NOME INDUSTRIAL WORKER
TRI-WEEKLY
e
Published Tuesday. Thursday,
and • Saturday.
My Nome Mine Workers’ Union, No. 240, International Union of Mine,
Mill and Smelter Workers.
Subscription Price
One Year . $20.00
f*i» Months . 10.00
OM Month . 200
"To secure to each laborer the whole product of his labor, or as
nearly as possible Is a worthy object of any good government"—Abra
ham Lincoln.
Address all communications to Tri -Weekly Nome Industrial Worker.
Box 210, Nome, Alaska. Fhone, Black 134.
All changes in advertisements must reach this office before 9 A. M.
•n day of publication to insure insersion in same issue.
Advertising rates made knewn on application.
Entered as second class matter August 6, 1918, at the Post Office
«t Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
NOME, ALASKA SATURDAY, OCTOBER, 10, 1918.
PATRIOTISM
A Nome lawyer addressing a jury
in a recent case took it upon himself
in an educational manner to correct
the notion that sometimes appeared
to prevail that patriotism was love of
the soil of the nation. The correc
tion was well made, but it was with
some astonishment one heard him
so further and declare that true
patriotism meant love and veneration
for the institutions of the nation.
, That’s mere nonsense. It is worse
than nonsense it is palpable error. It
is the old error that in another day
was corrected by the succinct asser
tion that the man was not made for
the Sabbath but that Sabbath was
made for man.
Obviously patriotism, the only
patriotism worth while expressing in
love at country is love of one’s fel
low citizens and when the human
clement is left out of patriotism then
patriotism becomes simply a barren
paganism, a literal idolatry that is
as dust to ashes to the eye and in the
breath
He is the best American who de
termines that America will be a land
of free, of happy and contented Amer-j
leans; who will moreover determine
•with heart and soul to alter or abolish
any single institution 'wjn'ch will not
bring about a free, a happy and a
contented people. Men only give
their life and their labor rightly that
men may be free and happy, not that
anything which savors of authority
be maintained.
The consent of the governed to the
government is the keystone of Amer
canism. It was such a government
that the revolutionary fathers strove
to establish on this earth. But such
consent assuredly may be otbained by
no duress. A forced consent is no
consent at all. Where it is forced,
<where it is wrung from a disciplined
people by the stern use of authority
of any nature whatever by the exer
cise of deterrent punishments and by
threats of such, those who subject
Jhemselves to conditions of this kind
naturally are not freemen.
Men may only worship, venerate or
esteem institutions as those institu
tions automatically lend themselves
to the furtherance of human happi
ness and to extend human welfare and
it is essential that wo understand that
what is meant by a free country is
fh«t the people themselves be free
men
Merely because institutions effec
tively preserve liberty, distribute
jsstice and add to tlie national happi
ness, is no reason at all to believe
that they cannot be improved upon,
■any more than the possibility is to be
doubted that unless eternal vigilance
is exercised by the people they may
>d» none of these things.
On the contrary it is an historical
Tact thst human beings very often
were induced to see in the persons
of the priesthood who sacrificed to
Him, the God head, and in the Temple
where the sacrifice took place, the
divine presence. So a wholly erron
eous conception went abroad and
theocracy spread the blight of Its in
tolerant authority thruout the na
tions that it controlled.
To preserve patriotism, even the
patriotism that stimulated the heroes
of the past to noble efforts, it is es
sential that we live In the present and
consider the people today. While
* certainly we may venerate the mem
cry of the dead past which buried its
dead, our duty is essentially to the
living people and our judgment of
institutions must be affected by no
veneration because of their antiquity
but based upon the only true test; i
their efficiency as we have said in!
■preserving liberty, distributing even j
and impartial justice and adding al-|
ways to the national happiness. The
people, first, last and all the time and
their happiness first, last and ail the
time, must be the foundation of all
patriotism. If an institution in the na
tions conserves, and furthers that hap
piness well and good, if not, it is our
duty as well as our right to alter or
abolish it.
('HANGING THE MEANING
Conclusions are apt to be drawn"
from statistics of returns when those
statistics are represented by dollars
and cents, in relation to similar re
turns for past periods, which are mis
taken.
The mistake will be due to the
quite altered value of the dollar. The
longer period of time has elapsed to
be compared with present time
figures, the greater will of course be
this discrepancy. So while consid
tring the vast increases, expressed
in dollars, of a given industrial out
put, or the similarly vast increase,
say, in the exports of a give ncom
modity, the figures are quite likely to
give very erroneous mpressions as to
the real extent of these increases if
the decrease in the dollar is not at
all times considered.
People have come to regard the
standard of value, expressed in gold,
as an invariable one. The result of
this very erroneous conception will
be reflected in a number of mistaken
conclusions that are made. Not the
least notable and important from
the worker's standpoint is that when
the wages paid in the past are com
pared with the wages paid today, the
latter being higher, there is often
field a belief which is wholly wrong,
hat the worker is receiving a greater
rate of remuneration for his labor
:han formerly. This of course is sim
ily not the case.
It must feel very like the morning
ifter to the Sultan of Turkey, these ,
lays.
Bavarian socialists demanded the
Kaiser to abdicate. Russian social
sts have shown an abdication is not
orot about by passing resolutions.
While some politicians have been j
:amouflaging the real profiteers by!
:alk of labor profiteers, it will be at I
ince remarked that an excess profits j
ax leaves labor quite alone. Whasa-1
natter?
It’s a wise nation quits while quit
ing is good said Bulgaria.
Just when everyone was thinking
hat Spain would continue neutral un
:il the end of the war, here comes
that influenza to prove everyone
wrong.
Some of the twelve hour scabs
find the hardest work they did this
summer is to look honest people
itraight in the eye these days.
Some of these prices are being
raised a notch, it would appear, just
to see if the limit has not yet been
reached. After all it took a whole
last straw to break the camel’s back.
At any rate we are all agreed the
other fellow must be free.
Austria faces a political crisis, says
* report. If that was all that Aus
tria faced Emperor Karl wouldn’t
lose so much sleep.
It looks as if the Kaiser regretted
having “flung away the scabbard."
Might take a look around the second
hand stores for another, Bill.
The sick man of Europe has appar
antly convinced himstlf he has been
taking the wrong medicine.
Subscribe for -tne Worker.
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PAID ADVERTISEMENT
CUHEOI«STS1UOIO
WASHINGTON BC.
HON. CHAS. A. SULZER
(DEMOCRAT)
FOR DELEGATE TO CONGRESS
fSfWK ELECTION- NOVEMBER, 6, 1918
FOR REPRESENTATIVE
JAMES J. BOGAN
(DEMOCRAT)
ELECTION NOVEMBER, 5th 1918.
* » '
FOR REPRESENTATIVE ' *
- ft
ALMER (Slim) RYDEEN
•V A-*' j (DEMOCRAT) of Candle.
ELECTION NOV. 5th, 1918.
For Re-election
* JOHN A. WILSON
| For Road Commissioner
Election, November 5, 1918
FOR ROAD COMMISSIONER
SECOND DIVISION
BARNEY G1BNEY
(DEMOCRAT)
ELECTION, TUESDAY NOVEMBER 5, 1918
PAID ADVHROIKKfBNTS
FOR RE-ELECTION TO THE TERRITORIAL
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
JAMES P. DALY
(DEMOCRAT)
ELECTION NOVEMBER 5th, 1018.
FOR RE-ELECTION
A. A. -SCOTTY- ALLAN
(REPUBLICAN)
SCHOOLS—ROADS—8 HOUR DAY
—EQUITABLE FREIGHT RATES_
ELECTION, NOVEMBER 5, 1018.
FOR SENATOR
JAMES FRAWLEY
(DEMOCRAT)
ELECTION, NOVEMBER 5, 101#.
FOR REPRESENTATIVE
E. B. -Duffy- O’CONNOR
INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
FAVORS EIGHT HOUR LAW, INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM;
OPPOSES INDUSTRIAL MONOPOLY
KIjfcnON NOVEMBER 5, 1018.
FOR REPRESENEATTYK
RUSSELL J. DOWNING
(DEMOCRAT)
ELECTION, NOVEMBER, 5th, 1018.
V
WASHINGTON STATE
FEDERATION OF LABOR
EXECUTIVE AND LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
EVERETTE, WASH. Sept, 9th, 1916.
To Trade Unionists of Alaska,
Greeting.
Ordinarily we would not think of making any sugges
tions to you concerning political candidacies in your Territory
but in the present situation we feel justified in doing so. The
interests of labor in the entire northwestern group of states
and particularly Washington, Is closely allied with the interest
of labor in Alaska. We have watched with growing concern
the efforts of large corporate aggregations to tighten their
hold upon the wealth of your country and have watched the
splendid fight waged in Congress by your Delegate Mr Wick
ersham.
It is because we believe Mr Wickersham is fighting In
Congress against the exploitation of labor and. the great nat
ural wealth of Alaska by powerful private Interests, that we
are taking the liebrty of urging our fellow unionists in Alaska
to rally to his support in his campaign for re-election.
Knowing that you will accept this communication in the
spirit in which it is written and assuring you t^e continued co
operation and good will of your fellow trade unionists, we beg
leave to remain,
Fraternally Yours,
E. P. M ARSH
President Washington State Federation of Labor.
CHAS, R. CASE
Chairman Legislative Committee, Seattle Central Labor Council.
J. G BROWN
President International Shingle Wearers’ Union of America.
WILLIAM SHORT
Sec.-Treas. Dist. No. 19, United Mine Workers of America.