of the workers de
pends upon their own initiative. What
ever liz done under the guise Of phi
lanthropy or social morality which IL
any way lessons initiative Is the great
est crime that can be committed against
the toilers. Let social busybodies and
professional public morals experts" In
their fads reflect upon the perils they
ashly invite under this pretense Of SO
cial welfare
Some say that the state Is an agency
through which the people obtain re
sults-that 1t exists for their service
But the state is not some impersona
thing. 1t has no existence outside the
people that compose 1t. Its policies anG
movements can be directed only by
those who are organized and therefore
able to exercise power and exert infu
ence. The working people who are un
organized have no part in determining
the affairs of state-they may benefit oil
suffer from policies, but they have nc
voice In them.
Organization in industry to be uti
lized In every field Of beneficent activ
ity is the only defense and protection
of the workers Those who would real
ly benefit the workers through legisla
ton or through economic action should
lose no opportunity to further organi
zation of the yet unorganized. II al
the welfare workers, the social uplift
ers, the social legislative enthusiasts
would apply the efforts and money
they are now diverting to other causes
to the work OF promoting organization
they would greatly shorten the time
necessary to put all workers In posi-
ton where they could solve their owr
problems, fight their own battles and
promote their own welfare as free
equal men and women.
Bear In mind that eternal v. v.gilancs
is the price of liberty is as essentia
today as when the warning was coined
or at any time In the worlds historS
1t has its potent application to life ani
liberty in industry. as in the politica
life OF our nation.
Organize. unite. federate, to reduce
the hours OF labor.--Samuel Gompert
In American Federationist.
Labor Forward.
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