davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
COMPANY UNION leaves
WORKERS WITHOUT SCALE

Employees of the acknowledgements
Lumber company. of Beliinghan,,
Wash. fell into the SHOP committee
trap and now they nave no wage
scale. This company "union," man-
ipulated by company employees and
petty officials, has been used by the
mill management to reduce WAGES.
This company" says Harry Call,
general organizer of the Timber
Workers International union, lis the
largest lumber company in this sec
ton of the state. Its employees lis
ened to the high-sounding promises
Of the so-calIed shop committee plan.
Today they have no wage scale at all.
Under their efficiency wage scale they
will not know what their rates of pay
for passed month will be until they
have been graded by a foreman.
The program means cheap wages
and q dependence on the good will
of a foreman. 1t means loss of in
dustrial Independence on the part Of
the workers. It invites unfair and
uncalled-for attacks on business men
who are not interested and not in
sympathy with a Cheap town. It
means a. standing notice to men who
want decent living and working con-
ditions to stay away from BelltnS-
ham"
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05

public, but 1t will probably be several
times his official stipend.
All Of which, we think, makes these
queries in order:
To what extent was Governor Hard,
ing influenced in his opposition to the
revival Of tho War Finance Corpora,
ton by the interest he and his friends
had in the '$1oo,ooo,ooo corporation by
the interest he and his friends had in
the s1oo,ooo,ooo corporation which was
then in process Of ineubation?
Then we would like to have someone
tell US what Secretary of the Treasury
Houston will do after he quits the Treas
ury Department OIL March 4.
When those two questions have been
disposed Of we would PROFOUND a third:
What chance have the people of the
United States to SECURE disinterestod
service from officials dealing in large
financial transactions, some of them
running into the hundreds of millions
of dollars when big Business is al
ways at the door Of the government
office prepared to properly rcward''
those who have been "friendly'' in the
discharge Of a public trust.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
IIARD1NG's IMPORTANT TASK.

Probably the most important task Mr..
Harding will be called upon to perform
as President will be the appointment
Of the successors Of the four justices of
the supreme court who, having long
since passed the ago limit, are expected
to retire within the next year or two.
Will he select reactionaries or lib
erals? VIII he accept the recommen-
dations OF Penrose, Smoot and Lodge
or will he ignore Special Privilege and
consider only the interests Of the masses
of the people,
Upon the answers to those questions
will depend the complexion Of the court
for the next fifteen or twenty years.
AS now constituted, the court is reac-
tionary. Almost without exception it's
decisions place undue emphasis on the
privileges of the dollar and fail to give
proper consideration to the interest of
human beings.
President Wilson named three of the
sitting justices. Two-Clarke and Bran
deis-are liberals. One-McReynolds-
is pronounced reactiona!y.
Wilson was urged to select Franklin
L. Lane, then secretary If the interior
and liberal, in place :f McRcynolds.
Had he accepted the advice the federal
child labor law would have been de-
clared constitutional ami tens of thou
sands Of little ones would have been
liberated from industrial serfdom.
That humane law was wiped off the
statute books by the supreme court by
| vote Of five to four, McReynolds cast
ing the deciding vote. Lane had openly
defended its constitutionality.
On every other great issue which has
divided tho court, Justice McReynolds
has been found with the reactionary
! group, and in more than one instance
his vote decided cases vitality affecting
the welfare of mankind.
| We arc not asking the presidential
to "pack'' the court for or against
some class. We would like to see him
select big, liberal men, with twentieth
century point Of view. There are plenty
Of such men among American LAWYERS
but they will not be recommended tt
Mr.. Harding by the Penroses, Smoots
| and Lodges.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
4 SOBER SECOND THOUGHT.

There are signs on the financial hori,
ION which indicate that Big Business
is thinking over its determination to
destroy organized labor. There seems
to be some little inclination to get to-
gether and talk things over.
For Big Business may have it's own
troubles the next few years, without
hunting up additional ones. It will
have all it can do to keep up it's head
above water. Falling prices and slack
ening demand will present all the prob
lens the business man will have time
to take care Of.
To "bring organized labor to its
knees,'' as Big Business has threat
eped to do, requires general closing
down of industry, and the bringing
about Of general unemployment. But
unemployment means a decreased buy
ing power, and what Big Business must
do now, if it is to avoid general
crash, is to stimulate demand rather
than lessen IT,. Business might crush
labor, but it would destroy itself in
the process.
Some business men are seeing this
and arc crying halt to the labor bait,
ers
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
Church Alone Stands With Labor
In Present ''0pen Shop" campaign

1.-THE so-ealled open shop is sup
ported by the bench, the bar, poll
tlclans and practically all of the daily
newspapers. but it is significant that
the greatest moral force in the coun-
try stands with labor on this ques-
tion," writes Frank Morrison, secre-
tary of the A. r. of L., to a Phila-
delphia newspaper,
The theory of big business is re-
jected by the church." says the trade
unionist. THE representative of the
church, regardless of creed, denounce
the so-called open shop and declare
it is an attempt to crush organized
labor. The commission on church
and social service Of the Council of
Churches of Christ in America, repre-
santing 81 Protestant denominations
with a membership Of 18,620,186 in
$4,000 churches. has taken this posi-
ton, and the National Catholic Well
fare council, composed Of representa-
tive bishops of thst church, declare
that the open shop is a mask for
non-unionisn and is not only men,
ace to wage earners, but threatens
the whole structure OF industrial
peace.
'These church men have probed the
open shop. They have treated this
subject from the standpoint of prin-
ciple rather than terms. They find
that the open shop is non-union, both
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
APPlET0N'S TRIBUTE TO
LATE CARL lEG|Eh

''Those who hav Known Carl Lee
glen and have seen him IT work OIL
behalf of his own countrymen and Of
men and wimen in other countries.
are inclined to feel that his passing
leaves empty place tnat cannot be
filled" writes w a. Appleton of Lon
don, England, secretary of the Gen.
eral Federation of Trade Unions, on
the death of Carl Legien, German
trade unionist. who was president of
the International Federation of Trade
Unions. before the war.
Exceptional, in that he combined
the qualities of the orator and the
administrator he did much for this
German worker even while the He-
henzollerns were in power" says APP
pleton.
During his regent stay in London 7
had many opportunities Of discussing
Gernany's position and future with
him. We compared each others parts
in the great war that has passed, and
agreed that each had done his hest
for his country according to his infor~
nation and understanding. and that
there was neither reason nor justifi
cation for rejecting upon each others
conduct, Or for containing in our per-
sons the unhappy spirit engendered
by the war.
1--WE agreed to cry suits as far as
the past was concerned and to unite
in the struggle to raise the common
conception of right and the common
standard of well-heing.'
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
Ah1I,uN|0N|STS CAN NO
LONGER hide HYPOCRISY

THE true character of the cleverly
advertised open shop American
plan movement, and of the men who
are behind it. was brought out so
sharply during the New York hous-
ing inquiry that the exposure seemed
almost Indecent" says Editor Skemp,
Of the Painter and Decorator.
"Officials of the American Bridge
company, branch OF the United
States Steel corporation, and of the
Bethlehem Steel company, of which
Charles Schwab' is president. were
forced to admit that the two con-
Germs had refused to sell stru ctural
steel to the ThompsonStarret Con-
struction company and the George
A. Fuller company because these
firms employ union labor.
1.-The insincerity hypocrisy, mental
dishonesty and unscrupulousness Of
Judge Gary, Schwab and other advo-
Gates of the open shop can no longer
be hid; their protested concern for the
freedom Of the individual worker is
in truth, a desire to proiopg their OPP
portunity to coin fabulous profits out
of the exploitation of cheap imported
labor, their flambuoyant patriotism a
cloak under which they defy every
law of God and man. They and their
schemes are utterly discredited in the
eyes of honest men,"
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
UPLIFT LAWS FAIL.

"The willingness with which we IN.
dertake to regulate by law the per,
sonal habits Of private citizens is a
source of perpetual establishment to Eu,
ropeans,' says Raymond B. Fosdick in
his book on "American Police svs.
tems.''
During the world war the author was
chairman of the commission on training
camp activities of the war and navy
departments.
"Nowhere in the world,' he says, "is
there so great an anxiety to place the
moral regulation Of social affairs in the
hands of the police, and nowhere are
the police so incapable of carrying out
such regulations. Our concern, more
over, is for external things, for result:
that arc formal and apparent rather
than essential.
"We are less anxious about prevent
ing man from doing wrong to other,
than in preventing him from doing wha1
we consider harm to himself. We likt
to pass laws to compel the individual
to do as we think he ought to do 70,
his own good. We attack symphonic
rather than causes, and in doing 50 We
create species of moralistic despotisn
which overridcs the private conscience
and destroys liberty where liberty i.
most precious
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
MURDER WILL OUT.

Duluth Street Railway officials re-
port that the confidential secretary to
the PRESIDENT has abseonded with
$l57, 900 in securities hold in trust by
the president in safety deposit vault.
That was a fine bunch Of reserve for
a company to hold that is attempting
to make the public believe it is on the
verge Of bankruptcy and cannot help
the city by paying its share i'll making
public improvements unless it is per-
mitted to increase it's carrying charge.
Why was any portion of the COM
pany's reserve held in the safety de-
post vault Of a Minneapolis bank,
away from the watchful eye Of the city
assessor Of Duluth? The company's
books show that. it has ''somewhere'
q depreciation fund of moro than a
million dollars. Apolosists for the
company say that the "depreciation -
fund does not mean anything; that it
is merely book "charge off, The
fact that $l57,O of this amount has
/ been stolen would indicate that more
of that big fund is In hiding.
Again we say: ''The Duluth Street
Railway company cannot expect to get
a "squarc deal as it calls it, from
the people Of Duluth until it comes
clean. 1t is always holding something
back, It's officers have never made an
honest disclosure to the city officials.
They do not even dare to take their
case into state court for fear they
will be forced to disclose. That is why
they beat the city to it and prayed for
an injunction in tho United States court
before the city had all opportunity to
mandamus the company and compel it
to Hshow cause" in a state court.
There is no doubt but that the icon
6aential secretary to the PRESIDENT OF
the Duluth Street Railway company,
| who is now advertised as an abSconder,
knows all about the inside financial
habits Of the officers Of the company,
and felt that even if he did take certain
securities he would be safe in doing 50,
| as there were lot more where they
came from which the company would
! not want to have known.
We would like to hear of that bird
being caught and brought homo. He
might help to straighten out the pres
! ent street railway mess.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
practice and intent.

in practice and intent.
1.-The keystone Of trade unionisn
is collective bargaining through rep
resentatives Of the workers choosing.
The open shopper demands that each
individual worker treat with employ
ers,
'To state this case would seem suf
ficient to prove the ineffectiveness of
Individual bargaining in an age of
gigantic corporations whose owners
never see the plant, do not even know
where it is located, and are only in
terested in dividends.
stripped Of it's pretense, the omen
shop is anti-union because it denies
workers the very thing that forces
them to unite. The fact that trade
unionism exists is proof that individ-
ual bargaining has failed. Workers
join trade unions because economic
nee essity forces them to Unite. When
they fail as individuals to secure JUS
tlce. they unite with their fellows
Our opponents refuse to recognize
this.
THE open shop agitation will run
it's course. Organized workers are too
well acquainted with history, with
| anti-conspiracy laws and other at
| temps to stop organization, to be dis
couraged at this late-day antagonisn,
! that is based on such self-eviden. de-
ceit"
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
MIR. SCHWAB'S SITUATION.

More than $l00,O00,000' was stolen
from the shipping board, according to
Colonel Abadie, former controller gen.
oral Of the board.
a large part of tho money, he says,
went to the Bethlehem Steel company,
while Charles NJ. Schwab, the "Master
Of Bethlehen',' was serving his country
as chairman of the shipping board.
The colonel volunteers the opinion
that Mr.. schwab knew nothing Of the
transaction and will "gladly'' refund
the cash as soon as the government COM
pletes its case. However, the colonel
il quite positive that the thcfts could
not have been consummated if Mr..
schwab had not, with rare patriotic
fervor, agreed to take charge of the
shipping board while still retaining his
interest in Bethlehem.
Only a master mind could solve the
complex and important problems of both
positions, and Mr.. Schwab had that
kind Of mind. Unfortunately it was
not keen enough to follow the opera
tions Of certain light-fngered gentlemen
employed by Mr.. Schwab in his Beth
lehem plant.
l. While their upright boss was helping
| his country these vile creatures, with
out his knowledge or consent, stole from
the funds he was administering and
placed the money to the credit of their
employers corporation.
Of course, they never said anything
| to Mr.. Schwab about it. Crooked en-
ployes never do. They just "swipe" a
million or two, turn it over to their I'M.
suspecting and improbable superior and
then go on about their business. They
don't expect to be rewarded. They
loot the treasury and take a chance on
going to the penitentiary, for the love
Of the thing.
1t will cost Uncle Sam million dol
lars to audit the accounts left by Mr..
Sehwab< and other patriots. who served
on the shipping board. Colonel Abadie
believes that in addition. to the 1loo,.
900, 900 whick MI, sehwab 4 lisuten.nts
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
RACK TO NoRMALUY."

Under date of December !, the Wall
Street Journal in it's leading editorial,
discussing the supply of unskilled labor,
said:
"When the real adjustment comes the
unskilled worker finishes where he be-
longs-at the bottom of the list. He
will be able to live on So day when
he is lucky enough to get that amount
regularly. Wages which in the spring
before the panic of 1sYs were So. a day
fell to $2 in the autumn of that year,
with employment hard to find, The cost
of living will adjust itself. The Labor
Bureau will give up publishing nonsense
about $4,000 a year minimum for a
fancicd family Of tive.' The unskilled
worker will thank goodness that he has
no family of five or indeed anybody but
himself to support; nor will any en-
ployer pay him ON the basis of any
such fatherhood, as the bankrupt and
discredited 1nterehurch World Move
ment absurdly proposed i'm it's gratui-
tous inquiry into the steel strike.
$50 far as immigration is concerned
we want more labor, as we shall rapidly
discover when people are rcallotted to
their proper jobs. This Is particularly
true of. domestic service. Not all the
munition workers have gone back to
washing dishes. Not for long will the
housekeeper pay the green hand 500 a
month with board and lodging for learn
ing here elementary business. This
country can run best on the basis Of
plentiful domestic service at $40 a
month with respectful and competent
maids receiving $25 month and glad
to get it,
The Wall Street journal is the Off
cial organ Of the big plutes and voices
their sentiments. The above editorial
is the bosses polite way Of telling the
workers that they can take the bones
tossed to them without grumbling-or
starve.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
WAGE REDUCTIONS.

We hear much nowadays about labor
taking a reduction in wages. Many
reasons are advanced why this should
be done.
Some are to the effect that there has
been a substantial decrease in living
costs and consequently wages should
come down. Such lcgic is based upon
the assumption that labor is entitled to
subsistence wage only; and that all
benefits resulting from improved ma
chinery and the increased productive.
ness of the workers belong only to the
employer.
Logic Of this sort, if it. may be thus
termed, is obsolete. Arguments based
upon this assumption no longer carry
weight with thinking persons and least
Of all with the organized workers.
Labor does not hope to hold itself
aloof from the operation of economic
laws governing the determination Of
wages, but it does insist that the injus'
tlces and inequalities existent before
the war be eliminated and that wages
henceforth shall be sufficient to main.
tain the improved standard that has
been achieved.
It may be that labor will accept q
wage reduction but such reduction must
be preceded by Substantial decline in
living costs Of more than temporary
| nature.
Whatever the result, it must be uu
derstood that pre-war conditions shall
not be restored. Wages may rise and
fall as in times past but always will
labor insist that they be sufficient, t.
meet that ever higher standard thu.
has made the American worker The
greatest producer in ths world.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
JUVENILE COURTS.

More than $4,000 children were
brought before courts in the United
States in the past year. OF these, $4,000
came before courts not adapted to han
ding children's cases. Although every
state except had laws providing for
Juvenile probation, less than half the
courts hearing children's cases actually
had probation service.
The majority Of the courts failed to
make adequate investigation of the
child's home and family circumstances,
his physical and mental condition, and
his personal tendencies.
However, certain important tenden-
cies are noted in juvenile court work.
The intelligent methods worked out by
the best courts are being adopted by
others. Facilities for mental and ply
steal. examinations are being extended.
Cooperation between the courts and the
other social agencies has been increas'
ing, and in some instances social agen-
cies have given the services of trained
social workers for probation work.
A further development is indicated in
the tendency to merge the cases of
children with those Of their families,
and to try them before "family" or
"domestic relations' courts. In this
way the child is dealt with as a member
Of his family and all the family cir
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05

Or did the system collapse because
it rested ON greed2
The history Of production and dis
tribution in every country convicts the
individual-bargaining employer. He had
free hand in dealing with free and
independent workers and these en-
ployes were driven into unions like wild
horses on the prairies, who are forced
to form a circle, with heads in and
heels out, to protect themselves from
the wolves
When wage. earners had no voice in
working conditions they were ground
down as are the steel trust 3 | / and 49,
hour serfs in 1921.
If individual bargaining means JUS
tice to the workers, why must. it be
protected by spies, gunner and the in
junction judge'
Why does it succumb to trade union
ism when workers are permitted free
! choice?
Workers unite because of necessity.
They unite when they find that fairy
| tales, broken promises, injustice and de-
| ccit are poor substitutes for economic
! need.
The employer who talks of individual
bargaining has had his day in court.
He had individual bargaining and his
employees were compelled to organize.
He feudalized his employees once, now
he wants to fsudalize them again.
Docs he imagine that workers forget
when he talks Of the "glories' Of in
dividual bargaininge
g burnt child breads the fire.
Agitate! Educate! Organize!
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05
PEOPLES MONEY USED
TO PAY war EXPENSES

Ninety three per cent Of the peo-
ples money is used for purposes Of
war and one per cent for purposes Of
education. said Congressman Mans
field Of Texas, no called attention to
scientific study made by DR., Rosa
of the United State bureau of stand
ards on expenditures b. Our govern
ment for the year 1920 DR.. Rosa
showed that 50 per cent of the total
appropriations last year were for war
and preparations for war, 3 per cent
for public work and | per cent for
research, education and development.
When Germany was using prac-
ticaily all Of her resources in build
ing up great military and naval es-
tablisEments.'' said Congressman
Mansfield, the entire civilized world
stood in awe at her until the oppor-
tune moment arrived for forming a
vast coalition to encompass her de-
feat. We now find this nation follow
ing in the footsteps of Germany and
pursuing the same course which we
condemned in that nation as being a
menace to mankind. And, strange to
say, We find men high in the counsels
of both political parties who, then
loudest in their condemnation Of Ger
many, are now longest in their ad-
vocacy of having this country pur-
sue the same course that led to that
nations downfall.
Instead of taxing Or people to
the verge Of slavery to fill the Golfers
of those who profit in the building Of
great naval and military establish
ments, let us divert a reasonable pro-
portion Of our funds to tn more use
fl, necessary and humane purpose Of
the habilitation and comfort of
those who were made sufferers by
the late war"
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05

helped to. get away with, little more
than $soo,0o0,o00 was mislaid, or lost
or stolen, He doesn' It seen, to know just
what happened to it,
Wouldn It it be dreadful if the million,
dollar audit were to develop that large
slice of the 100000, 900 had been hauled
over to Bethlehem and put in Mr.,
Schwab's strong box while he was de-
livering his favorite lecture entitled:
"Work hard and save, and you'll die
rich!'
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05

'The Grimes Of big business, - says
Mr.. Schwab, "have never to my
knowledge been exactly set forth" Evi,
dsntly he has been overlooking the dis.
closures Of shipping board Transactions
and Bsthlshsm stasl.
The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-02-05

With Senators La Toilette and Reed
checking up against them, coal barons
who are opposing regulation are finding
it a little difficult to get away with
some Of the stuff that they have been
passing over to department Of justice
investigators.