se out of work. It is going
to be a combination of all who can labor," he snapped out.

"Up till now," he continued, "there have been more men in the world than
there have been jobs to go round; so there have always been many
unemployed. Those unemployed are the men who keep down the wages of the
workers. If there were no men or women to take the jobs from those who
work, then the workers could demand shorter hours and a better share of
the wealth they produce. It is the unemployed who have been keeping up
the competition in wages. That is where they have been useful to the
employer.

"Up till now the workers have struggled to hold their jobs; and have
fought to maintain or raise their wages without taking into account the
thousands of unemployed who need work.

"Those out of work are humans after all, and when hunger drives them to
take the work at lower wages, they're called 'scabs' and other vile
names; and we have treated them as our bitterest enemies.

"Can you blame a man whose wife is sinking and whose children cry for
food, if he is willing to take a job at less than the wage you get?

"Would not any man lower the wages scale and take another man's job for
less, in order to save the life of his wife and the new baby? Should any
union principles stand between him and his wife's life? That is why we
are going to combine with the unemployed."

It had grown dark, so he stepped to the wall and touched a switch. As
the light flooded the room I ventured a reply.

"Don't you think the human appeal in your creed is rather one-sided," I
remarked. "Why not purge your workers' unions first! You know there are
certain trade unions that make the entrance fees so high, that many of
their own trade are excluded."

"There is a Wharf Laborers' Union in Australia that has an entrance fee
that is considered to prohibit new membership, and it has as its
secretary a Federal Minister of the Crown."

"I guess you're right just there," Nap put in. "The Union of Glass
Blowers of the U.S.A. demand 1000 dollars as initiation fee; so they get
fine pay and they're 'some' people, I guess."

"There are unions in Australia," I rejoined, "that not only demand a
high entrance fee, but, in order to continue a monopoly of employment,
are limiting the number of apprentices who desire to learn their trade.

"There are unionists who, when work is slack and members are unemployed,
will advocate shorter hours at the same rate of pay so as to