The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-07-07
placed without disturbing the daily

pIaceO WITHOUT uIStuIuIH6 SHS o"N'
routine.
The. only self protection the labor
or has is to combine, as capital has
combined, then he can delegate one
man to represent the thousand work
crs as capital has one man repre-
senting thousands of dollars. This
worker can approach the office man
on somewhat equal terms, he can
say "You represent the numerous,
or the wealthy owner, l represent
the entire bunch of workers, let Us
reason together. The dissatistac-
ton or quitting of this thousand
workers is matter of moment, q
grave concern, and this representa-
tive gets hearing.
There are large establishments
wherein the Owner or Manager is
willing to do the right thing by his
employees and, where the Manager
knows by experience what is needed
or where he depends upon, the
judgement Of some one from the
ranks of the workers, but these cases
hre really executions and, more
over, the working man does not want
to be in n position to take conccs-
sions as a gratuitous matter. gift
only, he must be in position t. de-
mand fair play as a right, and to
demand it on business basis. Most
of the large concerns are managed
by men who-the fair minded in fact
are brought up, so to speak, in the
atmosphere of the Money side of
the question. They have an uncon-
scious "Capitalistic squint" biased
perspective, they cannot sympathizc
with the worker because of having
had no experience along the line
of the working mans life. Without
experience one cannot actually real
ize anything.
This combination need of labor,
called the labor movement, crystaliz-
ed into Unions and Federations,
possesses such elements of strength
and of benificence that we may read
ly admit and acknowledge any weak
nesses and deficiencies. To seek to
destroy the Unions because of de-
fects would be foolishness equal
to trying to overthrow our Govern
ment because of some abuses and
shortcomings, some imperfectious.
Unions are necessary forward
stride in the scheme of our civiliza-
tion-the only requisite being that
good sound judgement and moder-
alton be exercised in their manage
ment. The much spoken of "Dig-
nifty OF. Labor" can only be maintain
n nd hn p,srp 80
respected through the necessity of
dealing with the working man on
somewhat equal terms.
This brings us down to point
where we can take up the matter of
the particular strike condition pre-
vailing at Beulah and give it pre-
liminary survey, advancing some
ideas upon which issue may be Join
ed.
That the original request, culmin-
ating in we'll defined demands, of
the miners, were within reason and
just, cannot be gainsaid. That the
Company had perfect right to re-
fuse these demands is also true, the
Company was under no obligation
| to respect and comply with any de-
mands of the men except to pay
them for what services they rend-
cred in accordance with the Manag.
ers orders. If the Statute said
eight hours should be days work.
+; ing period in and around mine and
the boss said work ten hours, ter
hours goes-the law does not pro
tect man for complying with it
it only Furnishes him for non-com
pliance, there is no law prohibitin.
a "boss" from discharging you fo1
unwillingness to violate our laws
provided he does it under some othe
preteXt. And if the miners wer,
convinced that the check-weighmal
was either negligent about weighin,
the output, or was absolutely guilt.
of defrauding them by underweight
then they could, on being refuse,
corrective action, quit, either singh,
and individually or as a body, thi