The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-01-06

Agitation Is the hope OF the unions
Agitation, continuous agitation-neve
let the people forget that organized
labor has a voice, never allow legis
lators to forget that union labor has
vote
That's the policy of union labor.
We do not say this as a criticism
upon labor. 1t is to their credit
They always ask for more than they
expect to get. They publish TO the
world their disappointment, when
really they laugh in their sleeve that
they received so much That is their
business, and labor is working for
labor every day of the year Their
dues 90 into fund, out of which
men are hired as agitators and legis-
lative committees are appointed. and
these committees are ambitious to
make good showing.
The corporations, on the otncr
hand, those who employ labor. are
working as industriously as labor is
working. They have their men who
represent them, they obtain vast
amount of publicity to induce men to
think as they think. The corpora :
tions are not to be misunderstood in
their work, nor are they to be con
demned.
If either side had full sway. the
other side would suffer.
1t is plain then. that the people
have "A duty, and that duty consists
in holding the scales OF Justice. Be
fair to both, do no wrong to either.
Labor has this advantage that
their votes count more; they have
another advantage which lies in the
general feeling of prejudice against
corporations. A lawsuit between an
individual and railway company in
vokes all the sympathy of court
house attendants for the individual.
The railroad is looked upon as able
to pay, because they handle vast
sums of money, The railroad is
looked upon as being owned by a
handful of millionaires, when. In
fact, a vast amount of railway secur-
tiles are held by trust funds which
are being held for children and for
widows, and many small investors
own railway securities.
This sentiment against the railway
has led to loss in this country. Many
of the railways have passed into the
hands OF receivers. Their securities
are discredited
The discrediting OF securities stops
investments of that kind. Labor Is
killing the goose that laid the golden
egg. Oklahoma can support twice the
railways 1t has today and employ
twice the labor. But we take fiend-
ish delight, it seems, in placing every
burden upon them we can, and make
il impossible for them to operate at
a profit. and consequently keep down
railway building to the minimum.
Not mile of road is under construc-
tion in this state now. Our mineral
deposits and our farms are undeyel-
oped for lack of railways. but still
we throw every burden npor them
We can
The member OF the Legislature who
allows the labor vote to frighten him
or TO induce him TO espouse opinions
that are not his own. is a menace to-
the prosperity of Oklahoma. Labor
deserves the friendship OF the legis-
lator but it does not deserve to
make him a slave. The man who
does his own thinking without the
fear of votes, is the man who is
trusted with office Labor learns TO
despise the man who serves It
through fear. To prove this asser-
ton you have but to make a self
case of it, You minimize and hold
in contempt any man who is willing
to do your bidding without inquiry
into principle, without asking wheth
pr it is right or wrong. Labor holds
the same opinion of the echo in the
legislature. who can but voice the
sentiments of labor without appeal
ing to his own Judgment.
National democracy is on trial. aud
il brings sorrow to the heart to see
the bread lines in the cities and to