South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-08-31

is one Of the most ominous of things in
the present stage Of the worlds history. Why
should labor ever have thought to set up such
day, or to demand its recognition? Why is there
not an employers day, an editors day, lawyers
day, reporters day. clergymans' day, bank
ers' day, merchants day, farmers day-and
dozen anc one other days recognizing particular
trades, occupations, professions and callings?
The question IS not asked in solicitation of such
additional holidays, or in criticism of the found
ng of Labor Day. but why the distinction? And
what Is the significance of il?
The world is answering that question today
with grave approximations For practically the
first time IN all history it is looking itself square
IN the face-and il IS seeing wrinkles.
They the pathways of class consciousness
that has pushed its way down through the years.
Flooding, groveling, sweating, much under the
yoke of injured pride, as under the weight of
servitude; sensitive to the sting of a gold-plated
social sentiment, well to the toilsome tasks be-
of which that social sentiment has set up a
system of caste.
Labor will march forth tomorrow, as it has
marched forth before, feeling its oats; cog
infant never before Of its rising tide; espying
at the eastern horizon the sunrise of new equal
ity, social democracy to keep pace with the
political, and an industrial democracy that will
wipe out the old distinctions in the body social.
With the sunrise of that equality, the old
plague of class consciousness labors as never be-
fore TO catch up with that western horizon
which is to be its jumping off place.
il
THE history of labor is the history of the hu-
L man race. From farthest antiquity, man
TIE majority of men-have eaten their bread in
the sweat of their faces and have toiled inces-
sanity that they might live. There has never been
golden age when men have lived without work
ing or have reaped fields that were not sown.
Ali that the has gained, the right to live
and bear children, the improvement of existence,
the securing of comfort, happiness, and civiliza-
ton, has been the result of an unremttent, never
ending toll the part of the millions.
Neither has the reward of labor always gone to
the laborer. From the beginning some have
worked and other played; some toiled on and
others consumed the fruits of that toll. HoH-
days, most of them, even the Sabbath, have been
days of leisure for the lesurely while labor toiled
producing in many instances profit for the
day sufficient 10 pay for the employers enjoy
ment. The workers, though always in the vast
majority, have economically at least, been sub
ject to minority rule.
Read your history! One might imagine that
the world comprised of kings and mobiles and
that the common people had no existence. His
tory reads like the fashion pages of the news
papers, which tell us each summer that "every-
is out of town." though hundreds and thou
sands of wage earners are sweltering at their daily
tasks.
History aDOundS with narratives OF the dOInRS
and sayings of kings and princes just as the news
papers do with the performances dinners, sup
pers, banquetS, economic vacillations, meetings
and political advice of f1nanciers-and the "smart
set'-whle the life and labor of the vast, SILENT
unnmbered multitude of tolers are unrecorded
and unmentioned.
Accordingly it was that labor, conscious Of its
isolation, its lack of voice, inability to make itself
heard, eventually demanded day that was to be
its day-and the politicians quite conscious of
the workingmen's strength, and power at the
polls, if huddled together, despite the protests of
the employers who felt they could not afford to
spare the workmen from the shops, acceded to
the demand.
Capital felt, too that it could not afford to let
labor demonstrate its strength IN parades and the
mbridled oratory, IN discussion of workingmen's
rights that certain to result a day that
labor's own, end when the laborer was almost
wanted to. II was concession and that all.
Labor has repeatedly been granted such conces-
sions, quoting it for season.
Capital-and the politicans,-ha been gen.
ui-ely astute IN their occasional adherences to the
dictm of Aesop, that 1T Is better to bend than
break"
A ND right there on that first Labor Day. the
y workingmen began to appreciate them
selves as never before; likewise the world began
to appreciate them. Quite in consequence, the
wage-earners of today differ while not funda-
mentally, at least quite materially, from the men
who IN the early stages of society, performed the
rough work OF civilization.
The ancient workman had his position fixed by
custom, law, religion; religion less than law
and custom, p1shing him into the background.
Even IN the Bible read of the goodness only of
kings and princes, and of the virtues of their