The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1915-08-13
LABOR FORWARD BAND CON
CERT ATTRACTS CROWD
TO CITY PARK

lily, and l am glad to be with you.
First of all let me urge that you make
yourselves as comfortable as you can
while | speak to you a short time
occasion is most pleasant one; we
have enjoyed the music, and | feel
that you will bear with me while !
briefly discuss the problems that con-
front the workers in industry. Earlier
in the history of the human race, man
was Independent to a degree. In mod
ern life he is not only dependent upon
his fellows, but he and his fellows are
interdependent. The introduction of
machinery within recent years has so
greatly changed all forms of labor pro-
duction that We now produce more
rapidly than we can consume and are
at all times seeking foreign markets
to dispose of our surplus production.
Individually, in our modern life, we
can have but little strength or power,
but through cooperation and collec-
tive bargaining we are able to obtain
at least to a considerable degree a
square deal in disposing of our labor.
The mine workers are differently sit
uated from most of the organized
workers of America. We are located
in communities by ourselves, apart
from other industries. The rest of the
labor movement is, as rule, located
in communities where many lines Of
business are carried on, where many
industries are conducted.
ITO maintain our rights as sellers
of labor and protect our members from
unjust treatment, we negotiate wage
contracts with the employers, known
as the coal operators, contracts which
specify what our rights and our duties
are, contracts which provide not only
the rate of wages and the limit Of
hours, but also determine the proce-
dure to follow in adjusting disputes
or discharge of workers.
FUNCTION OF CONTRACTS
"These contracts, entered into with
desire to so regulate the sale of our
labor as to give us just treatment,
give us also industrial peace; and not
withstanding the dulness of business
and small demand for the products Of
the coal mines during the past year,
a demand so small that our men
worked only half or less of the usual
working time, yet, because we had an
agreement guaranteeing industrial
peace, there has been no effort by our
employers to break down our indus
trial conditions or reduce the rate of
wages.
Not in every state, l am sorry to
say, does this condition prevail. In
Colorado, West Virginia and Michigan
the workers in the mines have been
denied the right to organize, have been
prosecuted for belonging to labor
unions, have been herded in bull pens,
have been beaten and murdered some
of them, with their wives and chill
dren-shot and even burned to death.
This is not a story of Russia or Turkey
but a deplorable condition in a free
republic, in some of the states of
which, most unfortunately, liberty has
as yet not been established | have a
few pamphlets telling the story Of the
Ludlow Massacre the ruthless slaugh-
ter of innocent women and children
of striking miners, and | hope you
will read these books and lend your
aid as free citizens of free states to
compel the governments of the states
have named to give justice to our
brothers in those localities.
zone unlearned in the labor move
ment might believe that only labor
organizes; yet the professional classes
of society have as firm and rigid a
code of conduct as ever controlled
group of laborers The lawyers have
their Bar Association, the physicians
their Medical Association or Society
the purchasers of labor their Employ
ers' Association; why, then, should
anyone deny to labor the right to or
ganize?
LABOR FORWARD MOVEMENT"
Il want also to urge upon you your
hearty cooperation with the Labor
Forward Committee, Whatever we en-
JOY as industrial toilers in the way
of rights and privileges have been Sc
cured to us by our unions. We could
not enjoy public streets, public schools
and other public rights and benefits
without organization of the people Of
our land. We could not have peace
and order, security of life and prop