H. L. Mencken Quotes
Unionism seldom, if ever, uses such power it has to insure better work; almost always it devotes a large part of that power to safeguarding bad work.
Mencken had a genius for finding the weak and hypocritical aspects of all institutions and most people. As a result he is frequently quoted by one political side or another to attack something they want to diminish. His career is so prolific that it is usually easy to find something nasty he said about any group, idea or person. In this case, he also wrote scathingly against businessmen, corporations, capitalism and politicians favoring the wealthy.
H. L. Mencken, 1880-1956, Journalist and Columnist, Quoted in Conservative Digest, November 1987
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
With the large number of jobs that are going overseas, and the increasing productivity, the economics of the late 20th century and early 21st century made job security an anachronism. Therefore the unions were weakened.
Two years later he was assassinated.
The “bread box” was a metal box used in most homes to keep bread fresh before refrigerators were so large and prevalent.
At the time, the mine owners and operators claimed that they had NO obligations to their workers—not even to ensure a safe mine. There was no OSHA and workers died and were maimed on the job much more frequently than they do today. Many mine owners now accept that they have obligations to the workers, and the rest are required to have responsible and safe working conditions by law and OSHA regulations.
Henry Louis Mencken was an American journalist, essayist, satirist, cultural critic, and scholar of American English. He commented widely on the social scene, literature, music, prominent politicians, and contemporary movements. His satirical reporting on the Scopes Trial, which he dubbed the "Monkey Trial," also gained him attention.
