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Show A FOOLISH QUARREL. John B. Burton Characterises the Pow-derly-Gompers Controversy as Bncu. It is indeed a sad eight to see labor leaders st loggerheads over tho merit of their respective organizations, and exposing ex-posing to publio view the alleged inconsistencies incon-sistencies (or worae) which have been practiced by their rivals. It matters nothing to the labor movement at large whether Powderly or Gompers is on top, bnt it does concern all that the labor movement shall move on steadily toward the goal of the greatest benefit to the greatest number. The educational features feat-ures of the Knights of Labor have been often subordinated to personal ambitions, ambi-tions, no doubt, and calling the attention of the membership to such disregard of the plain object of the organization is right provided it is done with the purpose pur-pose of remedying the wrong; but when two leaders indulge in a wordy war and answer each other by "you're another," it is time to call a halt. Neither organization has all the good features of the movement. Each can work where the other cannot work to advantage. The trados union movement cannot possibly succeed without the help of the Knights of Labor. We see that in every strike. For timos have changed so as to make it impossible for any body of workmen to permanently gain advanced ad-vanced conditions without the co-operation of all. The movement must be general, and the quarrels of leaders are apt to be taken up by their followers, follow-ers, and the movement is thus retarded to the detriment of the workman. Salaries Sala-ries of officers may go on, but wages of the rank and file suffer from the weakening weak-ening of the general body. The treatment which Mr. Gompers and many trades unionists have accorded to Knights of Labor lias not been justified in any respect. These gentlemen should remomber that union men made the Knights of Labor the power it has been. In Detroit, for instance, the union mem bers of the Knights of Labor have always al-ways maintained peace between the two organizations, although at times the extremists ex-tremists on both sides have done their best to raise trouble. In the cigarmakers' trouble here, while dome of the Knights of Labor wished to give the label to non-union workers, they were headed off by the adoption of rules which provided that it should not be given to any work which did not pay the highest price for manufacture and abide by rules as good as those of the union. In the molders' trouble, too, when the St. Louis patterns were sent here, it was the union members of the K. of L. who suggested a meuns by which a fight, which the manufacturers wished to force, could be avoided. In the late carpenters' strike the K. of L. ship carpenters were found with thorn. When Mr. Gompers characterizes the K. of L. as scabs he should remember that he libels many men who are stanch unionists as he con possibly be. What the workman wants, whether he belongs to the K. of L. or a union, is the best possible conditions that can be attained. Whatever will help him to these is to his advantage. Whatever will hinder his attainment of them is to his detriment. detri-ment. John R. Burton in Detroit News. I |