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THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
TRADE UNION
EPIGRAMS
BY
WALTER MACARTHUR
WITHIN Us
ISSUED BY
D. C.
H D
5"
Man's
first
duty
is
recognizes
its
WALTER MACARTHUR.
to organize.
wrongs.
The
and the
"spirit of organization"
" are
interchangeable
The
"
spirit of progress
terms.
of trade unionism shows
after all, man was not made to
The record
that,
mourn.
common
progress.
The
trade union
is
public liberty.
Trade unionism that is not purely practical and simply sensible is not trade
unionism at all.
The extent
When a man tires at the "slow progress" of the labor movement a good recipe
is to stand off a bit and survey the work
actually accomplished.
After
all,
is
but
trial
soul.
The need
of the
new members
formed.
is
how
how
instinct.
"
its
labor lies in
it lacks
in
therefore
stinct
The
repeat
its
The
final limit of
power
In
fails.
state
of universal organization
justice
dom of conferring whenever possible generally displays little stomach for sterner
methods when forced to meet them.
To say that the creator is greater than
the created is well enough as a generalization, but we should be careful not to
use that saying in justification of conditions the tendencies of which are in their
nature uncontrollable. For instance, we
should not say that the creator of a fire
in a powder magazine is greater than the
thing actually created, i. e., the explosion
that follows as a natural sequence. So, in
industrial affairs a body of free and intel-
Morals of
about the
its evils.
The
A strike
You can
least
war.
as
the Strike.
ditions of being by means solely intellectual any more than you can appease
hunger by reading a menu.
The
that
for fight
which
and when
it
power
work
No man
'
'
it accomplishes something."
"
Generally speaking,
respect for the
rights of the third party," as that phrase
is used in connection with strikes, implies disrespect for the rights of the other
two parties.
That species
to strike
cised.
is
exer-
Compit Isory
Compulsory arbitration
is
compulsory
servitude.
The compulsory
-would
arbitrationist
A rbitra tion
spirit of
him
No government can
between
labor.
animal.
employer's court.
is
The man who cites compulsory arbitration as a remedy for strikes might with
The
principle of
compulsory
arbitra-
i.
labor, rhay with
e., enforced
equal propriety be extended to enforce
idleness, to enforce starvation in other
words, to inflict death.
tion,
lower
arbitration.
power to
common
sense.
strain it, and apply the microand you will find that the real sentiment of the compulsory arbitrationist is
Skim
takes
the
is the predicate of
consequently there can be
no need of physical compulsion in the
acceptance "of that resort. "Compulsory
is compulsion, as opposed to
arbitration
hardly necessary to say that abolishing an evil and suppressing the complaint about it are entirely different, and,
in fact, antithetical, propositions.
and
Honorable terms
scope,
It is
human
arbitration,
the
pure
good
it,
its
own
itself
worth while.
master.
We
very
little
lect that
ployer.
off
to the day's
is
easily.
an hour
live.
life.
It is inevitable
at
The basis of the shorter workday movement is recognition of the truth that man
The reduction of the hours of labor increases production by virtue of the law
that demand increases supply.
The early closing of stores makes for
the earlier opening of the rational era in
the lives of the store workers.
The movement to reduce the hours of
labor will continue as long as labor itself
continues to be merely physical exertion
for the maintenance of animal existence.
The shorter workday
is
A working
' '
portant question before the labor movement, and will continue to be such, because it is the simplest and most direct,
way of adjusting the problem of distribu-
tion.
Child Labor.
The employer of child labor
cide on the wholesale.
is
a homi-
Speaking
literally
Every child
We should
who
of
is
The
"in
we
to subterfuge.
all
tied to a
" wheels
If
added
after life.
issue.
If Tom Hood had lived in the Southern
States he would probably have chosen
the child worker as the theme of his
"Song."
Those parents who are forced to depend
for support upon their children do not
necessarily love them the more on that
account.
who
Gradgrind himself shines as a sentimentalist in comparison with the Southerner who insists that the children should
be put in the factory instead of in the
school.
payment
' '
are
and
piece-work
synonymous terms.
' '
' '
' '
part
"
piece,"
larger the wage by the
" whole."
the smaller the wage by the
The
stood.
is
easily under-
is
paid by the
sum
low
customary with the thought-
wages.
less to
hold up the
man who
saves out of
a small
man
The
label:
may
tell
if
label.
To know
conditions,
insignia of indus-
decency.
if
The
of strikes
union label
child can operate it
cotts the
and boy-
is
simplicity itself.
that is, ask for it.
Government by Injunction.
In the case of the injunction in labor
contempt of court is respect for
disputes,
law.
in revolt against their assumption of superiority to all law, natural as well as statutory.
up*
and women.
injunction judge who cares to
stands in public estimation
can get a fairly reliable line on the point
by reading the jokes about him now
going the rounds of the funny papers.
The
know how he
The Labor
The
labor press
is
Press.
The
labor press
is
preceptor.
free press.
edi-
The
power
whose
it
interests
new
daily press.
Union Industry.
"Union Industry"
happier homes
is
grounds.
compensation for
The internecine
movement keep us
The
labor
for
own business is
The man who talks about the sacri" he has made for the labor movement usually spends most of his energies
' '
fices
"
in the effort to
get back his
as much more as possible.
own
"
and
' '
alone
stration.
The "labor leader" who fully appreciates the responsibility of his office is to
be commended but the "labor leader"
who falls into the error of regarding himself as indispensable is in need of a severe
;
corrective.
it
libel,
There
' '
isn't
the union
tion.
that much of
the so-called dissension in the ranks of
organized labor .is but the inevitable
It is gratifying to reflect
a perfectly peaceful
ex-
terior.
cigar
Possibly the tenement-house
manufacturer advertises his weeds by the
name of Robert Burns, " " Tom Moore,
"
Henry George," or other friend of humanity, as a salve to the conscience of
those members of organized labor who
smoke them.
' '
' '
and the non-union man who assumes no obligation at all and what
labor
choice there
is
The disposition
ties in
affairs is
or frailty.
10
It is well that we should draw a clear
distinction between the member who displays a great deal of enthusiasm in debate
is
who
business.
Labor and
It is the worker, not the voter,
governs the conditions of labor.
own
Politics.
The power
of the workers
is
not in their
trouble.
se,
By
their votes
men may
it is
declare for a
only by their
Much
may
may be
it.
11
Labor and
the Government.
its
is
less
need
for those.
A militia
We
Labor
is
entirely reliable
labor
"Friend of
itself.
clearly
favorites.
When
judgment.
Word With
Too many men would rather be recognized as " radical " than as right.
Too many persons set about reforming
the world before informing themselves.
trouble with the man who can see
no hope ahead of him is simply that he
The
is
' '
the Reformer.
It is the "dreamer" who keeps the
world from going to sleep altogether.
About the least effective way of advocating any particular theory of reform is
to cast discredit
The
upon other
theories.
be better evidenced by the opposition than by the approval with which it is at first greeted.
force of a truth
may
12
The man
' '
whether
it
in the
' '
Progress
humankind
visions.
bumps.
Novelty in reform ideas, as in everything else, will attract a crowd. But novelty and soundness are entirely different
things.
The
knowing
it.
We
of their fellows.
hind.
is
it is
practical or speculative.
past only to
resembles the navigator who
should attempt to shape a course without
knowledge of the time at first meridian.
Both are bound to be very much at sea
in the end.
contemn
it
' '
' '
"
Much of
sive "
The
unpalatableness.
Recognition
poor bases by
to judge principles. He who confines his observations on the subject of
gravitation to the operations of a kite or
a balloon is likely to be seriously at fault
in his conclusions.
which
oj the
Union.
class.
13
If consistency were a marketable commodity the average employer would probably keep in stock an entirely different
brand of anti-union argument (?).
The
one, declare
doubt as to
its
correctness.
' '
ent and more successful if he would recognize the line between his business and the
business of the human race.
in
own
its
friendship
most strenuous
run his own
in claiming the right to
"
is frequently most insistent in
business
the claim that it is the duty of his employes to attend to the advertising end
is
'
'
thereof.
The Daniel who should come to judgment on the contract between a trade
union and a corporation would find that,
according to the latter's construction,
there is more 'than a pound of flesh nominated in the bond.
Business men would do well to remember that the logical remedy for any dis-
To Certain
Even the beasts of the field
value of sticking together.
know
the
Critics.
Consider the opponent of trade unionism, and you will find one who lacks system in most of his thoughts and actions.
but none
the fault-
it.
14
The labor movement, like every other
movement that moves, is subject to a good
deal of uncomplimentary remark from
those who stand still and sneer. Probably
the mule who looks over the fence and
wobbles an ear at the lightning express
has a rather small opinion of railroad
speed.
The man who in these days will seriously debate the affirmative of the question, "Resolved, That trade unions are a
menace to the prosperity of the country," belongs to that order of persons
who, when the case goes against them,
find their only relief in cursing the
court.
General Observations.
Even death itself may shortly have to
way to the trust as the "great
give
leveler."
The man who opposes Chinese exclusion is interesting chiefly as the exception
that proves the rule.
The
The
The
The community which leases its lawbreakers has no logical claim to respect
for its laws, and in fact receives very little
of that.
The
is
the crime
can not
accumulate
be atoned for by giving in alms to one,
that which has been taken in greed from
of living to
riches. It
another.
The efficacy of the labor aphorism depends not so much upon its literal truthfulness as upon the fact that the unbeliever must think to the extent of half a
column or so
in order to disprove
it.
When
money
all it
The
"A
saying,
dollar saved
is
a dollar
most generalizations,
earned," like
is
little
and no requirement
In the sentimental view Chinese excluis regarded as a denial of the Brotherhood of Man practically, however, it is
but an application of the principle of selfpreservation, which recognizes no quession
tion of lineage.