Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1915-04-01
- WE WILL NOW HAVE 9
A Feu Remarks
BIZ WALTER B. HILTON


THAT DISCOURAGEMENT has come to hundreds OIL
4 old members Of the Amalgamated Association is no
cause for wonder To the wages gradually decrease
and their toll increase through all the years Ia which they
have fought for their union years during which the cost
of living has steadily ncreased-is not an encouraging
thing. - Axolaa
mated Association has failed to protect it's members has
failed to them other organizations have served
their members But there will come diversion OF opmon
as to the cause and the remedy.
It has been the habit always to blame the officers Tor
an organizations fangs There is some wisdom in this
for by the initiative the earnesness the labor and sacrl
fee Of officers an organization be made effective even
when the membership is weak leharglc But to BLANK
" blame officers for all things always to take the I'M
democratic view that members do not rule and PIN our
hopes to benevolent feudalism.
Usually officials, "leaders " but messenger boys
sent little ahead by the marching millions to announce
their coming Sometimes they lag behind and still think
themselves ahead when the army has passed them and
they have become camp followers drags onthe wheels
of progress But this condition be permanent
soon thew are always known for what they
Upon officials rests weghty and solemn duty They
should know that they simply voices for what the
workers want to say, and don't just know exactly how
that they are tools for the accomplishment OF what the
workers want though they may not be able to tell just
exactly what They have to be Interpreters and executors
of the workers. will When they fail to do both they are
thrown aside by the workers mechanic d1scards use
less tool The general Labor movement is filed with IN
stances proof and the Amalgamated ASSOCIATION fur
nishes it's noteworthy share.
But with the exceptions Of the men who fail to meas
IRE up icias are representative Of the understand
ing of the membership To discard officers and retain the
same membership, in the same degree OF understanding
would only continue the conditions that bred those who
had been deposed If this was not true then the
ton of monarchs would LONG ago have brought freedom
to the human race But history in its slow unfolding has
proved one thing most clearly that good monarch
"bad monarch will grow good" if the conditions a com
pel it. It all lies with the understanding OF the people
Now since this understanding is reflection Of the
outward conditions then by understanding them we can
tell whether the chosen servants carrying out the pub
lie will In the field of Labor we have but to see whether
the organization that represents the workers is
members live and work # is then its normal develop
ment will work off the hndering and useless among It's
representatives and bring out the alert and needfu Ii
not then it will be shattered and all the gs
The Amalgamated Association has undergone some
important changes in late Whether those changes
have been rapid enough and sweeping enough to mesh
with the revolving wheel Of industry is the subject Of
contention now The fact that the organization has had
to heplessly submit to reduction after reduction would
seem to indicate that it had not.
What then is to be done9 Shall old wine be put into
anew bottle or new wine into old BOTTLE or new wine
= ~"