BINGER,
7
HAR
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f ' , " ORGANIZATION. EDUCATION. ELEVATION.
.-.I
Vol. I. : Raleigh, N. c, Saturday, December. 20, 1902. No. 50
TO LABOR.
Shall you complain who feed the world ?
Who clothe the world ?
Who house the world ?
Shall you complain who are the world,
Of what the world may do f
As from this hour
You use your power,
The world must follow you.
The world's fife hangs at your right hand,
Your strong right hand,
Your skilled right hand,
Yon hold the' whole world in your hand.
See to it that you do !
Or dark or light.
Or wrong or right,
Tho world was made for you !
Theri rise as you ne'er rose before,
Nor hoped before,
Nof dared before,
Arid show us ne'er was shown before,
( .The power that lies in you !
Stand all as one
Till right is done !
Believe and dare to do !
Charlotte Perkins Stetson.
THE ATTITUDE OF THE LA
BOR UNIONS TOWARDS
THE "SCAB."
The doctrine that a man's right
to sell his labor when and where
he pleases to be a "scab" is a
right so sacred as to transcend all
otters found a good many defend
ers at the session of the Na
tional Civic Federation.
jr. Samuel Gompers riddled
ths plausible assumption, hich
is so popular among gentlemen
who do pot have to work with
their hands for a living. He said :
The labor union movement
does-not deny a man's legal right
to work for whom and when and
where he pleases, but there is
something apart from the legal
right; and that is moral obliga
tion" Ife illustrated his point with
the case of a man who is free to
set fire to a hut that he has built
out on the prairie. But let him
attempt to do that in one of our
cities and he will be put in jail.
Out on the prairie he does him
self the only injury that is being
done, but in the city he endan
gers! the life and property and
pea& of his neighbors.
ffvexpounded Mr. Gompers, the
non-nunion man "did but himself
a wrong, we might pity him and
concede not? only his legal but his
moral right',: But the workman
who toilsfof wages and expects
to end his1 days in the wage-earning
class & bound' by duty to him
self, to his family? id his fellow
men and to those' who come after
him to-join the union with his 'el-low-craftsmen
. -:;; ;, -
The workman who does not do
this" is a1 tfaitpr to; his order. He
war upon the union, which is
batfWg'fof higher wages arid htt
ter conditions ; f'featUing
for those flfmgsnot ttnly for the
meiJfcMH fhe'uBbut-fbfal)
workmen hee "scab" . included.
spised as an ingrate. ancf a sneak.
Of bourse Itl both legally and
morally wftgf' trjf offer Vi0tencfe
to the "'scabV'X ThV State' will
rign us"eW Jwfibl power to
protect him ,E Bitt union . men
the men who make common cause
for the UfJUting of labor are en
tirely jnstiffe irf refusing friend
ship, fellowship and , courtesy, to
the reakjgadeV H& is made duoa
cast itt the.world,of labor, a world
when fiiffato. -tfitfk $l don.JbV
small reward, and where there
must be union if strength is to be
found to resist oppression.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, now
of the United States Supreme
Bench, when Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of Massachusetts,
put the whole matter clearly when
he said :
"It must be true that when com
bined they (the workingmen) have
the same liberty that combined
capital has to support their inter
ests by argument, persuasion and
the bestowal or refusal o those ad
vantages which they otherwise law
fully control so long as they do
no violence or threaten no vio
lence." At the bottom of the fashion
able insistence upon "the sacred
right of a free man to sell his la
bor freely in a free market" is
ignorance of existing economic
conditions.
When natural resources are, as
now, monopolized, and the public
highways are privately ownec1,
there can be no free ma ket for
labor. In the anthracite region,
for example, the only thing that
stands between the worker and
starvation wages is the Miners'
Union. Outside that union the
"sacred right of the free man to
sell his labor freely in a free mar
ket" amounts in actual practice
to his right to sell himself into
virtual every to the Coal Trust.
' Men cannot stand alone. They
must combine to enforce their
rights and advance their interests.
The individual who refuses to join
his fellows for the common bene
fit, so far from being the "hero"
that President Eliot, of Harvard,
acclaims him, is the hut burner
of Mr. Gompers' illustration a
source of danger to his fellows, a
betrayer of the common interest.
He deserves no respect or good
will from workingmen and is en
titled to no sympathy whatever
ftfom anybody when he finds him
self disliked, looked down upon
and shunned by union men.
What the American Tory was
to the Revolutionary' patriots the
"scab" is to wage-earners who
make sacrifices and undergo hard
ships by which the "scab"
miistprofit rib less than they
themselves do. Were it not that
unions raise' wages i' . the "scab"
would not have the opportunity
tojeut wages; for without unions
the recornpensejof labor would be
just enough to sustain life. No
wdnder, then, that the union man
feels toward the "scab" much as
tft? Americans of "Washington's
tinjie' felt toward Benedict Arnold!
New York American and Jour-
M'VEAGH'S : PROPOSITION.
Mr M' Veagh's argument appears
to be that the miners- ought to
wejrk for whatever they get, lest
they increase the cost tot the poor
consumer. This" principle carried1
to its logical conclusion would
soon bring the' poov consumer to
the'miner'SteivlPittSufg-Di
patch-.- . ' "1
' -; . A CAIN TV LUNCH. '
That wdrd "dainty" neve being
used to describe fh ltlnch spread
for) men, we have decided that
there- is not enougfo to' . eat-"-Atv
61iiaDGlobe.t.. (,.. . .; ;
CONVICTS AND ROAD
BUILDING.
We have pointed out in several
recent issues that one practical
(cure for competition of convict
( labor was road building. We
have recently devoted some time
to an investigation of the results
of road building in the South
ern States. It is pointed out that
to improve the moral nature of a
convict it is necessary to insure
his physical health, for be it re
membered, we are in duty bound
to do everything possible to make
as much improvement as possible
in the physical and moral habits,
to the end that he may become a
good citizen.
Investigation has proved be
yond all question of doubt, that
the average convict emj loyed in
i a prison factory has not improved
I either his moral or physical wel
fare. Furthermore, there is little
or no profit in the labor of con
victs employed in producing
I shoes, broom?, etc., etc. The
greedy convict contractors become
enriched at the expense of the
free labor and the free manufac
I turer on the one hand, and the
public on the other.
Fourteen States now employ,
either in whole or part, their con
victs in road building. In addi
tion to the term convicts, persons
awaiting trial and unable to se
cure bonds, are allowed to work
on the highways upon the mutual
consent of the arrested party, and
the county authorities. If the
prisoner is found guilty, the num
ber of days he is thus employed
is deducted from his term of ser
vice, and if not found guilty, the
State or county pays him a fair
wage for the work done. The
cost of keeping and guarding the
convicts" engaged in building
roads in the different States, is as
follows :
Florida, per convict 30 to 50
cents per day; Kentucky 50 to
6q cents; Georgia, 16 to 32 cents;
Mississippi, 15 to 45. cents ; Louis
iana, 50 to 60 cents ; South Car
olina, 17 to 22 cents ; North Car
olina, 15 to 40 cents ; Tennessee.
20 to 40 cents ; Texas, 20 to 40
cents; Virginia, 25 to 50 cents.
Thus the average is about 35
cents per day. The cost per mile
for building good roads varies ac
cording to the conditions, but
after the matt rial is hauled, about
the only expense is the mainte
nance of the convicts. Careful
investigation shows that road
building in these Southern States
has been a splendid success. We
repeat again, good roads" ate a
benefit to every citizen. Boston
ShoeAvorkeVs JburriaV '
A MOTHER'S INFLUENCE.
It has often been observed by
the critical that a son's- acts reflect-the
character of his mother,
andit has often been said of a
meritorious man;- "he had a good
mother. " Recent developments
expiate something, of ? the influ
erices which-have made William
LRaridjQjph: Hearst a man of such
sturdy equalities. I
His mother, Mrs. Phoebe Hearst,
one of the regents pi Jlie Univer
sity of: QaUfQma is styled by the:
j women students of the university
, VThe Fairy Godmother," so often
has her helping hand come to the
assistance of the institution. On
November 18 Mrs. Hearst laid
with her own hands the corner
stone of, the Hearst Memorial
Mining building, erected in honor
of her husband, the late Senator
George Hearst. She described
him, as the corner-stone was laid,
as "an earnest student of mineral
SYi a practical miner, a man who
measured men by their worth and
their methedi by their honesty."
Being a son of such a man as that,
' and with such a mother, it is no
wonder that W. R. Hearst has
j developed such noble qualities.
Mrs. Hearst's bequest to the Uni
versity cf California is $1,000,000.
St. Louis Labor Compendium.
WHAT WILl'hAPPEN.
If, as the man with "inside in-
, formation" predict?, the arbitra
tion commission decides upon a
compromise ten per cent, in
creased wages for the miners and
j a nine-hour day instead of eight
hours, it will be only a partial set
tlement and cannot long "stave
off" another great strike. There
is nothing in the conditions nor
the evidence offered which sup
ports a 10 per cent, decrease in
hours that does not jnst asstrong
ly support a 20 per cent, increase
of the first and a 20 per cent, de
crease otthe .latter... If the mi
ners' contentions are right, they
are entitled to all they have asked
for ; if they are not right, they are
altogether wrong, and are entitled
to no award. The proposition to
divide the miners' union into two
organizations the anthracite mi
ners in one and the bituminous
miners in another, is altogether
improbable, and if recommended
by the board it will be proof pos
itive of a desire to truckle to the
coal baronsand will be a forerun
ner of another strike of greater
magnitude than the one they are
seeking to adjust. If Fresident
Roosevelt is wise, not t: say hon
est, he will exert his personal in
fluence upon the men whom he
appointed on that arbitration
board, to the effect that their
award must be eminently fair and
consistent with the evidence.
Compendium.
NOTICE TO EDITORS.
Your attention is called to the
fact that the entrance fee of the
Labor Editors' Association is $10
up to the first day of January,
roo3, after which it is placed at
a very much larger figure, and it
is earnestly hoped every labor
paper in the country will affiliate
themselves- prior to that date, so
that full arrangements may be
made for the carrying outof pur
purposes.
Applications received on or be
fore the 10th of January, when
accompanied by the necessary fee,
will be considered by your; officers ;
but after that date the laws a"s
laid down at the convention will
have to1 prevail: These laws
ate ridW iri course of preparation
for full' referendum vote of the
membership, arid' will: be mailed
each member at an early dale:.
R. it. Harper, Secretary.
A COUNTRY THAT HAS NO
STRIKES.
The Church Review says :
"New Zealand has done the
most daring things ever attempt
ed by any modern government
The New Zealanders claim that
New Zealand is a country without
strikes. Laborers and employers
have their disputes there as else
where, but the one cannot quit
work, or the other lock out work
men, pending a settlement of the
dispute in courts. It is also a
country without paupers or poor
houses, for injured workmen are
cared for by their emplo yers. The
aged workman is pensioned by the
government as a soldier 0 indus
try worn out in the ranks. The
government owns not only the
postal system, but the express ser
vice, the telegraph lines and the
railroads. Recently it has pur
chased a coal mine to supply its
locomotives with fuel, and it in
tendsjo comfele with private mines
in the sale 0 coal to the public ar
enough to keep the price ocoal
down to a reasonable figure."
There is not a pauper inNew
Zealand !
where'pain HURTS.
A sharp definition must be
drawn between irritation and pain,
says the San Francisco Exami
ner. Irritation is not pain, but
only a frequent cause of it. Thus
a crumb lodged in the larynx
near the vocal cords produces
violent irritation and prolonged
coughing, which often results in
actual pain. So, too, a fly or
speck of dust in the eye sets up
violent irritation and inflamma
tion, followed by acute pain. Of
the surface of the body the finger
tips and the end of the tongue
are most sensitive. For instance,
a burn on the fingers is much
more painful than one on the
back would be, while one on the
tongue would j be more painful
still;
Deep, wounds are not painful,
as a rule, save as regards the sur
face injury. Of pains not caused
by external injuries neuralgia of
the ' fifth nerve, tlie one which
supplies the skin of the head and
face, is the most intense. It has
frequently driven' people mad for
the time being, and sufferers have
been known to cut and even burn
the flesh in desperate attempts to
relieve it. The rupture of the
branches of the dental nerve in
tooth-drawing also causes agony
so intense that it has been stated
that no human being could en
dure it for more than two seconds
at a time.
MACHINSTS' MEETING.
Portsmouth Lodge No. 241, In
ternational Association of ' Ma-
chinhts, riiet iri" regiildr session
last riight: Along' with the tfan
action of routine business; the
lodge' unanimously endorsed the
eight-hour bill riow pending before
the United States Senate commit
tee on Labor arid Education- It
also endorsed the child labor bill-
recently introduced in . the Vir
ginia House of Delegates, and the
secretary teu instructed td tiorn
iHurfifcattr Wit Hons. John' W.
.1 ..)', 1
Daniel and Thomas Staples MaiM !
tin, urging their active support in
having the eight-hour bill favor
ably reported and their earnest
advocacy of the same when it was
reported to the Senate. '
The secretary was also instruct- ,
ed to communicate the action of
the lodge in behalf of the Cabell
child labor bill to Hons. E. Fin
ley Crowell, Charles T. Bland arid
E. W Owens,requesting their ear
nest support to have the bill en
acted into law. ,7
Messrs. E. C. Moulton, F. P, 1
Dudley, John Neilass, I. B. Wal-..
dron and F. T. Irwing were e'ect-: ;
ed delegates to the Central Labor. ,
Union of Portsmouth and vicinity ;
Portsmouth (Va.) Star, 13th ior, 1
stant. r
TEDDY AND DIGNITY.
Have we ever a right to call (
President Roosevelt "Teddy?','
The question arose a few days
ago during a session of the coai
strike arbit'ation board, and for
the time being created quite a lit-
tie flutter.
Lawyer Ira H. Burns, an attor
ney representing the independent, ;
operators, in cross-examining a .,
witness, said : "Don't you know, v
that the rise in prices of meats . , ,
was due to the meat trust ?" The
witness replied: "I don't know,
of any such institution." Then t f
the lawyer asked : "Do you agree. ; .
with what 'Teddy' Roosevelt sayS .
about the trusts?"
At this juncture Gen. Wilson .
jumped up, and with rising indig
nation, said :
"Mr. Chairman, I object to any
person before this board referring. . ,
to the President of the United
States in thot manner." . , , ,
This caused some little flurry,.
but Mr. Burns diplomatically go ,
out of the trouble by saying : "He ;
sometimes calls himself that."
Chairman Gray further smoothed
matters over by saying : "I think
the objection is well taken,"
whereupon the la,vyer replied':1 "
"Well, we wilt call him the1" '
President of the United States.' ;i
And there the incident closed, but
we fancy that Mr. Roosevelt will'' 1
be called "Teddy" many million :v
times more before he dies. Th&re'4 "'
is no hammering reverence intt " "'
the American people, though be 1
it said to their credit, their verjP
irreverence is often a sign of th:eiT'; i:)
amiability. ; '"'J-
. . ..f 1 . . i.. i" .
A PECULIAR PARTRIGE.j ,,,,
A rather curious case has" ; oc
curred on a shooting preserve in 'jJfj-
England.: A fowl laid five eggs.
in some' rough grass in : an;, old1
pasture near one of the farmsteads''
and a partridge took the nest, arid ,
laid in it. She- hatched, . fouri ;Ojt ,
the fowl's eggs but none ofJtetj,
owny seven being left in the nest( ;
The! foreman's wife carried' v,tlie ,
four chickens into the farmyard v ,
but the partridge very soon fetched
them back again -into the field,
and they subsequently remitie'
with' her, spurning the 'domestien
ity of theit farriryard iaiiVes(
on their being approached ti&i
foster mother would- fly. away to , Jj
a respectful distance and on t t,
intruders retiring would return
tfof hwcluirges.-London Ffcld,
'"l :J::i'i w '"':' v.if U.fii