The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1915-04-09

sixteen hours has practically passed
away. The twelve hour workday OBJ
tains 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 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
Canizcd 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.
| If the workers surrender control over
! working relations to legislative and adj
| 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,
| no LODI
| only by those concerned.
| But after all, even if it is the quicker
way, is the quick way always the best
| way? Suppose you have a boy for
| whom you are fondly ambitious. You
| wish him to be q business or a profess
| siOnal success-do you start him in
| either at the age Of ten or do you wait
| upon the process of education? When
| he finally embarks in a business or a
! 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 approaching its value, they
| frequently look upon it as injustice or
hardship. They have not been able to
make agrc mentS for the adjustment
of wages, hence they apprehend that
decreasing the hours of work means to
| them decreased pay.
Often securing the eight hour day by
| outside agencies means that organiza-
| ton is retarded or checked. which in
! 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 q dan
! gerous experiment. In the last anal
| ysis the welfare of the workers de
| ponds upon their own initiative. What
| ever is done under the guise of phi
| lanthrOpy or social morality which III
| 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
rashly invite under this pretense of so
cial welfare.
/ Some say that the state is an agency
through which the people obtain re-
1 sultS-that it exists for their service
| But the state is not some impersonnl
| hing. 1t has no existence outside the
people that compose it. Its policies and
movements can be directed only by
/ those who are organized and therefore
! able to exercise power and exert intiu-
ence. The working people who are I'M
organized have no part in determining
the affairs Of state-they may benefit or
suffer from policies, but they have no
voice in them.
Organization in industry TO be uti-
lied in every field of beneficent activ-
| ity is the only defense and protection
! OF the workers. Those who would real
! ~ benefit the workers through legisla-
! ton or through economic action should
lose no opportunity to further organi-
cation Of the yet unorganized. If all
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 a posi-
ton where they could solve their own
! problems, fight their own battles and
| promote their own welfare as free.
| equal men and women.
Bear in mind that eternal vigilance
! is the price Of liberty" is rs esseniia'
| today as when the warning was coined
! or at any time In the worlds histor"
II has its potent application to life am
liberty in industry. as in the polite"
| life Of our nation.
Organize. unite. federate. to redut
! the hours ~ labor.-Samucl Gompcrs
| In American Federationist.