The daily Nome industrial worker., 1915-12-17

now. that WAaLcFGf EGLOI HIS LdDo: can secure and maintain secured will come through tho strength of it's own organization on the eco homie field; and when labor legis lation is obtained from any source other than from labor itself, that Legislation will be a dead letter un" less labor itself has the means and strength to enforce it. And if t has that strength to enforce legis- iation, no legislation will be needed for it can enforce it, of course, without it.
 Yet it is recognized that others differ with this view, and pin their faith to political possibilities which facts hardly endorse.
 Tako the eight hour law in this community It :G violated with impunity The employers with their interest as employers to consider, and to direct them. will get as cheap labor and as longhoured labor as they cen. There is no req son from their standpoint to make gains why .tey should not They are to be expected to manifest no interest in enforcing such thing IS the eight hour law
 On the other hand, the morgan ized unionman who has been victi- mixed at the gambling table o1 ether resort finds himself pcnniiess, without means of support, ana readily violates the law working his ten hours in orde~ to get a job by which to live Economic conpul- sion drives him to do that, for ne faces the competition of other non unionists situe ted as he is himself and needs must when the economic devil drives.
 1t $ not impossible to imagine however federal officials so devoted to the laws and the enforcement thereof, that they would be ct pains to see that they were lived up t. and not violated; but one hardly expects that under the present sys- tenn. These officicls have ether views end other ideas concerning the enforcement of labor laws ani look on with apparent indifference when more hCnorcd in the breach than in the observance.
 1t is quita unnecessary to point out the intimate relation between the gambling thGt has boon carried on in Nome and ti" y.a.at.ca Cf the eight hour law. Fir.t t&e gHIblers victimize the non-uDionmGn, and then the non-uinonman works ten hours a day when he gets chance,
 But why do not the federal oltici- a!s suppress gambling if it is not on account of this very intimate re!a- ton exists between the violation of the labor laws and the yictimization of workingmcn? Thct's what we would very much liHc to know.
 Suppose, therefore, the Union puts this matter to a crucial test collects data concerning violation of the eight hour law and the brazen, nagrant g mbling that has been going on in this camp for lhe past twelve months; properly sttest this collection of data, and transmit the entire data to the Department Of Justice, and put it up to tkcm that they see that the laws ere here enforced.
 The Industrial Worker sees no reason why the enforcement of the laws should be left to the private individuals and that the officials who are paid to do it should require private citizens to collect evidence upon which they can secure convic- tions. Only, the Industrial Worker contends, by closing both eyes to ob- vious facts can the truth as to law violations in the matter of gambling in this town be unknown to official dom and such ignorance of real COL ditions would appear to be an emil nent reason for dismissal for incom- potency. Moreover, the assumption Of that ignorance is the most chari- table construction can be placed upon official indifference and thers are mcny will not concedc it ct al! Now then, tho Union can collec. this evidence which the officials vii not; and giving these facts the ut most publicity send the same to tho