The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-07-07

A symbol is a sign or representation
of any moral thing by the images or
properties of natural things. Thus,
the lion is the symbol of courage; the
lamb is d symbol of meekness or pa
tience. Symbols are of various kinds,
as types, enigmas, parallels, fables, al
legories, embemS, hieroglyphics, etc.
That the workers hopes, aims and
aspirations should find symbolical ex-
preston should therefore occasion no
surprise. The union label has come
to be well recognized part of the
work of the trade union movement.
The trade union label as used serves
to indicate that the goods and recep-
tacles Of goods to which it is attached
were made by union workmen and
under working conditions established
by the associated efforts of the organ
ization having adopted the particular
symbol 1t is intended to distinguish
such goods from all others Of a sim
liar kind
The trade union label was originally
designed by the cigalmakers of San
Francisco to direct attention to the
growing competition Of Chinese labor
with white labor and the ultimate con-
verting of an American standard of
life aud of morality to Il much lower
condition OF life and work, The mes
sage of the hope of the workers thus
symbolized the impending dangers to
society so well represented in this
emblematic form, Immediately aroused
and crystallized such a strong social
resentment as TO have practically de
stroyed the grave menace then con.
fronting the workers and society
The great moral, social and economic
mission which the trade union label so
well symbolized at that time is great
er in its concept and more comprehen-
siye today than ut any time since its
adoption.
Today the union label directs atten-
ton to the evils of underpaid and over
worked adult labor, to the unfair com
petition of free labor with compulsory
labor, to the exploitation of woman
and child labor. 1t directs attention
and concentrates public sentiment
against the evils peculiar to certain
crafts and evils common to all indus
tries. 1t is embematic Of the scien
tific truth about human nature-that
the more men know of each other and
of their hopes and aspirations the
more they love each other and the
closer they knit themselves together
n on1
in which scheme Of life the humane
doctrines of mutual sacrifice, protec
ton and uplift are predominating prin
ciples.
The trade union label symbolzes the
struggle to put an end to the partner
ship between competition and charity
competition between paupers, and
charity dropping one tear on another
The great aim of the trade union la
bel is to destroy the instrument of op-
PRESTON Of undue advantage for a
few. 1t heralds the message that men
who are to live together In society
must make mutual sacrifices. 1t rep
resents the birth of a new brother
hood, born of the nearness of man to
ulduC lluSSlDl6 Dy IIOQCII CIVIL
ization. 1t holds that the chief end Of
man is to live the life of free man,
whole-that is, wholly in body, mind
and soul 1t seeks TO attract the SYM
pathy, encouragement and support of
all right thinking people in the uplift
of those who do the worlds work
The label is a significant and perma-
nent declaration of the moral duty de-
yolving on the purchaser to inquire
into the social cost at which an article
is produced as well as into the cost
at which 1t is sold. 1t appeals to rea-
son and not to force and is a medium
by which the public may enforce its
rightful power of arbitrament between
employer and employee.
1t is impossible to comprehensibly
define the great possibilities of the
union label Nothing in the whole
realm of human labor is more capable
of effective and continuous unity. To
the trade unionists 1t Is a constant re
minder Of their common interest and
a common duty. 1t is unquestionably
the most practical agency yet devised
to unity all the forces of labor at
present greatly divided into individual
units of organization, predicated on
craft and trade lines.