The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1920-11-13
TO "oPEN SHOPPERS"

This is an analysis: of the position
taken by Duluth "open'' shoppers:
In the foreword Of the classified d.
rectory Of the open shop membership,
YOU say so many things which you do
not mean and mean so many things
which you do not say, that we deem it
time to infuse Some clarity into the
murky eGfusion Of your statements.
You say:
industrial freedom means that
every man who labors shall have the
inalienable right to work where, when
and for whom he chooses
Now, as matter Of fact, you don t
mean anything Of the kind. What you
really mean is this: Every employer
has the inalienable right to work his
employees when, where and for what
he chooses.
You operate industry for profit. When
profit ceases you close down your in
dustries and the inalienable right of
the worker to work when and where
he pleases is transferred to the inalien.
able right to starve when and where
he may.
If, after you close your plants, the
workers should enter them to carry on
production, you would have them ex-
PEELED at the n,uzzle Of machine guns.
When your industry closes down,
your workers are closed out. Cold and
hunger invade their homes; crime and
prostitution multiply.
When you close down your indus:
tries, you turn your horses and mules
! out to grass in the pasture; you turn
your workers out to starve in the
streets.
You operate your plants when you
choose and employ whom you choose
| for whatever wage you choose. You
want nobody to butt in on your process
of choosing.
Your only motive is profit. To you
the workers are but means to attain
profits.
This is your industrial freedom
You say:
1.-The only sane solution for the pres
ent high cost of living is increased
production.
Is that so? Why not try decreased
profts7
Many Of you have made hundred
and a, thousand per cent profit of late.
While this country was pouring out its
wealth Of blood and gold. $4,000 new
miilionaires came into existence. For
every ten boys slaughtered OH the bat
tlefelds of. Europe, one millionaire,
freshly grown on the profit fields Of
America. Ten corpses, one millionaire;
every millionaire All open shopper
What more can. you ask:
| You say you want increased proluc:
tion. Oh, no you don t. The WOO
barons closed their. factories to de-
crease production. The automobile
plants are closing down to decrease
production. The mines of cur own
state ere worked less than half time
to decrease production.
) What you really want is increased
production for less pay while you,
) plants are running: and cessation Of
production to keep prices up when that
win better boost profits:
You say:
Every employer shall have the right
to operate his business without the die
tation Of some outside agitator.''
To you the men who work for YOU
who live in Our midst, who trade ir
your stores, who put their little saw
ings' in your banks, who laid every
brick in our buildings, who paved every
: street and reared every home and
church and school-these are all out
side agitators just as soon as they ask
for larger share of the wealth which
they pile up for your kind.
No, you want no outsiders to come
to this city and disturb the pleasant
relations between employer and EN-
> ploye-except when these outsiders hap
pen to be scabs, thugs and strike
, breakers.
l. This kind Of, outsider is received
q with open arms by your open sho]
o (Ameriean plan) committe. Your: out
side strike. breaking agency will her;
!. gutter snipes and search the festerin,
9 abyss of5seyery city for degenerate.