The daily Nome industrial worker., 1916-10-12
THE MAIN QUESTION.

express an opinion upon the eight hour day. As yet the referendum only takes on this mild form ot establishment in the Territory. But the workers ought to see to it that there can be no doubt in the minds of the politicians where they are at on the question. They ask for an expression of opinion: give it to them,
 Of course against such an expres- sion of opinion the workers are sev- erely handicapped. Many Of the men who work here and who will be affected by the eight or ten hour day have no votes. On the other hand many of the persons who never do a days work will have a vote. That however is called poli- tical equality: in the man who has no work to do saying how long the other fellow will work.
 We can expect that good many of the class who do no labor will therefore unite to oppose the eight hour day question, and for that req son all workers should make it point to express theirs. It may do no good; but it can do no harm.
 At the same time we have got to get the idea firmly held in our minds that organization is the only way whereby the eight hour day can be effective. The workers then can themselves decide how long they want to work each day. This is their question. It is nobody else's II is their labor power that they dispose of; their health, their wei fare that is affected. Their labor power is all they have got to sell and it is up to them to say how many and how much will be the hours and price of it's disposal. By themselves they can do nothing as individuals. It rests with them as organized men, with labor to sell, setting the price of that labor
 We repeat again and it cannot be repeated too often, that the individ' ual worker is the most helpless in, slividual of all. As an unorganized unit he is a menace not only tO himself, but to others who are orga- nized. He cannot resist a reduction l.. thing that the boss has to offer. He has to do so. There is no way out of it. If he does not take it at the employers price, he will have to go without He cannot help himself And because there are so many like him, unorganized and willing to take what they can get, the scale of wages paid is in many centers so low as to be below the point of sub- Sistence.
 During investigations which the Industrial Relations Commission made, they early discovered that in mail order houses, department stores, sweat shops and unorganized industrial plants, almost all the lowest paid workers were unorga- nized. And because they bad to compete with one another, selling their labor power to the boss for what he would give them, the boss paid wages which are described as "a disgrace to American civiliza- tiOn"
 On the other hand, the entire ous. They could, were they united, accomplish anything. While each in- diyidual possesses so little power as to be practically negligible, when the different working individuals unite that small power it forms social force which nothing could | withstand.
 And the employers realize that. The employers and their hangers-on, the parasitic influences of one sort | or another which scramble among | themselves for the crumbs from the | table of Dives, all directly or indi- rectly devote their time, their talent and their ability to keeping the workers apart. For that reason all | kinds of devices are devised, all | Kinds of plans are conceived to keep | the workers apart. There are poli- tical, religious, racial. national. and social differences nourished for the express purpose of keeping the work CTS divided so that employers may rule.
 And as if this is not enough, the workers are kept apart even ir their, organization and some estab fish themselves as superior crafts,