The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-06-16
TRADE UNIONS
HOPE OF LABOR
Paternalism Of Employers a
System to Be Stunned.
MAKES NATION OF SHEEP.
Wipes Out Individual Initiative and
Breaks the Spirit of the American
Workman-Any Plan That Breeds
Subservient Followers Is Fraught
With Danger to the Nation.

IL this nation is ever TO become q ma
ton Of sheep, ready to follow blindly a
leader without question, the surest
road to travel to reach that goal is to
have its workers submit to the pater-
nalism of employers
If we are to build up here nation of
strong, self reliant men and women
who can stand upon their own feet and
successfully meet every condition that
confronts them the workers must man
age their own affairs, regulate their
own lives and solve their own problems
in the everyday relations of life
1t may be true, as some contend, that
1t is better for the employees working
in the Ford automobile factories to be
forced to live according TO the stand
ards dictated by their employer than to
be allowed to follow their own desires
In some cases. in perhaps a large num-
Der of instances this employer can
govern the workers better than they
can direct Themselves But, admitting
the soundness Of such reasoning. it ia
not democratic scheme Of things. and
no real believer in democracy can ad
vocate the spread Of a system that
must inevitably wipe out individual
initiative, destroy the sense Of personal
responsibility and break the spirit Of
the American worker.
Any system that creates dependents
and breeds subservient followers must
be repulslye to all persons with red
blood coursing through their veins and
imbued with republican ideals. Democ-
racy IN action places men upon their
own resources and produces Il race Of
independent, outstanding and efficient
people, and he who sets up an opposite
institution hinders development and in
terferes with the progress Of the hui
man race in its struggle up from the
depths Of helpless dependency to Wig
orous Independence Such a person
instead of being praised as g benefcent
friend Of man should be condemned
as an enemy OF society. Such work is
not we'll doing. It is positively hurtful
If the nation must depend for It's
defense, In the event Of an attack by
an enemy. upon the products of pater-
nalism Of This character. then 1t Is
certain that the fond hopes of the
founders Of this republic are destined
to be blasted while the government is
still in its youth, because spoon fed
dependents are not to be relied upon
III the hour of trial What a nation
I needs at such a time are men who have
faced the rieors ard trials of life. not
| hothouSe plaute who have been shell
tered by patcrnalism from the blasts
of the elements
If the Fords and Rockefellers are
sincere IN thei expressed desire TO
promote the welfare of the human
race the way is open TO them to do so
by Withdrawing their opposition to or
ganizatlon of the workers, so that they
can get within the folds of the bona
fide labor movement and work out their
own destiny in their own way.
In the American Federation of
Labor and It's affiliated unions is
presented medium through which
the workers can lift themselves to a
| higher level of manhood and woman
| hoou WITHOUT Inc necessity OF leahlu9
on other shoulders for support There
is not in the world today a more ear
nest sponsor for the virtues of self help
than this same American Federation
OF Labor and there is nothing that bet
ter equips men and women for the
duties of democratic institutions than
the necessity of padding their own
canoes through the stream of life.
With these facts in view, we have
held 1t to be our duty to persistently
oppose paternallsm ana to point out the
direful consequences that must follow
any general establishment of such a
| system. Clarion