Denver labor bulletin., 1916-09-02

the prevailing spirit is decidedly that
of competition as against one another,
though it may be that of combination
against individuals not yet admitted
to their ranks. Even members of the
typical professional society or league
who do not term their remuneration
wages, but fees or salaries, are often
unaware of having taken up with trade
union principles by organizing and
have no sympathy with wage strikes.
"a Paddle My Own Canoe"
In the earlier days of our republic,
when agriculture was the pursuit of
three-fourths of the population, indi-
vidual initiative, knowledge of ones
calling and the virtues of personal
thrift were usually sufficient to bring
at least modicum of success. At
time when developing trade unionism
was absorbing much public attention
in Great Britain, and being hailed by
the working people there as an insti'
tuition promising more for their mate
rial welfare than any other. Ameri-
cans in general were as yet bestowing
upon the organization of labor scarce
ly a passing thought.
Remedies for low wages or non-em-
ployment for our wage workers OF
that period were to go west, or to
move from place to place or to change
from one occupation to another-in any
event to hustle" reach out" with
faith in the abounding opportunities
then existing in the new and rich land
The social spirit encouraged each man
to launch out and do for himself. 81
paddle my own canoe" was popular
| boast. The individual proved his
manhood by getting ahead-which al
most invariably meant shrewdness in
amassing wealth, no matter by whom
produced. The Oldest of the trade
unionists of this country can remem-
ber when the maxims which guided
men to prosperity in business, or in
| election to office, were those which
imposed injunctions upon each per-
son to work for himself exclusively
and avoid entangling alliances with
| others, especially with any of his
weaker brethren. The youngest Of
cur trade unionists may every day
hear the people who believe that these
maxims still hold good.
All Men We're in Business.
Trade unionism in this country has
had to make its way against what was
undoubtedly the original American
spirit-in business. All citizens, in
cluding the farmers, were assumed to
Re in business producing and selling
for themselves. If a man was not in
business, he was, if made of good
stuff, expected to be on the way,
through working, skimping and saw
ing, of going into business, whether in
agriculture, trade, manufacturing, or
profession.
To a self-made man who ardentiy
held to this conception of society,
which involves the principle that to be
successful one must "arise," must be
en- employer, must show his superlorl-
ty in acqulsitiveness over his fellows,
the proposition that there should be a
wage workers combination, possibly
to be operative against himself,
seemed almost blasphemous breaking
away from the moorings of accepted
morality. Such union was, to his
mind, contemplate, composed of an
aggregation Of failures. startling evil
dence Of social degeneracy.
Many men, self-made or made big
through heredity, their dependents
and those attached to them by social
ties, therefore felt it bounden duty
TO stamp out trade unionism, to con-
tinue to uphold the ancient precepts
that led to the success they had wor-
SHIPPED, to proclaim that the posses
9ion of property was evidence that the
possessor was mental giant, to hold
that an employers business entitled
kim to manage it-and the employees
AS he willed.
Nourishment Of Non-Unionisn.
| The opportunities existing in rich'
sparsely settled country, the emuia-
ton afforded in every community
through the example of Its seif-made