The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-01-28
PURPOSES OF
LABOR MOVEMENT
Places Greatest Emphasis Upon
Fundamental Things.
SEEKS HUMAN BETTERMENT.
Shorter Workday, Higher Wages and
improved Conditions of Toll All
Problems That Confront the Wage
Garner "A Voluntary Organization
Based Upon Democratic Principles.

Problems haI CONFRONT the wage
Garner A Voluntary Organization
Based Upon Democratic Principles.
The recent sessions OF the American
Federation Of Labor convention at San
Francisco were ample eXemplifcation
of the fact that the labor movement
places the greatest emphasis upon fun
damental things. The men of organ
lied labor are not wanting in idealism,
but they realize that ideals are useless
without the means Of making them eff
fective They know that conceptions
Of the higher development and the
higher destiny of men and women are
Of no avail without the means and the
opportunity TO realize hem. This ex-
plains the intenseness aud the feeling
that accompany discussions of the
trade problems in Americas labor con
gress.
These problems are intimately asso-
ciated with daily life during seven
days OF the week and fifty-two weeks
of the year. The shorter workday, bet
ter wages better conditions Of work,
mean to the workers opportunities for
better living and more living for them
selves and their children and their
childrens children. The conditions
that must be met III the industrial
world are not of their own choosing,
and often the methods that are used
to meet and better these conditions
are imposed by those in control In the
industries.
Since the labor movement of Amer
lea is a voluntary organization it must
necessarily be based upon democratic
principles. The voluntary element dom.
mates the deliberations OF the conven-
ton and the organization and policies
Of the movement.
In all the world there is nothing
more democratic in conception and
operation than the conventions Of the
A. t. Of l.. With the advantages and
with the opportunities Of democracy &C
also the mistakes incident to democ
racy Democracy affords human ma
-ture the greatest opportunity for de
as well as altruistic characteristics
That the trade union movement, made
up of men and women from every
country OF the world. who have
brought here the traditions and the
standards Of other countries, has beer
able to weld out Of this diverse cosmo
politan mass of workers an organiza
ton that expresses cooperation and
unity, idealism and practical effective
ness, speaks volumes for the principles
upon which the trade union movement
is founded and for the practical effec
tiveness of the policies that it employs
The representatives. on the floor Of
this labor congress were Il practica
proof Of what the movement has ac
compished. They we're men and WON
en- of ability and educated by the indus
trial life trained by contact with hu
man nature and they were unerrinG
Ia deciding all issues upon principle:
mindful of the voluntary nature Of the
organization and upon the welfare oi
the workers. With unfailing sagacity
they rejected all proposals that woult
hamper the movement by compulsioI
or by division They maintained thu
position of the unity of the interest o
the workers and that loyalty to th,
cause of humanity demanded that al
workers remain within the labor move
ment and endeavor to solve their diff
| ticulties and problems as members O
| the common organization.
The labor movement is engaged il
mass struggle incidentally ther'
may be roughness. but the roughnes
is that Of common humanity, and hu
manity is big enough to see beyond th
roughness into the idealism that is th
directing purpose American Fedora
tionist.