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-jrj Ae'l THE LABOR ADVOCATE The Ideals of Labor An Interesting and Instructive Article By John P. Frye, Editor of The Molders' Journal. It has seemed to some superficial ob servers that organized labor's ideals consist of nothing inorc.than higher and higher wages, shorter hours of labor, -more and more control, and additional rules and regulations affecting employ ment. Perhaps the ideals which have guided the trade union movement of our coun try arc not generally known to the pub lic because trade unionists have been busily engaged in working for their at tainment rather than in crystallizing them into set phrases. In discussing Labor's ideals, or the ideals of any other group, it must be borne in mind that human activities are influenced by more than one motive and that it may be possible to lose sight of the ideals which have influenced men because it appears that other motives also actuated them. We justly honor and approve of the ideals of freedom and independence which influenced the American colon ics and inspired them during the period of the Revolutionary War, yet without doubt sonic of those who' were genu ine patriots did not lose sight of the broad acres they might be able to se cure should the effort for independence succeed, or the public office which they might hold. These motives, however, if they existed, did not necessarily dim the high ideal for which they liked their fortunes and their lives. It is my desire to convey an under standing of what underlies the cfTorls and tendencies of trade unionism so that you may discover the ideals which guide organized labor and influence it more profoundly than anything else. Humanity is under heavy obligations to trade unionism because of the ideals which it has established, and in particu lar our country owes a debt of grati tude to the trade union movement of England for the special service it rend ered to our nation during the darkest days of the Civil War. The instance I have in mind, unfor tunately, like many other great deeds of organized labor, has been passed over lightly fir remained luunentioued by our historians. It will be remembered thai, early in I lie Civil War, eollou was declared a contraband of war by our government, and that this action produced far-reaching results in the cotton spinning and weaving industry of England. s the war progressed, mill after mill vva- forced to shut down and thousands if cotton operatives were thrown out of employment. English bankers and mill owners united in demanding that the British Cabinet should recognize the belliger ency of the Confederate States, anil all f the methods which capital can set in motion were utilized to bring pressure upon the Ilrilish Cabinet. Tln?plea was made that Ilritain's gieat cotton indus try would be destroyed, the invested capital lost and labor buffer as never before It was known that the liritish Cabinet was divided upon the question and in tune blockade runners anchored in the Merc, their holds filled wjt, contra band cotton. Had the government per mitted the unloading of this cotton, it would have been forced to recognize the belligerency of the Confederate states It was at this time that English trade unionist!, declared themselves so defi mtel and so determinedly that the Ilril ish Cabinet hesitated and finally, in face of a rising public opinion, determined lo oiitinuc its refusal to give recognition ! the southern belligerents. Emm the beginning of the Civil War, the Hritish unions had taken a lively in terest in the principles involved. They recognized that one of the vital ques tions was that of the freedom of Labor. Mass-meetings were called throughout the land at which the question was dis cussed One of these, a mass-meeting of trade unions, held in St. James Hall in Lon don, was addressed by John Ilright and a few lines from his oration will help us to understand better the trade union sentiment "Yum wish," lie said, "the freedom of your countr. you wish it for your selves, you stric for it in many ways impartial history will tell that when yarn statesmen were hostile or coldly neutral, when many of your rich men were corrupt, when your press which ought to have instructed and de fended was mainly written to betra), the fate of a continent and of its popula tion being in peril, you clung to free dom with an unfaltering trust that God, in His infinite mercy, would yet make it the heritage of His children." Throughout England the trade unions were aroused, and none more than in Lancashire, where the closing down of cotton mills had brought untold suffer ing upon the workers. These trade unionists were determined that the Gov ernment of'the United States should be sustained in freeing the slaves; they were determined that contraband cot ton should not be landed on English soil, and the demonstrations of their determination were so vigorous that the Cabinet and Parliament were forced to take notice. 'These trade unionists realized that the success of their efforts meant continued privations and sacrifices on their part, and yet it was with this knowledge that they served notice upon the English government that the introduction of contraband cotton would mean a strike on the part of all of the cotton opera tives. These trade unionists, in their hour of self-sacrifice, were guided by something which we are justified in ac cepting as the highest ideal. Shortly after I became a member of my local union, and before I had any adequate grasp of the industrial prob lems or understanding of trade union ism, it was my good fortune to conic into contact with some of the veterans in our movement. One Sunday I went to lioston to .secure advice from John F. O'Sullivan, who lor many years, in addition to his newspaper work, was actively engaged in organizing and as sisting the trade union movement in Massachusetts. Shortly after reaching his home, another man entered and I was introduced to Frank K. Foster, one of the most brilliant laymen which the American trade union movement has produced, and while we were talking another rap came at the door, and in a moment I had the pleasure of meet ing Henry Abrahams who, for twenty live years, lias been secretary of the lo cal Cigarniakers' Union and who has served the Central Labor Union of lioston as its secretary for seventeen years. It seemed strange to me lo find an Irishman and a Unman Catholic, a de scendant of the old New England stock and a Protestant and a man whose an cestors had heard the thunders of Mt. Sinai, greet each other as though they were members of an affectionate family and then devote an afternoon to the dis cussion of ways and means for assist ing the wage-earners of Massachusetts lo secure legislation which would pre vent injustice being done to workers, male and female, union and iioii-union alike. I was able lo understand that some thing which these men had acquired as trade unionists enabled litem to feel that theie was no division between them because of ancestry, race, religion -or political affiliations, but that in theii interest in each other and their interest in all those who toil they were as one. The public gathers its limited knowl edge of trade unionism mostly from newspaper items and editorial com ment, and particularly when some acute industrial dispute is in progress. The public knows but little, if anything, about the every-day activities which aie carried on year by year. Practically all trade unions have a egiilar sick committee, who not only visit sick members and attend to their wants, but who, in addition, see that proper comforts and necessities are provided. The newspapers seldom tell of the beds endowed by trade' unions iu the Hospitals oi our cities. 1 lie miblic is unavvate of the enormous sums of money contributed voluntarily by trade unions locally for the purpose of assist ing the distressed of their own and other organizations. What is infeired by these activities? Is it not that the trade union inovennv t has brotherhood as one of its ideals brotherhood so broad and so deep that it obliterates the linos of nationality, race, creed, politics5 Mrotheihood which extends, without reservation, to all of the toilers of the world? The time at my disposal will not al low me to present the unbounded ma terial evidence which indicates the ideal of brotherhood which we hold, but I can not pass without calling your atten tion to some evidences with which you should be made familiar For many years the members of the Typographical Union have maintained a home in Colorado Springs, where, without cost, members afflicted with tuberculosis and those who have lost their health are given all of the care which skilled physicians can supply, a home where comfort and kindliness sur rounds each inmate like sunshine fall ing upon the flowers The Pressmen's Union maintains a similar institution iu Kogersville, Tenu. Many of our unions pay out enor mous sums each year iu sick and death benefits to their members. The International Molders' Union, up to December 111 of last year, had paid out S,l!.S,:i77.7(l to its members in sick, death and disability benefits Ivtst year the unions affiliated with the American Federation of Labor paid out to their members !F,l,4S3,8IS..'iO iu death, sick, traveling and unemploy ment benefits, and this sum does not take into account the enormous amounts paid out to members from lo cal sources. Trade unionism in America is inter national. The boundary line to the north does not exist so far as our unions arc concerned. The delegates from Canada and the United States meet as members of but one organiza tion. They have but one trade union constitution, they have but one set of officers, there is but one treasury into which their dues are placed, and so far as their activities as trade unionists are concerned, they are the members of but one organization. But in a still broader sense the American trade union movement is in ternational, for it is a part of the Inter national Federation of Labor, which in eludes the trade union organizations of America and of Europe. These condi tions serve to indicate the progress which the trade unionists of the world have made toward their ideal of broth erhood. If we would examine the constitutions of thoseUrade unions representing skill ed or semi-skilled trades, we would find them containing provisions for the edu cation of apprentices. Some, we would discover, provide that the apprentice after a certain period must be placed at work between two journeymen, so that he can have their assistance in qualify ing himself as a craftsman. We would find other organizations providing for the technical education of apprentices. Again we would discover local efforts, such as that in Chicago, through which some fif the unions, the carpenters for instance, have made special provisions for the education of their members, as well as the apprentices, in the theory and practice of their craft. Some of the international unions, finding that no other satisfactory me dium existed, have established schools of their own, one of the best known being that organized by the Typo graphical Union, where, through a cor respondence course, the members are taught the theory and the art of their important cralt. The Pressmen's Unions has estab lished a school at its headquarters, and members from all over the United I States and Canada go to Kogersville, Tenu., to increase their proficiency and j acquire a broader knowledge of their i trade. , During the miuter mouths, many lo-1 cal unions hold courses of lectures for , the education of their members. I' or reasons winch it is unnecessary to discuss at this time, the trade union movement 01 tile united states has never been given the degree of credit to which it is entitled for the prominent, if not predominant, pait which it played iu the establishing of our public school system. Hut a few jears ago the wage-earner's child was practically a charity pupil, the opportunities for an adequate edu cation being confined almost exclu sive!) lo the children of the well-to-do. The history of tiade unionism iu this country from Wit to l.Sll.l is filled with evidence that 'the trade unions of that period were carrying on a tremendous campaign, which had for its purpo'-e the establishing of a public school system, su;poitcd and directed by the State, which would guarantee to eveiy wage earner's child the opportunity of at least an elementary education At a mass-meeting of trade unionists held in New York City in December, IVJ'J, the following resolution was adopted : "Resolved, That next to life and lib erty, vve consider education the great est blessing bestowed upon mankind. "Ucsolvcd, That the public funds should be appropriated, to a reasonable extent, for the purpose of education upon a regular system that shall insure the opportunity to every individual of obtaining a competent education before he should have arrived at the age of maturity." In September of the same year, a mass-meeting of trade unionists in Phil adelphia adopted resolutions of like im port, the preamble of which read: "No system of education which a free man can accept has yet been established for the poor, whilst thousands of dol lars of public money have been appro priated for colleges and academies for the rich." At a trade union meeting held in Bos ton iu 18110 it was resolved: "That the establishment of a liberal system of education obtainable by all should be among the first efforts of every law-giver who desires the con tinuance of our national independence." And shortly afterwards the general trade union movement of Cincinnati is sued an appeal to the West stating that their efforts would be directed toward elevating the condition of the workmen and obtaining a national system of education. The trade unions have been foremost in working for the passage of legisla tion establishing free text books, and one of the prime motives which has led to extended trade union activities for the prevention Of child labor has been the intention' that the children of the poor should secure at least an element ary education before facing the prob lems of life. But the trade unions go farther than this in their efforts to educate their members. Their literature includes the discussion of civic problems, civic duties and responsibilities. Their publica tions abound with articles dealing with economics, sociology and industrial his tory. Continual efforts are made to teach every member those things con nected with self-government which arc essential to every citizen. y No group in the community has real ized more keenly that education is es sential to their welfare and that without educatioti their ideals are unattainable. Trade unionists look upon education in it1- broadest sense as one of the corner stones upon which the structure of trade unionism is erected. Education, then, in its truest and broadest sense, is one of the ideals of Labor, and as an evidence that this is so today, let me quote a few sentences from the report of the Committee on Labor which was unanimously adopted at the convention of the American-Federation of Labor held in San Francisco last year. "Education," the committee reported, "is necessarily the foundation of any re public. Education is necessary to the perpetuity of any republic; it is, there fore, the essential duty of this Republic to guarantee every child an adequate education. Everybody believes iu edu cation. Differences arise not upon its value, but upon the question of what a true education should consist of, who should be educated, how far and by what methods they should be educated, and what persons should conduct such education. "Education should include whatever we do for ourselves and whatever is done for us by others, and for the ex press purpose of bringing us nearer to the perfection of our nature. In its largest conception, education should comprehend even the indirect effects produced on character and on the hu man faculties, by things by which the direct purposes are different, by law, by forms of government, by industrial arts, and by modes of social, economic and civic life. Education should compre hend the culture which each generation gives to those who are to be its succes sors, in order to best qualify them for at least keeping up and, if possible, for raising the improvement of mankind winch has been attained." It may appear to those who have not seen beneath the surface, that the trade union ideal is more and more, higher and nigncr wages, suoiter and snorter hours of labor, more control in industry anil additional rules and regulations affecting lanor. it lias even iicen Meld that the wage-earner in scenting an advance in wages is in effect accomplishing what the stockholder secures when dividends are increased. Hut what we must undei stand if we are to grasp the trade union ideals is the trade union's ievv point. What is it that the trade unionist aims to secure through an advance in wages' What do shorter hours of labor mean to him, and why does he struggle so pcisistctitl) and courageously to secure both? What are wages? What do the) mean to the wage-eat iter? They are not so many dollars and so many cents they are the man's life, thev ate the factor which determines what measure of decency, of comfort and of opportunity the wage-eat tier will have in this life. The amount of these wages determines whether the home shall be a back room iu a crowded tene ment district or whether it will be a separate dwelling, surrounded by pmc air and sunshine and conducive to' health and comfort. These dollars and cents which come iu the weekl) pay envelope deteimine the quality and the quantity of the food ! which shall enter the home. They de termine the comforts and conveniences I and opportunities which the wagc- earner's family can enjoy. The) de- j termine the wage-earner's standard of living. The) determine whether his body I shall be nourished and vigorous or J whether it shall be underfed and weak- I encd. These wages determine still more they determine the physical, the mental, and the moral standards of the over whelming majority iu all of our indus trial centers. If there is an) thing iu the realm of human activities which has been imcon trovertibly demonstrated by scientific in vestigation during recent ears it is that wages profoundly influence ph)sical and mental standards. The vital statistics of both Europe and America dcmonstiate that the home en vironment and the quality of the food largely detenniue the physical and men tal characteristics of the toilers and determine also the degree of vitality (V'ith which their children enter into this vvoi Id. A recent federal investigation in Monlclair, New Jersey, indicated that the average infant mortality was 81 per thousand, but in the homes where the lower paid workers lived the rate was Kio per thousand, that where the in come to the family was $11! per week the death late was twice as large as Defective Eyesight If your eyes arc in any way defective, let mc restore them to the normal. Examination without the use of drugs. J. RORB OPTOMETRIST I K Wact Qlvlh Ct Neil Door to GUIs Engine House I 0 YIBbl OlAlll OIi Established 1858 BUY YOUR UNION GOODS OF MAX H. G0LDH0FF Hatter and Gents' Furnisher 1425-27 Vine Street Union Made Shirls Union Made Hals, $1.45 and $1.90 Wear Siebler Clothes MADE TO MEASURE $15.00 SIEBLER TAILORING CO. Fifth and Elm Streets Save Your Combings We make them up into switches, transformations, puffs, etc. All work guaranteed. BENZINGER'S HAIR STORE Tormerly HAMBROCK'S Phone C. 1304-X 1S27 VINE, Below Liberty Mail orders given prompt and careful attention. Write for information. Good Things To Eat 28 Opera Place A Full Line of Gents' Furnishing Goods with the Union Label Henry Guthardt 1531 Vine St. Cincinnati, O. GEO. C. SIEFKE TAILOR 506 MAIN STREET Phone Canal 285 CINCINNATI All Kinds of Cakes and Confections forPartles, Weddings, Balls, Etc., a Specialty The Union Bakery A . WOLF, Proprietor Baker of Bread, Rolls and Cake 1SS3 CENTRAL AVE. Phone West 3670-L CINCINNATI.O. M. ANDREAS, Prop. Phone Canal 342 Peoples Market House STRICTLY UNION 1218 Linn St. 120 West Elder St. 703 McMillan St. 8th St. and Matson Piece, Price Hill. Fit-Rite Merchant Tailoring Co. 407 E. Filth St., one door east of Broadway Suits to Order from $15.00 up Why not be good to your feet and trea them to a pair of our shoes Robert Brinkman DEALER IN FINE FOOTWEAR 24 Fifteenth St., near Race Phone C. 1362-X Gtl "Neil" lo Real Values and WEAR BRINKMAN'S SHOES Walnut Hills Dairy Co. Producers of Absolutely Pure Milk and Cream Also BUTTER, BUTTERMILK and COTTAGE CHEESE 2363 ST. JAMES AVENUE Phone Woodburn 5003 and our Salesman will Ca Telephone Canal 3993'Y NIEHAUS The Tailor UNION MADE Dry Cleaning, Dyeing, Repairing and Pressing done at short notice. N W. Cor. 13th and Spring Sis. Cincinnati, Ohio W.J. NIEHAUS W. J. GROTHAUS Niehaus Floral Shop Flowers for the Occasion Phone Canal 5650 Res. Phone Avon 261I-R 12 E. Twelfth St. Cincinnati, O. 'W&&3&' .rtuSmxiimci? j i-yt:W&i.