The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-02-08
A GOOD WORD FOR
THE LABOR PRESS
(By the Rev. Charles Stelzle.)

10y Juc IscNs SidLlco DCclElc.J
Somebody recently said that the
average workingman reads his labor
paper as the early Christians read
their New Testament. However that
may be, practical advertising man
ager insists that as an advertising
medium a labor paper is fully ten
times as valuable as the ordinary
daily paper.
The average labor union man reads
not only his trade journal which deals
with the affairs of his craft, but
also receives the local paper, which
seeks to keep him informed with
reference to the doings of organized
labor in the town in which he lives.
1t is safe to say that nearly every
trades unionist reads some kind of
a labor paper, which he in many
cases passes on to his fellow work
men who are not in the union, and
in most cases it is also read by the
members of his own family. 1t has
been estimated that the labor press
has constituency of about ten mil
lions, which includes the persons in
the homes of the subscribers. From
the professional advertising mans
advertising viewpoint, this is a con-
sentative estimate, as there are about
three million trades unionists in the
United States and Canada, most of
the trades papers, at any rate, be-
ing distributed in both countries.
The labor press does not always
offer life of ease and comfort,
even aside from the trials that are
peculiar to editors. AS class, labor
editors are honest, in spite of the
temptation to graft, which comes
to nearly every editor from en-
ployers, politicians, and ambitious
labor leaders," That they with
stand this temptation is to their
credit, for the salaries paid them
are, as rule, pitifully small. One
of the brightest and best informed
editors in this country receives only
fifteen dollars week for his SER
vices. They are supposed to be in
formed on trade conditions and to
tell about these things in the Ian
guage of the man in the shop. And
most of them do it well.
The disposition to present the view
of the employing class in the labor
press is source of constant sur
prise. Compared with the organs of
the employers associations, labor
papers are unusually fair in their
treatment of the labor question.
Contrary to the general impression,
rarely does there appear an article
which one might call radical. The
conservatism and the restraint of
these wOrkingmen is most admirable.
Constantly there is the appeal for
temperate living. Corruption in la
Dor circles is numerically scored.
High ideals in the home and in fam
lily life are insistently presented. The
appeal to the heart, in editorial, in
story, in illustration and in news
item, is found in nearly every issue.
The trade journals in almost every
instance give considerable space to
purely technical matters, thus sup
plying course in technology which
must be of great value to the mech
anics and especially to the apprentice
in the trade. Indeed, many of these
journals are of the highest type
in both matter and in general make
up, comparing favorably with the
average monthly magazine sold on
the newstands.
AS a rule the attitude of the la
Dor press toward the employer is fair
and reasonable. There is a dispos-
ition to regard him as friend. But
toward the man who opposes organ
lied labor through an employers as
ISOLATION or a citizens alliance with
a determination absolutely to crush it
out, there is always the strongest
feeling of resentment and bitterness.
There is no class of men-not even
the "scabs" whom they employ-who
are more sincerely hated and more
persistently ridiculed. There is, how
ever, not the slightest disposition to
advocate the use of violence in deal
ing with them.
The labor press suffers, as does
every other part of the labor move
ment, in that many of the men
who are developed in the ranks
soon find other and more remuner-
alive employment, where the re-
sponibility is not so great and where
the criticism is not so severe. Some
of them became labor editors on
daily papers, others go into the pro-
fessions,, some become politicians,
many enter upon a business career,
while still others are engaged by
ar9a ap,nlovars to handle for them