Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1925-09-11

careful preparation Of Labor leader
ship. The need Of educated men 10 |
rpresent Labor in IN councils and con- |
ferences where important questions |
are threshed out with representatives |
Of capital Is becoming more important |
daily. An untutored Labor represen-
tative nowadays stands little chance
in council of educated and unscrupu-
1ous eapitaIistic leaders. Such repre-
sentative lacks the poise, the logic and
the confidence necessary to sour ms
point.
No rhection is intended upon any
Labor leaders VINO have not had ne
opportunity TO become educated. Some
men nave the faculty Of assimilating
knowledge outside the schools. But
they are proportionately rare. Some
Of these have been elevated to places
of leadership because they were pos
sessed of exceptionally strong person
alities and proved to be a dominant
force i'm the councils of Labor. But
the leaders Of the future on the whole
must be selected from thise who have
been given a thorough preparation be
fore even being candidates for places
Of leadership. 4 few assimilate knO@l-
edge. The MANY do not.
Labor has long suffered the reproach
8f having in its ranks a large class vi
men who have been Indifferent to
thorough preparation and training for
vocational or professional life. In 9th
er words, Labor has been the dumping
ground for men Who'll aek ambition and
industry of the quality which urges
man forward in spite of oposition.
The medical profession specifically
closed to those who will not make
thorugh preparation. The far demands
a systematic and extended course of
training in law. SO with a majority
of the professions. But our laws per
NIT laborer to quality in a few
hours with hammer pick or shovel.
Labor is misunderstood. 1t is not
commonly supposed that any particu-
lar skill is required in welding a ham,
mer just a good arm and little en-
ergy; but how many people can drive
nail without wasted effort?
quires that men be trained in compe-
tent workmanship, and that those who
are not trained be denied admission
into the Trade Unions until they quail
ify. This ideal is carried out in part,
but often workmen are admitted just
for the sake of numbers, who are in
no sense a credit to Organized Labor,
judging by the kind of work they turn
out. 1t should be the generally ac-
cepted rule that Union Labor is more
skilful than non-union labor. We
strive for this ideal, and if we are
more careful TO examine those we
admit to our ranks we will surely
come closer to the ideal.
But merely to fill our ranks with
cast-oir men who occupy the lower
strata of life because they have neither
industry nor incentive is the browning
error of labor. Such workmen do the
cause Of trade Unionism more harm
i'm the ranks than if they were left to
"scab' their way through without our
support and encouragement.
Prison labor far private profit is
form of labor which should be ia
bOoed in every enlightened community.
1t is a relic of barbarism. 1t is unjust
competition. 1t acocmplishes nothing
of value either for the state or for
the criminal.
Yet the feeling that criminals should
be put to work accounts for the gen
orally favorable attitude toward prison
labor. The average citizen does not
think of prison labor as being a form
of unfair comretition to legitimate la
bor nor as being a serious drawback
to trade. The average citizen looks
at only one side of the question. He
is anxious only that tn ecriminal he
put TO work. He does not know that
prison labor is bought up by concerns
who wish to make exorbitant profits.
Looking at both sides of he prison
labor question, one sees the falacy
of farming out prison labor to the
highest bidder.