Oklahoma Labor Unit (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 30, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 9, 1909 Page: 1 of 8
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A Clean
Conservative
Independent
Non-Partisan
Newspaper for
the Homes
OKLAHOMA LABOR ™TT
"ALL IN ONE; ONE IN ALL"
THE PARAMOUNT QUESTION: LIFE, LIBERTY. THE ENJOYMENT OF THE GAINS OF OLR OWN INDUSTRY
Official Organ of the Oklahoma State Federation of Laoor
Oat robcy;
Honest
Legitimate
Business
Methods
Every Day
VOL. I
OKLAHOMA CITY. OKLAHOMA. SATIKUAY, JAM AHY !>. 1H0H.
NO. 8(1
Prejudiced Against
The Labor Union
Condemn Entire Movement Because of Individual
Lapses—What Trade Organizations Have Done
for Humanity—A Glorious Record.
The day of individual bargaining
has gone by for most workingmen. We
prefer to do our bargaining collective-
ly through a chosen representative
who knows all about the game, because
he is a specialist on that sort of deal.
He knows the tricks that are common-
ly practiced on workingmen. so that
he can properly represent our inter-
ests. He goes to the boss and makes
him a proiK)sition that the union which
he represents will furnish him with
competent men. These men. are to
work so many hours a day, and all
other details are to be settled by mu-
tual agreement.
Our business agent can control the
men in his organization. They will
abide by the contract which he has
made. We cannot control the men
who are outside our organization, so
bosses as a class were compelled to do
so the better type of employers would
find it hard to compete with the fel-
lows who decline to advance wages.
As it is, under the union rules they
are all on a common footing, and each
knows just what every other employer
is compelled to pay liis men unless
there are special reasons why he may
pay more or less, but in such a case
the thing is balanced up in some other
way. so that they are in the same
class.
A good many folks say that we have
the boss at a disadvantage because we
are not incorporated. He cannot hold
us to our contract, while he himself is
liable to damages.
Now, that isn't true.
It isn't so far as his dealings in a
business way are concerned, for all
Guthrie, Our Capital City
The city of Guthrie, Lopiu
county, is Capital of the state of
Oklahoma, located 250 miles south
of the geographical center of the
United States and about 50 miles
north and west of the center of
the state.
Population is about 20.000.
There are five ward schools
and one Logan county high school.
$25,000 have recently been ex-
pended for enlargement of public
school buildings and improve-
ments.
There are several valuable por-
duetive enterprises, including the
only textile cotton mill in the
state, three mills producing cot-
ton seed products, and all have
recently been obliged to increase
their capacities. The Southwest-
ern Iron Plant is one of the larg-
est in the west and furnished ma-
terials for the big convention hall.
Water works represent an-4
vestment of about $150,000 and
are owned by the city, $70,000
having recently been expended for
increasing the works and facili-
ties.
growth and improvements of this
city is remarkable, and we are
pleased to note that its interests
are backed by men of brains and
energy. The city will continue
to increase in commercial import-
ance as time passes.
We expect to have a general in-
terview from Mayor C. M. Barnes
and other prominent people of
the city and state in our next is-
sue. and shall also notice more
worthy public enterprises in fu-
ture weeks.
PRESIDENT CANNOT INTERFERE
Secretary Loeb has made public the
following statement from the execu-
tive office:
"Various appeals have been made
to the president to Interfere by par-
don in the case of Gompers and his
associates. Those making the appeals
re unaware of the fact that the
matter is still before the courts; it is
a civil suit between private i>arties
and there has been no way by which
the government could have intervened,
even if it desired to do so. Whether
Patronize the
Union Label
(lly Frank T. Carlton in Federationist)
The patronage of the union label has
boon greatly ircnaesed during the last
ten years. It is now one of tho val-
ued weapons in the armory of organ-
ized labor to be used to increase the
demand for union labor and union
made goods. It furnishes nil easy
method of determining between uniou
made articles on the one hand, and
the product of non-union, child or con-
vict labor on the other.
The union label benefits both pro-
ducer and consumer. It must be re-
membered that, as all producers are
consumers, the label affects the work-
ingman in a two-fold manner. Through
its use workingmen are organized as
consumers as well as producers. Or-
ganization of producers should be sup-
plemented and strengthened by organ-
ization of consumers; otherwise an un-
wise use of consuming power will re-
tard the growth and lessen the effi-
ciency of the organization.
Modern industrial and commercial
conditions and operations are very
which it is found are made under san-
itary and wholesome conditions, and
that the workmanship is good. To the
union man it further guarantees that
the goods upon which it is found are
made by men actuated by the same
ideals and aims as himself for the im-
provement of the workingmen through-
out the United States.
A large percentage of consumers are
willing to pay a reasonable price for
articles which are well made and pro-
duced under sanitary conditions. The
trade unions have a grand opportun*
ity for future service to the commun-
ity and for their own advancement and
growth through the use of the union
label.
The success of tho union label will,
however, depend chiefly upon the at-
titude toward It assumed by organized
labor and its friends. The label sig-
nifies a recognition of the solidarity
of the interests of art workers. Trade
unions stand for brotherhood, for mu-
tual benefit and advancement. Imme-
diate personal advantage must give
- J
Wis®*?****''
yA-vj 3 'S, v -fc «
'/ ■■
GUTHRIE'S NEW $175,000 CONVENTION HALL
that we ask the employer to employ
only our men in order to have perfect
harmony.
If these outside men will agree to
make the same contract that we have
made with the boss they come in on
the same terms. We ask 110 more of
them than we are willing to do our-
selves.
I'll admit that it isn't a square deal
to force a man into the union if he
ftels that he doesn't want to join. But
if he will not come in then he has no
right to the benefits which come as
the result of our fighting and sacri-
fices.
Many a workingman who says that
he has "conscientious scruples"
against joining the union simply means
that he is against paying dues and as-
sessments for a thing which he be-
lieves he will get anyway, because
the other fellows will do the fighting
for him.
It's all nonsense to say that the
bosses would have advanced us with-
out the help of the union. They don't
do things that way. Some of them
would if they could, but unless the
contracts these days are "subject to
strikes and lockouts."
It isn't true concerning his relations
with us, because an unincorporated
concern can neither sue nor be sued,
so that we are still on a common ba-
sis.
As we are not looking forward for
weeks and months of idleness, there is
no particular hangering for long peri-
ods of non-employment. If we should
go out 011 a strike I guess that the loss
would be pretty nearly even. As a
matter of fact, it is usually in favor of
the boss, for, whereas our wages are
lost forever, because we cannot work
011 the days that are past, the boss in
most cases can inrcease his force and
make up much of what has been lost
during a time of strike or lockout.
But about this whole business of
judging labor unions—why does every
body guage us by our worst points,
whereas they themselves expect to be
judged by their best?
Folks don't treat any other organiza-
I tion as they do ours in this respect.
(Concluded on Page 8)
Natural gas is in use for lights
and fuel.
The cit.v has just let the con-
tract for nine miles of street pav-
ing. one-half to be asphalt and
one-half vitrified brick.
Guthrie has two of the prettiest
natural forest parks in the state
upon which are annually expended
$3,000 for maintainance and im-
provement.
The Santa Pe Railroad Com-
pany announces its intention to
make Guthrie main division point
and headquarters for the state
and move machine shops here. Six
other railroads contribute to the
transportation facilities of the
place.
Guthrie has a well equipped fire
department of which her citizens
are proud.
We review several of the lead-
ing commercial interests of the
state this issue, and shall have
more to say of firms, individuals
and interprises of Guthrie in fu-
ture issues. The stabilitv of the
the president, does or does not think
the sentence of Gompers and his as-
sociates excessive is not at present
of any consequence, because he can-
not take any action or express any
opinion while the case is pending be-
fore the courts.
"When the final decision is made,
then the president can properly con-
sider whether the terms of imprison-
ment are excessive or improper. But
it is, of course, impossible for the
president to act while an appeal is
pending, for he has nothing whatever
to act about. The courts must, finish
with the case first, and the defen-
ants are at the present moment at
liberty on bail. If the defendants see
fit to abandon their appeal, the matter
will then, of course, be at once brought
before the chief executive, in which
case it will receive immediate and
most careful consideration.
"But the defendants have a perfect
right to prosecute their appeal, and if
unsuccessful in the final court, then to
ask for pardon or commutation. But
peal, the president has nothingn to do
with the matter. President Roosevelt
complex. One man works for many;
and, 011 the other hand, a great variety
of workers, living in localities widely
separated, contribute to the comfort
1
and well being of each family.
The consumer is obliged to grope in
the dark with regard to the quality and
character of his purchases His de-
pendence upon the word and reputa-
tion of the maker or the seller is ne-
cessarily almost complete. The union
label comes to him as a welcome ray
of light through the darkness of un-
certainty and misrepresentation. It is
a distinctive mark which proclaims to
the purchasers that the goods upon
as long as they are prosecuting an ap-
has already instructed the department
of justice to keep him fully Informed
as to the progress of the case, so that
in event of its becoming proper for
him to act, he may have at his dis-
posal at once all of the facts which
will enable him to decide whether
there was justification for sentance
and whether, if there was justification
for some punishment, the sentence iB
or is not altogether too severe.
way, to some extent, j^t least, to a
broader outlook.
The workingmen form a very impor-
tant class of consumers. By direct-
ing their demands into proper chan-
nels,conditions of labor may be greatly
ameliorated. The demand for the pro-
duct of workers in one trade depends
upon the wages and conditions In
other trades. If the workers in one
trade persist in purchasing goods
which are produced under "sweated"
or "unfair" conditions, the consuming
power of the workers in the other
trades is reduced. As a result, the de.
mand for the products of the workers
in the first trade is also reduced; and
they are indirectly, but none the less
surely made to feel the results of their
own short-sighted action.
If union men Duy the products of
child, non-union or convict labor In
preference to union made goods, they
are using their consuming power as a
weapon directed against their own in-
terests as producers. Union men must
be consistent. If the workers in one
(Concluded on Page 4)
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Egbert, R. Oklahoma Labor Unit (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 30, Ed. 1 Saturday, January 9, 1909, newspaper, January 9, 1909; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc107602/m1/1/: accessed March 29, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.