The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1921-02-03
THE OPEN SHOP.

Mems Forum of the North Congrega-
tional Church last Sunday on one of the
most timely subjects before the public of
today, The Open Shop" and it will be
read with interest and profit by all think
ing people. The full text follows: :.
''Mr. President and Gentlemen of the
Forum: Being unpractised in sermoniz-
ing or lecturing, when your pastor asked
me to select subject and open a dis
cussion was reluctant to accept and was
at loss to choose subject. However,
your pastor kindly su uggested the Open
Shop which subject has been a matter
under consideration in my mind for
long time.
"The term Open Shop has distinc-
tive trade meaning and in reference to
trade matters means that in selecting
employees there should be no discrimina-
tion between union and nom union men.
The term excludes the idea of discrimi
nation against men because of their mem
bership in union. The moment men
are Disseminated against with reference
to their employment because they are
union men, the shop pursuing that policy
bee ONES closed shop. The principle
of the open shop is that men are en-
ployed regardless of whether they are
union or non- union. This is the sense in
which open shop is invariably used, the
employer who does not discriminate be-
tween union and nom union labor, but
leaves the matter to the voluntary choice
of his employees maintains an open
shop
"Whether measured by the Democratic
principle of equal rights to all and special
privileges to none, or the Republican
principle of the greatest good to the
greatest number, it seems to me that the
open shop is the only wise course for
America to pursue. Nearly 80 years ago
heard eugene v. Debs talk to the labor
ing men of Portland about the time Ere
England's grief began, when every rod
of ground maintained it's man. He was
probably drawing salary of $4,000 a
year from the labor unions, and ever
since l have observed demagogues and
ing to arouse the laborng people to sup
port them in luxury by stirring up dis
content and disloyalty towards employers
aud the government. So there develops
in the workingman sense of grim op-
preston. The difference between old
time slavery and present slavery is this,
said Eugene V. Debs in Fanueil Hall: The
old-time slaves were worth ST, 800 head,
but you buffers down ,there onsthe floor
aren't worth fifty cents a Carload
think to such men is due in large measure
the prese Mt unrest IN the country. Labor
leaders took advantage of the stress of
war in transportation matters and We mt
to Washington and CO creed Congress
into passing the Adamson law and now
that three and one-halt million of labor
ers are out of employment, the labor
leaders charge that employers are taking
open shop and destroy all that the
trades unions have accomplished.
The labor leaders looked upon the
Clayton Act as labor's Magma Charta, or
la boris Bill of Rights, those fundamental
principles of industrial liberty which
were among the first features of the po-
htlcai policy which the American FEEDER
allon of Labor lnaugurated In 1906. They
exulted in the words that the LABOR of a
human being is not commodity or an
article of commerce. Now the Supreme
| Court holds that the International asso-
clatIon OF machlnlsts were violating the
anti trust law when they tried to prevent
the customers of the Duplex Printing
Press Co. of Battle Greek, Michigan,
from buying or installing Duplex presses
Tne court holds that such boycott is
not included among the rights guaranteed
to the labor unions by the Clay ton Act
That to instlgate sy mpathetlc strike in
aid of a secondary boycott cannot be
oeemed one of the peaceful and Lawful
methods which the law allows the unions
to employ. but Mr.. Gompers says the
decision is a blow at the movement fol
human freedom and progress and in ac-
cord with the most heartless wishes OF
predatory greed denying the aspirations
of humanity. After all the revelations
brought out by the Lockwood committee
of New York of extortlon and blackmai
by labor leaders trying to force the closed
shop comes the news that the Bethlehem
Steel Co. is not only following the open
shop gospel itself, but is steadily follow
ing the policy of selling no steel to build
ers who will not adhere to the open shop
principles. Thus the open shop war is on
IN earnest.
II always admired Grover Cleveland
for the stand he took in the Homestead
strike by calling out the federal troops to
uuell riot and bloodshed. When told by
the unions attorneys that he ad no au-
thorIty to call out the federal troops in
such a case he replie that the govern
ment mail should go forward and that he
would look up the law afterwards.
hoe recantlv iuStitntad an in.