The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-09-16
by Charles Edward RusselD

itself and as one of the evidences
| of the New Japan, it is to those
that knew the old Japan one of the
most astounding developments of
| these times. You might say of it
what DR.. Johnson said of dog
walking on its hind legs. 1t is not
done well, but the wonder is that
! it is done at all.
Only a few years ago the men
that are staging these manifesto
! tions in Japan would have been
hanged. How long is it since the
memorable day when II such agi-
tators were hanged in a row? About
10 years, | think. The government
does not hang such men now. 1t
| listens and it watches, and at
times it must pinch itself to see
if it is awake and these things are
really happening before the very
gates of the Mikados palace
grounds.
1t is true that in comparison with
the millions of Japanese workers
wholly unorganized the few thous-
and or so of metal workers, street
railroad employees, shipwrights, car
penters, fabric makers and the like
that have been gathered into or
CARNATIONS look few indeed. But
the numbers of the organized stead
lily increase, and when it comes to
resolution and devotion the Jap
anese unionist seems to be as good
as the best. The one doubt | have
of him, which maybe is not much,
relates to his lack of experience,
discipline and discretion, and per-
haps even in these respects he will
confound the skeptics.
am speaking now of the real
trade union in Japan, not of the
tea party fraternities and rose leaf
benevolent associations with which
it was hoped at one time the i'm
pulse toward association would
nicely and harmlessly end. The
gentlemen that entertained this
hope did but fool themselves. The
trade union movement in Japan was
not to be stopped and wise OBJ
servers would have known the fact.
1t was not to be stopped because
it was not the outgrowth of any
body's will, anybdoy's planning or
anybody's desire, but the sure prod
uct of great and irresistible forces,
and that is what makes it first
of all worth the worlds attention
We can see here, as if under
microscope, exactly why trade
| unions are necessary and how they
are an inseparable part of social
evolution.
While President Wilson's ill-for-
tuned industrial conference was in
| session two years ago | happened
| to remark in the public group that
labor unions were the direct prod
uct of the tyranny and injustice of
employers, Judge Gary bridled up,
and with what might be deemed an
unnecessary show of temper, de-
manded that l furnish proof of that
statement. There seemed to me to
be plenty of it in history, but if |
had known what was going on in
Japan at that time l could have
invited him to observe for himself
reproduction in little Japan of
the whole story of the labor move
| ment and the causes that gave it
| birth.
The fact is that trade unions in
Japan have kept exact and equal
pace with two other profound de-
velopments in Japan's progress.
First, with the growth in Japan
| of fundamental ideas of liberty and
democracy.
Second, with the growth of ia
pan as manufacturing country.
Judge Gary and every other foe
of organized labor will do we'll to
ponder these vital facts. 1t seems
to be their belief that they can
| stamp out organized labor in Amer
ord of the last few years in Japan
that first they must stamp out the
always growing instinct in the
| hearts of men to revolt against OPP
preston, and second, stamp out
America as an industrial nation.
| suppose that only persons that
knew old Japan can Justly estimate
the inroads of democracy there.
Twenty years ago l should as soon
have thought of democracy in
slave ship. A few old heads of
the military and noble castles ruled
the country with a sway like that
| of an old-time conqueror; nobody
dreamed of questioning it. Elec-
tions to parliament were one joke,
and action by parliament, when it
had been elected, was another. One
| person in 80 had the ballot and the
restrictions were such as to insure
the comfortable rule of the invis-
ible government of which the Mix
ado was the revered and amiable
figure-head The worker was a
coolie; did what he was told, work
ed his 10 or Ia hours a day, took
his handful of rice and hurrahed
for it all when signalled to hur-
rah. AS in France before the
revolution, everything seemed set
tied forever. There was no coun-
try in the world where the condi-
ton of the toiler seemed to promise
less hope of change than in Japan.
But it has changed now with a
vengeance. The worker is no long
er coolie and he no longer takes
| with patient submission the exac-
tions of his employer. To any in
| Justice that he cannot correct other
wise he responds with a strike, and
has so often responded in that way
that the practising of exactions on
| him has gone out of fashion. 1t
used to be confidently believed that
Japanese workers would never unite
about anything or for anything.
This around the world is the COM
mon mistake of the exploiter, but
he does not repeat it now in Japan.
There have been too many dem
onstrations to the contrary, some
of them of a nature to cause ex-
ploiters much pain.
| bin lamtwA wv ETAOIN N T f
One night while / was at Yoko-
hama on this last trip there was