The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1915-09-25
SATURDAY. =.
Trade Unionisnl and Women 5 Suffrage

From An Address of~Samuels Gqmpers.
When invited to attend this injecting;
I could not deny myself heapEiEita&e,,
the pleasure and the honor. When
we have duty to perform, q duty
perfunctory or a duty imposed upon
US, it is only half-heartedly per-
formed. It is only that duty that
work in which we find our hearts and
minds in accord that enable us to
give real service.
Trade UniOnism.
First of all, I am trade unionist.
I am a. trade unionist because in the
philosophy Of my trade unionism is
encompassed protest against every
wrong and demand for the estab-
lishment Of every right. There is no
incident of our life with which the
trade union movement of our time Is
not concerned. The trade union
movement of our time answers the
question: of centuries. Am I my
brothers keeper" The trade union
movement answers, Eyes, you are"
and we are our brothers keeper, for
unless we see to it that our brothers
and our sisters burdens are made
lighter, our own will be made the
heavier.
It is not appropriate that should
attempt to delve deeply into the fun
damentals Of the trade union move
ment or the philosophy upon which
it is based, the struggles through
which it has passed, the achievements
nor the ideals to which we aspire.
Suffice it to say that the trade union
movement proposes to go down to the
deepest abyss Of misery and despair
and to help the men and women Of
toll, that they may be raised to the
common standard Of human beings,
and that they, too, may take their
place, side by side, shoulder to
shoulder, bearing the common burden,
striving for the common betterment,
and aiming to accomplish the highest
and best conception Of life and liber-
ty. So may, at this meeting, con-
fine myself to a few bald statements
of facts and thought.
What we aim to do is to help and
encourage. We: may go about and
preach the gospel of unity, we may
endeavor to impress upon the work.
ers the necessity for their unity, their
fraternity and their solidarity; but,
after all, the seeds must be within
the heart and brain of the workers
before they can find either germina-
ton or fruition.
To me the trade union movement
is in itself an instrument the instru-
mentality to accomplish given ends
and purposes. The trade union, If it
were merely to organize the union for
the unions sake, if it were the or
ganization of unions among women for
the organizations sake alone, if it
were the organization OF the Women 8
Trade Union League for the Women's
Trade Union League alone, would
bid good-by to it all. But the organ
lied labor movement, the trade unions
of men and women, the declarations,
the state and central bodies, the ma
tional and international unions are,
all of them, vehicles, machines, in
struments in the hands of intelligent
workers. Such a group Of intelligent
workers who understand that they are
the militant bedy Of workers standing
in the contest for the benefit OF every
man and woman who works. and
every child who shall grow into the
hope and the manhood and the wom-
anhood Of the future, is what we are
striving for.
There is one great attribute of trade
unionism that is often left unoonsid-
cred. It contains in it's very makeup
protest not only against every wrong