The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1919-11-29
THE CONTRACT BREAKERS.


'!But what about your contract?"
asked the New York publisher. +'To
hell with the contract; sign here!"
replied the chairman of the scale
committee of the New York Press
mems union. That broke up the
conference; the pressmen went on
strike, and they have been out for
several weeks. The International
Pressmen's union ordered the men
back to work under their agreement
with the publishers, but they have
steadfastly refused to bulge.
This and other regulations of
contract have done more to destroy
public confidence in the integrity of
organized labor than anything that.
has happened in recent years. Amer
Jeans may be weak on many things,
but there is one thing at least on
which they are strong, and that is in
fulfilling the obligation of contract.
Most Of our business enterprises are
conducted largely on honor. II prom
ise to pay. is a contract. The man
who ruthlessly repudiates it becomes
business outcast. Bankers reject
him; business competitors and bust
ness patrons pass him up; he is with
out, credit and without friends.
Obligations Of honor are held in
higher regard than ordinary legal
bonds: 1t is said of Fox. the great
English statesman, who had lost
heavily at gambling and had Dor
rowed money from Sheridan to stay
In a game, that, few days later he
.. was in the act of counting a number
Of bills to pay Sheridan, when his
tailor appeared with an account of
long standing But l. can't pay you
now" answered Fox: :"You seem to
have plenty of money: on your ia
ble,' said the tailor. ooh, this is
to pay debt of honor the noted
statesman replied ;'::Then I'll make
mine a debt of honor" said the
tailor, and he tore the bill into atoms.
=: The act so impressed Fox that he
paid the debt, knowing not when
he could pay the other.
Trade unions are honor organiza-
tions: They have no standing al
law. They can neither sue nor be
sued as SUCH This makes their re.
sponsibility all the more important.
When a union enters into an agree.
: rnent with an employer to cover a
: certain period of time, neither the
employer nor the union can compel
: its enforcement as they can con-
tract between individuals or incor
= porated bodies, and their agreement
therefore, is simply one Of honor. II
is q bond between two groups of gen
tlemen with no prescribed penalt,
for it's violation, save the censure OF
an indignant public.
The unions that have enjoyed thu
greatest prosperity in America art
those that have lived up to the letter
of their contracts, and by the. same
token the unions that have repudi
ated their contracts have had shor
existence. Reproached by the pub
lie, -distrusted by employers, deserted
by its honorable members and left t.
the,1ne Grey of it's miscreants, the con
tract-breaking union soon expert
enees- dishonored :dissolutioH:.
That is the history OF the. thing
The new members Of organized labor
who are being misled into the crook
ed lanes; Of the bond breakers ar,
cautioned against such acts, which
have furnished more excuses for 80
called ;'::open, shop" fights against tn,
labor undons than an.other~ combine'
reasons. Live, up. TO-, your contract
>1f;itsis a7bad contract, live. up to II
tor: It is your; own mistake, and. Vol
should pay for it collectively as yo,
are called upon to- suffer for =. you
Individual mistakes. You will b
wiser next time, but you:%>wiil hav,
saved your honor, and that IS every
thing in America.
-------->.
!: ON KILLING BoLsHEVIsM.
!. Big Industrial barons everywher,
IRE frightened to death over Bolshe
vism. Good Democrats everyw1ler
ire concerned about it and sane speo
pie throughout the world are takinl
Thought unto themselves as to wha
~ to be done with this crazy menace
\, The otAsr' d IA group Is !tef i cuisines
tnen got together to talk ABOUT kill
Ing Bolshevism Most Of "then
:thouxht that somehow if they thre<