The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-12
Unionizlng the Public
BY FREDERICK J. HASkIN

NEW YORK. Dec. 12.-Among Eu-
ropean institutions which sould be
copied with much profit to this coun-
try is the British Middle Glasses I'm
ion, which has recently come to exert
a powerful political influence in Eng
land. Its purpose is to promote the
interests of the working man as tina
chamber of commerce promotes those
of business.
The need for similar organization
over here Is especially evident just
now when the nation Is threatened
with railroad strike entailing wide
spread distress and chaos. II 1t comes
TO pass, the greatest hardship will
fall, not upon the rebellious railroad
workers nor upon the disconnected
railroad owners, but upon the COM
placent general public. which permits
itself to be made the victim of In
dustrial mismanagement.
II is the general public that Will be
intolerably Inconvenience and the
general public that will pay double
prices for scarce supplies. Hence, re-
CARELESS of where sympathy lies, 1t is
up to the general public to protect it
self by preventing the strike. But
this 1t is powerless to do. For in this
country the general public Is unor-
ganized and never lifts its voice.
In England it is and it does. When
the British citizen feels that he is be-
ing imposed upon he does not remain
passive and silent. He sets forth to
a meeting of the Middle Glasses union,
where he discusses the matter with
great dignity and then writes to his
NJ. p.
Sir" he reminds that gentleman,
Il voted for you at the last election
and helped to give you your seat il
parliament. II is now time that you
were showing your appreciation. We
who put you where you are expect you
TO stand up on the floor of the house
like a man and prove that your con-
stitutents are unable to pay increased
income taxes, tram rates, telephone
rates, telegraph rates, postal rates,
education rates, etc. Such increases
we consider to be intolerable. Will
YOU kindly give the matter your i'm
mediate attention? (Signed)-So-and-
So, Member of the Middle Glasses
Union
Parliament Takes Notice,
The NJ. P.'s eye is caught and held
by that signature. He is well ac-
uuainted with the Middle Glasses Un-
ion. He remembers that out of three
hundred candidates put up by them AT
the polls at the last election, almost
a hundred won out. In view of the
unions extreme youth Git is only
little over two years old) that is
record sufficient to make any Nj. p
mind his P's and Q's.
The great strength of the union is
its non-political character. 1t refuses
TO affiliate itself with any political
party, but throws its votes to tndi
viduals who have pledged to it their
support. At one time it hurls its
whole force against organized labor,
and the next time it is equally fero-
cious toward organized capital. In de-
scribing the activities of the union,
Lord Bekwith, its president, says:
The Union of the Middle Glasses
takes no sides in any industrial quar-
rel It's members are free to come to
any conclusion they chose, but the
organization as body is interested in
the welfare of the community as a
whole By welfare we mean proper
distribution of food, heat, light and
tlOluluS. NLtu luS5E ll4lL0o 81
threatened. then the members act at
once 10 safeguard themselves"
As an illustration of how it works,
the president relates how at Sheffield
the workers in the power house which
supplied the city with light, threat
ened TO strike in sympathy with the
miners News of the proposed walk
out was brought to the Sheffield
branch of the Middle Glasses Union
2 few hours before it was scheduled
10 occur The secretary of the town
Immediately hurled forth and can
vassed the town for volunteers who
would take the place of the strikers
He succeeded in securing 200 recruits,
including clerks, shop-keepers, pro
fessional men and workers of all
kinds, and finally a large contingent
from the Sheffield golf links.
With the long list of volunteers in
hand, the secretary then rushed to the
power house and soother its irate man
aEer.