The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1922-09-28
PUBLIC s. hPA1HY
i. SACRIFICED

y cklOWleC y" 3nC CIlaI ldUOi uliIoA-
lists have few outside their own ranks
who sympathize with them in their
determination to emancipate mankind
as expressed by Mr.. Gompers, is a
comics sion of the folly Of union meth
ods in the past few years." declares
the Republican Publicity Association,
through it's President, Hon. Jonathan
Bourne, Jr.
''1t has been repeatedly asserted
that labor unionism can never be in
jured by it's avowed enemies-it can
be injured only by it's friends. At
tacks from the outside would only add
to the strength of unionism, if its pol
icies are sound. Unwise principles
and practices can have no other ef-
feet than to arouse public antagOnism.
"When Mr.. Gompers acknowledged
that there are few on the outside who
sympathize with those on the inside,
he practically acknowledged the fall
ure of union leadership. The rank and
file have been followers. 1t is true
that they have refused to accept die
tation as to political activity and have
preserved their right to cast their own
ballots at the polls, but they have left
the shaping Of the policies of union
ism TO the leaders. If, after all these
years of evolution of unionism, there
are few on the outside to sympathize,
the results have been sad indeed.
"When one reviews the record, it is
not surprising that there are few who
sympathize. In 1919 when the police
of Boston went on strike and left the
city at the mercy of outlaws, labor
union leadership gave it's support to
the strikers. When that strike was
over, union leadership demanded that
the strikers be restored to the police
force with seniority rights. Governor
Coolidge refused; the refusal was
made an issue in the campaign, and
Coolidge was reelected by a record
breaking majority. That shows where
unionism lost some Of the public SYM
pathy it had formerly enjoyed.
"When Foster, the !. W. w. leader
was engineering strike in the steel
mills, Federation leadership gave him
its support. The strike failed because
it had no support in public opinion
and unionism lost more of the sympa,
thy it had formerly possessed.
"When the Four Brotherhoods went
- Co.>r-ess with a threat that unless
a certain act was passed by certain
hour the railroads of the countr!
would be tied up, Federation leader.
ship backed that demand. Then oc
Cured the greatest loss of public sym
pathy the unions have ever suffered
During the present strike of shop
men, trainmen deserted their trains IL
Arizona, leaving men, women and chill
dren, sick or we'll, to suffer the un
Dndurable heat and dust of a broat
expanse of desert. Once more union
ism lost heavily in public sympathy.
"When coal miners left their job:
and other men went to dig coal tt
keep American industry going and tt
warm American homes, outlaws il
sympathy with the unions attacked tn
workers and brutally murdered 22 O
them. Leaders Of unions made com
ments in the nature Of extentuation-
and unionism suffered another ire
mendous loss of public sympathy.
"Mr. Gompers is right in sayin>
that there are few on the outside VIII
sympathize-and the appropriat
question is, what is unionism going t.
do about it? Will it go on in tn
course that has proven such a calam
ity ,or will it return to sanity?"