The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1915-12-31
ON FIRING Line
OF DEMOCRACY
American Federation Of Labor
In Van Of Progress.
LABOR UNION MOVEMENT.
Natural Product of Industrial Cond-
tions Operating Upon the Ordinary
Man Represents an Encroachment
Upon the Freedom and the Profits of
Capital.

Upon the Freedom and the Profits of
Capital.
The San Francisco Bulletin, In an
editorial on the American Federation
Of Labor, refers to this organization as
"democracy's firing line" and says:
The American Federation OF Labor
has all the virtues and most Of the de-
fects which 20 with a position on the
firing line of democratic progress. 1t is
partly bread and butter organization,
striving for an immediate increase in
the welfare of its members and it is
partly a revolutionary movement, aim
ing at the conquest by the workers Of
the supreme power to which their num-
bers and their services entitle them. 1t
contains as many conflicting opinions
and policies rs 100000 average men
can comfortably hold. Ii is like any
grouping of 100000 men aud women
part idealiSm. part materialism, part
wisdom, part unwisdom 1t is weak
ened by jealousy, ambition and selfish
ness and it is strengthened by being.
in the last analysis, eyerlastingly right
The first thing to recognize in the la
Dor union movement Is that 1t is a nat
ural product of industrial conditions
operating upon the ordinary man The
same industrial forces which created
the capitalist and the employer created
the labor organization Labor unions
do not yet cover the entire field of in
dustry, as they ought to do, but as far
as they go they maintain kind Of bal
ance Of power. Under the competitive
class against class, which is at least
an advance over the former system of
setting class above class.
The interests of labor and capital are
not Identical. The careful organization
Of the one against the other is sufIi-
cient proof Of conflict of interests
The labor movement represents an en-
croachment upon the freedom and ulti
mately upon the profits OF capital, just
as the capitalistic movement unchecked
is a movement upon the freedom and
well being of labor But this does not
prevent them from having common in
terests, chief among which is the in.
terest each has in maintaining produc
ton. Nor should ii prevent them from
understanding that such antagonism
as exists between them is largely the
result of accidents Of birth and for
tune. Each is conscripted by destiny
and dropped into his union or anti.
union firing trench
The labor movement cannot be de
feated- 1t is a democratic movement,
and the cause of democracy will not be
finally beaten until the last man and
the last woman and the last child Is
dead. 1t may change its form. To the
extent that it does not yet contain all
of the skilled aud unskilled working
people of America 1t should change its
form. But as 1t stands in all its i'm
perfections it is a courageous and In
dispensable champion OF liberties and
rights that are not guaranteed in the
constitution nor mentioned in political
campaigns
In securing the passage Of just laws
it has done much already. Its central
fight is the fight not alone Of the work.
ing people of today, but of all persons
capitalists or laborers, rich or poor
union or anti-union-who plan to leave
children In the world and want a bet
ter and more democratic world In
which to leave them