The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-07-08
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Men Must Be Independent d.
Self Reliant to Work Out
Destiny.
ROCKEFELLER AND FORD
OPPOSE LABOR UNIONS
American Federation Offers Me.
dium for Workers to Gain
Their Rights.

If this nation is ever to become a
nation of sheep, ready to follow
blindly leader without question, the
surest road to travel to reach that
goal is to have its workers submit to
the paternalism Of employers.
If we are to build up here a 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
manage their own affairs, regulate
their own lives and solve their own
problems in the everyday relations Of
life.
Forced to Maintain Standard.
It may be true, as some contend
that it is better for the employees
working in the Ford automobile fac
tories to be forced to live according
to the standards dictated by their en-
ployer than to be allowed to follow
their own DESIRES In some cases, In
perhaps a large number of instances,
this employer can govern the workers
better than they can direct them
selves. But. admitting the soundness
of such reasoning, it is not a demo-
cratic scheme of things, and no real
believer in democracy can advocate
the spread of a system that must in
,evitably wipe out Individual initiative
destroy the sense of personal re-
sponsibility and break the spirit of
the American worker.
Any system that creates dependents
and breeds subservient followers must
be repulslve to all persons with red
blood coursing through their veins
and inbued with republican ideals
Democracy in action places men upon
their o|n resources and produces a.
race Of independent, outstanding and
efficient people, and he who sets up
an opposite institution hinders de-
velopment and interferes with the
progress Of the human race in it's
struggle up from the depths of help
less dependency to vigorous independ-
7tf'ei1sFe.slsqc1f! a person instead of being
praised as beneficient friend of man
should be condemned as an enemy
of society. Such work is not we'll
doing. 1t is positively hurtful
II the nation must depend for it's
defense, in the event of an attack bv
an enemy. upon the products of pater-
nalism of this character, then it is
certain that the fond hopes of the
founders of this republic are destined
to be blasted while the government is
still in it's youth, because spoon fed
dependents are not to be relied upon
IN the hour of trial. What a nation
needs at such time are men who
nave faced the rigors and trials of
= life, not hothouse plants who have
been sheltered by paternalism fro1i,
the blasts of the elements.
Oppose Organization,
II the Fords and Rockefellers are
sincere IN their expressed desire to
promote the welfare of the human
race the way is open to them to do so
by Withdrawing their opposition to
organization of the workers. so that
they can get within the folds of the
bona flde labor movement and work
out their own destiny in their own
way.
In the American Federation Of
Labor and its affiliated unions is nre-
sented medium through which the
workers can lift themselves to q
higher level of manhood and woman.
mood without the necessity of leaning
on other shoulders for support. There
rs not In the world today a more ear
nest sponsor for the virtues of self
help than this same American FEEDER
alton of Labor, and there is nothing
that better equips men and women
Tor the duties of democratic institu-
tlons than the necessity Of padding
their own canoes through the stream
of life.