During the past thirty years the work of organization has made enormous strides; and it has been much accelerated by the increasing industrial power of huge corporations.

The mechanic and the laborer have come to believe that they must meet organization with organization, and discipline with discipline.

Their object in forming trade associations has been militant.

Their purpose has been to conquer a larger share of the economic product by aggressive associated action.
They have been very successful in accomplishing their object.

In spite of the flood of alien immigration the American laborer has been able to earn an almost constantly increasing wage, and he devoutly thinks that his unions have been the chief agency of his stronger economic position.
He believes in unionism, consequently, as he believes in nothing else.
He is, indeed, far more aggressively preoccupied with his class, as contrasted with his individual interests, than are his employers.