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Show THE LABOR UNION TRUST. It is a common thing to see trusts denounced in the press. No matter how stainless may he the reputation of the men who control a trust, there is no discrimination in the denunciation and loud cries are made for laws that will control them, to make accountings of what they do, and to convert their natural acts into misdemeanors or felonies. But the very biggest trust in America today is the Labor Trust. There are two millions of-stockholders of-stockholders and so all-embracing is their power that their Board of Control can by a simple order stop the roll of the wheels of industry in any H state. B If a thousand or ten thousand of "the stock-B stock-B holders are being employed, say in Utah; if they B are content with their wages, their homes, their B food everything, and if the personal welfare of B tons of thousands of people, and the personal for-B for-B tunes of hundreds are contingent upon their con-B con-B tinuing their work; still, by the simple order of B a Board of Directors in Colorado or Minnesota or B some other outside state, all these stockholders B will not only cease work, but will do their utmost B to prevent other men from being employed, and B will boycott all who object to their methods. Now B this would not be tolerated for an hour save for B tho cowardice of politicians and a time-serving B press. It is a direct perversion of all the princi-B princi-B pies professed In the formation of labor-unions; B it is simply the exercise of tyranny backed by B brute force. It shows the necessity of the enact-B enact-B ment of laws that will protect unions in every Bj legitimate purpose, act or desire, but will fix H things so that it will be out of the power of a few H men in one state to order what would be equiva-H' equiva-H' lent to a coal famine in another state in December. H No one man knows everything. To be capable B of handling a great organization, something more Is needed than a knowledge of the chief uses of H the pick and shovel. The smelter trust, like the B steel or the lead trust, draw to them by princely H salaries the finest legal, flnanciul and administra-H administra-H tlve talent in the country. jK But the Labor Trust, the great trusi; of all, is H nt careful in this regard and in many cases the noisy members gravitate to the front. , These men are not far-seeing or tli, ijvQould see that they are hastening the day when.' a-jbrity a-jbrity of the people will insist that the public ties, like the Tailroads, the telegraph lines, h coal mines and a thousand other branches of in- v dustry shall be taken in by the Government and operated by the Government. Then wages will be fixed at whatever the Government pleases and there will be no more strikes. At the same time Incompetent men will be relegated to the rear, and they will never get another job from the great controlling force that will direct those industries. No people can afford to always be kept on the anxious seat and a business man would sooner go out of business than to pursue it under perpetual anxiety and apprehension of evil and danger. The Labor TJnion Trust should revise its constitution and amend and Americanize its by-laws. |
