The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-01-15
Value and Importance
of Labor Unions

Paurs Seminary, who achieved inter.
national reputation as an authority on
Socialism, delivered the first of a
series Of addresses before the Brook
lyn Federation of German Catholic
Societies.
Father Ryan drew close comparison
between organized and unorganized
labor and showed the advantages Of
labor unions. Father Ryan discussed
the position of Pope Leo and his great
encyclical.
Facts of industry which prove the
necessity of labor unions" said DR..
Ryan, "are (l the unsatisfactory con-
dition of the wage question-estimate
show that two-thirds of all adult male
workers receive less than $3.50 per
year, while from SO to 60 per cent of
female workers receive less than IS
per week; (2) the length of the hours
of labor demanded from so many
workers; CD the absence of safety
devices and the resultant number of
unnecessary accidents; (4) the absence
of proper sanitation in many depart
ments of industry; (5) the lack of
compensation for industrial diseases.
"These five facts the existence of
which cannot be denied, prove the
necessity of organizations of workers
for their own protection. Individual
ly, they can accomplish but little, even
when dealing with individual employ
crs. who are becoming daily more
rare. When dealing with cor
porations, which are really combi-
nations of employers, they cannot in
dividually accomplish anything. The
resources of the average laborer are
small, sufficient to tide him over a
few weeks, perhaps, seldom more;
while the combination of employers,
the corporation in other words, has
resources many times greater, and has
no fears for its existence because some
individual worker opposes them.
In the face Of this, and In the light
OF the various laws to improve the
condition of labor which have found
their way into the statutes in recent
years, it seems strange that anyone
should meet opposition in plans to
nr 1oh frr 1,r;
protection and bcttcrment. Yet, or
ganization has always had strong op-
position There is nothing finer in
the history of democracy than the
fight of the heads of the labor organ
ization against the opposition and in
difference that they found amongst
their own members.
"It is a fact of economies that the
members of every class know that the
thing about the interests of that class
better than anyone else, no matter
how we'll educated that other person
may be. They do not know every.
thing about what is best for them
selves, but they do know something
That is why labor disregards thcor
lists and organized unions. Their or
ganizations have won for them many
things which we regard as common
place nowadays, because we are ac
and submarines, making 1t unsafe fol
anybody to invade US; and our com
mercial marine going to all parts o
the world under an Irish flag will
nobody to make them afraid; no longer
shut out from the rest of the worlt
| and able to emigratc or otherwise a.
we should think proper.
These are some of the things W,
might expect in native Irish nation
AS 1t is we have been thrown of oul
pedestal. We have been DETECTED from
our natural course and we are man!
hundreds of years behind the poin
of development which we should hav'
reached.
1t is our hope in the Gaelic leagu
at any rate, II 1t is not yet too late
to take up the broken threads of ou
past and to develop even at this lat
hour, along our own lines by linking
up again with our Irish language an
our native traditions. We cannot
dare not give up this ideal.
To give up this ideal would be t
admit our own absolute overthrow an
to court annihilation Of the Irish ma
tion (hear, hear), because on no othe
footing except along our own lines ca
the Irish nation as nation exist.
The thing is impossible. To revers
the saying of Spencer when tn
tongue is English, the heart mus
needs be English The number c
influences thrusting upon us Englis
ideas and civilization are so muc
and so great in this country that onl
by holding to our own language an
ideas can we hope to hold and mail
! tain the native Irish nation intact"