The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1920-08-16
FIGHTING THE DEVIL d.
WITH FIRE

w II IKE
Modern methods such as have
been approved by custom and
precedent by business generally,
especially so by the large inter
ests in former years 10 GUST COM
petition, are to be practically APP
piled by Organized Labor.
The well tried methods of the
Standard Oil Company, when
competition became threatening,
was to undersell until the COM
petitor was broke; when some
progressive butcher in the larger
cities showed signs of independ-
ence and ability to forge ahead,
the big Packing concerns, want
ing his territory, would open re-
tail shops in competition until
the victim gave in and now La
Dor is said to be initiating sys-
tenn, when unfair methods are re-
sorted to by employing corpora
tons which is very apt to change
the entire warfare of organized
labor and capital, and in a way
which will have the cooperation
of the public and to which no
Government interference may be
had.
The international Machinists'
Association, the third largest I'M
ion in the American Federation
of Labor and one of the most
powerful labor bodies in the
country has put this new pro-
gram into operation.
Backed by fund of 100000
annually and with other financial
resources to draw from, this I'M
ion is buying up outstanding
mortgages and nores against con-
Germs which have declared lock-
outs against organized labor and
is establishing cooperative plants
to compete with the anti-union
firms.
at is a war of the money
power of labor VS.. the money
power of capital" E. c. Dawson,
general secretary-treasurer of the
union, said Friday. 1--WE are
demonstrating labor has another
weapon besides the strike-a
weapon thousands times more
effective"
We are in this fight to the
finish, and it is for the employers
to say how far we shall go in our
program. 1t is for them to say
whether ultimately organized la
Dor, to preserve its existence, will
Ind 1t necessary to control in
dustry in America. We are now
demonstrating labor is perfectly
capable to take over industry and
run it. We are showing the
public it is possible for labor to
use business efficiency instead of
the strike to protect its princi-
pies.
In the South, where for a
time the iron workers were lock-
ed out, we won a notable victory
with our new program. We have
compelled the ironmasters to sign
agreements with us in every city
with the exception of Norfolk,
Va.
in Norfolk we bought up the
mortgages and notes standing
against one of the largest ma
chine plants. We now control
this plant and have purchased
two others We have served
warning on the employers that
the men, willing to make any
kind of personal sacrifice to win
the fight, will work for fifty cents
an hour in their own cooperative
shops, if necessary, to put the
non-union plants out of business
The law cannot interfere with
these new tactics we have adopt.
ed.
What we are demonstrating
is that labor has unlimited hnan.
cial resources; that it need have
no fear when employers talk O
raising millions to fight it. Or.
gained labor can also raise mil
lions and more quickly and sim.
ply than the employers.
by assessing each of our $50.
600 members only 81 a month
we are able to raise S4,200,000 ;
year as a defense fund. We also
control bank here in Washing
ton. Our banking experience die
much to help us in our fight il
the South.