The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-01-08
usuMrrs OF TnE RrpuBLrC.

1be hdycrtisng club i7 to bo commended for
ne action condcmuing the Chicago labor or
ganizaton that forbade its members from join
ing the American legion. condemned the gov
.rnment for doporting union men, and demand
nd tha, tho congress scat the impossible lIerger.
Amofloanlsm cannot too cucrgctcally assert IT.
aelt
II would he manlfcstly unfair 10 organized
labor to cQndcnn the whole union mcmborship
for what a single Chicago union alone stands
guilty OF doing But the Incident Is one OF
many which calls attention to the necessity
fronting organized labor II must purge itself
Il must take some official action 10 set Itself
right before the people and the government
P,rnnc opinion has no disposition to see In
the union movement an arch enemy OF the re
public. It does not want to soc that Yet It Is
being SLOWLY forced to precisely that conclu-
sion oven against its will. Tho Chicago incl
dent ls but Of many II is true that Mr.
Gompors, head OF the American Federation Of
Labor and various members OF his cabinet have
Insisted that organized labor is loyal In every
thought. that It does not stand for radcalisn
Cr iawlessness The various publicity organs OF
labor have said the same
but when unlonism renders the cause OF gov
crnmont this lip service then adopts resolutions
condcmnng tho government for prosecuting
pnd doportng proven enemies OF the republic.
when unionlsm proclalns itself loyal to tho
public yet flies 10 tho defense OF every ap-
pretended enomy OF the republic. when union
Ism officially refuses to permit its members to
JOIN the natonpl guard American legion and
other patriotic ORGANIZATIONS these things
are going on tustonty without protest from
unonIsm anywhere what Inust the public be-
iove7
In such circumstances. pretenscs OF patriotism
are a mockcry. The voice OF that sort OF loyalty
does not carry conviction. There are thousands
within tho unions that want the issue Joined
quiet rs much do the millions without. If
unlonlsm means dsloyHlty, either In thought
or act then they want that, fact made public.
And II must mean that since n man Is barred
from belonging to union and patriotic or
ganizaton AT the same time, or else the very
cause Of unionism is being grossly lbeled and
ana discrcditcd by those who arc now repre-
scntng 1t.
Unless unionsm frees itself Of what ia
no moro than a very grave suspicion, and by It's
own action repudatcs the rules and leadership
i'm posed upon It by tho political adventurcrs, 1t
requires no prophetic vision Ia foresee It's dis
iutograton, Membership In union organsa-
tion can not add any additional rights to the
citizen any more than 1t can relieve him OF re-
sponsibitios as n citizen. Tho union man has
the constitutional right TO work or to quit work
That Is granted The nonunion man has pre-
clscly the same right Neither has to consult
the other about the matter at all And when
either interfcrcs with the other In the exercise
such constitutional rights he Is TO be re-
strained even to the point OF taking life as Tor
feiture for such an invasion OF another's CON
stltutional right
In short, the man who belongs TO a union,
even though it's membership run into the MIL
Tons earns no immunity by such membership
Urnionism does a grievous wrong-an ir-
reparabIe wrong--n cutNaung contrary
view,