FEBRUARY, 1911 2656 PRICE TEN CENTS INTERNATIONAL ,1 SOCLALISHREVIEW __ , p', k _ .. THE PASSING OF SKILLED LABOR AND CRAFT UNIONS h THE COMING OF INDUSTRIAL SOCIALISM FEBRUARY, 1911 ~£e PRICE TEN CENTS INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW. THE PASSING OF SKILLED LABOR AND CRAFT UNIONS THE COMING OF INDUSTRIAL SOCIALISM ,.fHE INTERNATIONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW OF, B y AND F 0 R T H E WORKING C L A S S EDITED BY CHARLES H. KERR ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Mary E. Marcy, Robert Rives LaMonte, Max S. Hayes, William E.. Bohn, Leslie H. Marcy CONTENTS The Passing of the Glass Blower 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Robert J. Wheeler Pick and Shovel Pointers l The Fighting Welsh Miners ) ... 0 •••• 0 •• 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 •••••••••••• William D. Haywood The Crime of Craft Unionism .. 0. 0 0 0 0 0 ••• 0 0. 0. 0 ••••• 0 0 •••••••••••• • Eugene V. Debs Liberty ...... 0 0. 0 0 ••• 0. 0 0 ••• 0 •••••••••• 0 •• 0 0 0 0 0 0 •••• 0 •••• 0 •• 0 0 •••• Tom J. Lewis Banishing Skill from the Foundry. 0 0 •••••• 0. 0 •••• 0 ••••••••••••• Thomas F. Kennedy The Reign of Terror in Tampa .. 0 •• 0 •••• 0 0 •• 0 0 0 0 0 •••••• 0 •• 0 •• • New York Daily Call Be Your Own Boss .. 0 0 0 0. 0. 0 0 0 •••••••••••• 0 •• 0 ••••••••• 0 ••••••••••• .Jack Morton The Japanese Miners. 0 0 0 • 0 0 • 0 0 0 • 0 • 0 •••••••••••• 0 •••••••• 0 ••• 0 •••• 0 ••• S. Katayama Study Course in Economics: Profit ................. 0 •• 0 0 •••••••• • Mary E. Marcy Get-Rich-Quick Schemes ... 0 0 0 0 •••••••••••••••••••• 0 ••••• 0 •••••• Henry L. Slobodin !\1edical Chaos and Crime .. 0 0. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0. 0. 0 0 0. 0 0 •• 0. 0 •••••• 0 ••• 0 .Norman Barnesby The Review Lecture Bureau. DEPARTMENTS. Editorials: An Eight-Hour Work Day; "Nationalism." International Notes The World of Labor Literature News and Views Publishers' Department Subscription price, $1.00 a year, Canada $1.20, other countries $1.36 Advertising Rates: Full page, $40.00; half page, $20.00, quarter page, $10.00; smaller advertisements, $2.8ft per inch. No discount for repeated insertions. An extra discount of 5'}'o is, however, allowed for cash in advance for one insertion, or lOo/o when cash is paid in advance for three or more insertions. Classified advertising, cash in advance, two cents per word, initials and figures counted same as words. No adver­ tisement inserted for less than 50 cents. CHARLES H. KERR & COMPANY, Publishers (Co-op~rative) 118 West Kinzie Street, Chicago, Ill., U.S. A. Entered at the Postoffice at Cbicaro. Ill .. as Second Class Matter July 27. 1900, under Act of March l, 1879. ~·· INTERNG?TI ONAL SOCIALIST REVIEW Vol. XI FEBRUARY, 1911 No. 8 \VHERF. MANY ARE EMPLOYED. THE PASSING OF THE BOTTLE BLOWER BY ROBERT J. WHEELER MEMBER GLASS BOTTLE BLOWER’SAUNION ODERN machinery has become a solve forever the problem of the distribu M tremendous factor making for tion of wealth. ceaseless change in industrial People in general are not aware of the processes and within industrial great changes in methods of production society. Out of this movement is evolv- or of the revolutionary efiects upon the ing the new economic system that will minds of the workers. Society feels, in 449 ROBERT 1. WHEELER 451 manager for the Libby Glass Company trade. These inventions alone are enough from 1890. He was formerly a member to make the man famous. But the inven of the American Flint Workers’ Union, tion of the Automatic places him in the and worked at the trade. Previous to the front rank of great American inventors. invention of the Automatic, he had brought out the tumbler machine, the History will credit him with having made chimney machine, a device for drawing possible the application of the modern glass tubes, and the idea of pressing the capitalistic methods to the glass bottle blank shapes to be used in the cut glass business. THE NEW \VAY—MACHINE POVVER—ONE EXPERT TENDING. Owen’s Automatic Glass Blowing Machine. 452 . THE PASSING OF THE BOTTLE BLOWER The Owen’s Automatic is indeed a mar The manufacturers, like all small business veI of mechanical ingenuity. To stand men, were intensely individualistic and beside it, this creature of wheels and cogs, fiercely competitive. Naturally, compact levers and valves, with a constitution of organization among them was practically enduring iron; to see it revolve cease impossible. Out of this weakness of the lessly, tirelessly, needing no food, no rest, employers, the strength of the blowers’ while from out of the maze of its mo union developed, its greatest progress be tions a constant stream of perfect pro ing made under the presidency of Dennis duct flows, no human hand aiding, no A. Hayes, who was elected president in ,brain directing, one is profoundly im 1896, and who still holds the office. The pressed. Here is the very acme of in natural difficulty of learning the trade was ventive genius. Here is the full fruition an important factor in giving the union of the ideas, the aims, the hopes of in control. A glass blower is not produced ventors since that day, three thousand in a few months. To learn the trade thor years ago, when the first waterwheel oughly, several years of application was turned in ancient Greece. The old Greek necessary. Thus fortified the union was poet who celebrated that invention in able to constantly improve the conditions song, beheld with a seer’s vision the of the bottle blowers. The greatest per dawning of a day when machinery would iod of prosperity began with 1900 and do the world’s necessary work, and the lasted until 1907. During this stretch of race of mankind be freed from the slav ery of toiling to gain only food, clothing years the business expanded until the de and shelter. mand for men considerably exceeded the supply. The ideal economic condition for Before the advent of the Automatic, the economic situation of the bottle blower labor under the capitalistic system was attained. “The job sought the man.” was most desirable. For more than a \Vages steadily rose, reaching the high generation he had been the “aristocrat” est point in 1907. Fair workmen could of the labor world. After the successful make from $6.00 to $8.00 per day of 8% general strike of 1888, his union became hours. The speeders in Massillon and very compact and powerful. With the Newark, Ohio, Streator, Ill., and Terre increase of strength which came as a re Haute, Ind., made from $8.00 to $12.00 sult of victory in the famous Jersey strike daily. The work was hard, heat intense, in 1899, and the accession of some 2,000 nervous strain great and night work un bottle blowers from the Flint union in pleasant, but all this is true of other 1902, the Green Glass Bottle Blowers’ trades where men are poorly paid and ill Association reached the zenith of its treated. Under the rules of the union, strength and power and the period of no glass is made in the summer months, prosperity which followed was the great July and August. Glass blowers look est known in the history of the trade. No forward to this rest season with the keen craft in America ever enjoyed better con anticipation of men who can afford a va ditions. High wages, short hours, almost cation and have the money to aid them in entire freedom from danger of accident, enjoying it. Working an eight or ten most excellent working rules, drawn up month season, men earned from $1.200 to and enforced by the union, made this per $3,000. This allowed a margin above a iod indeed the halcyon days of the glass comfortable standard of living. Glass bottle trade. But those days are past blowers live well, try to educate their never to return. children, give generously to every worthy. The strength of the union grew out of cause and have no apology to make that a set of circumstances peculiar to the they are not bondholders today when ad bottle trade. The business was and is versity has come upon them. A consider even today, in greater part, carried on by able number are fairly well off, probably small companies, scattered over the coun as large a per cent as will be found try, ' located generally with regard to among any other class earning the same sources of raw material and fuel supply. amount of money yearly. ‘ ‘ ROBERT J. WHEELER 453 BOY WORKERS. The splendid union gave the blowers was built in Fairmont, W. Va. A de protection and enabled them to get a. scription of this factory, making a con large share of the value they produced, trast between the old and new systems, but it failed to develop in them an under follows. This is also taken from the standing of economic conditions. “American Flint,” April, 1910: And so, at the climax of prosperity, “The factory now being erected at Fair when in fancied security, the bottle blow mont, W. Va., which will be put in ope ers looked forward with confidence to ration during July or August, will have a even better advantages than they were capacity of 2,000 gross of bottles a day. then enjoying, the blow fell upon them. This plant will be a marvelous innova The machine was invented that has revo tion and surpass the dreams of the most lutionized the trade and in time will prac sanguine idealist.