The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-11-17

refuse all leadership, all author
ity, even authority delegated by
themselves, they are bound to
suffer in the long run. They also
injure others, but that won't help
them or their families.
Refusal to keep agreements
will end the making or agree
ments.
Workingmen have struggled
for years for the right to deal
through agents selected by them
selves. They throw away the
work Of years if they repudiate
and laugh at their own agents.
Good wages will be due in
future as they have IN the past
to good organization. There is
no organization without keeping
faith, sticking to the organiza-
ton, living up to agreements,
and following leaders properly
chosen.
Workers fight their future, fight
themselves and the national
prosperity when they ignore laws
that they themselves have made
for the government of unions,
and substitute anarchy for or
ganization in their dealings with
others.
What would workers say II
they heard that farmers were to
work only four, three, or two
hours a day? They would Say,
'If the farmers do that. food will
cost so much that we shall
starve."
Every workman knows that the
price of food depends on the
amount of food produced by the
farmer, which price rs really the
price OF the labor that extracts
food from the soil.
What is true OF farmers Is true
of all others.
One workman gets what an
other man produces. If man
cuts down what he produces be-
low reasonable limits, he cuts
down what the other man can
get.
If a man demands what is ini-
possible he will not get it. lie
may persuade somebody 20 AZ
tempt the impossible, but ii will
only be an attempt.
Workmen should select Their
leaders, change them if they
don't like them, but stick to
them while they have them. You
know what handful of police
men properly led can do to a
mob Without any leaders.
The mob feels smart while 1t
howls and throws stones, but It
doesn't last.
Union workmen, ignoring lead.
ers, breaking agreements. are
nothing but a mob, and wills not
last long. The difficulty is that
mob tactics ip individual cases
injure all labor, all organization.
all leadership.
A man mot to be believed
under oath" is not prosperous,
people don't deal with him.
The Individual that makes .
contract, authorizes his leaders
to make agreements for him,
then deliberately breaks agree
ments and repudiates leaders is
next thing to a man not to be
believed under oath.
Workmen Chould have good
pay, as good as the nations
prosperity can make it.
They should have hours as
short as, the hours can be in JUS
tice to the country and the work
that it needs.
Labor, like everything else,
must go upstairs one or two
steps at a time. To take an en-
tire fight at one step is prepos-
ferrous and impossible. But to
fall down whole flight is not
dificult at all Some of those
now misled are destined to real
ize that.
The best times that labor has
ever known are here, If the
workers will allow it. The worst
times that they have ever known
are ahead if they insist upon
having those worst times.
II worknen can not trust their
present leaders, they should get
other leaders, and stick to them.
If they advertise the fact that
they keep no rules, recognize no
organization, stick to no agree
ments, and keep no promises,
they need not imagine that the
rest of the country will adjust
itself to their whims and vary
ing moods. The rest of the co,ln-
try will arrange to get along
without them, enduring whatever
discomfort may be necessary in
the process.