The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-30
The EMPLOYERS Federation.

The formation in Chicago yester-
day of national federation of en-
ployers' associations will give timely
interest to John MitchelHs book on
organized labor, a review of which
appears elsewhere on this page>7to-
day.
With characteristic sagacity Mr..
Mitchell makes the formation Of en-
ployers' associations an argument for
the existence of unions. Perhaps the
fullest recognition of the power and
necessity of trades unions" he says,
sis furnished by the organization of
employers" Just as the workmen
found that it was necessary to organ
lie to secure fair terms from capital,
so now employers find that it is NEG
essary for them to organize Gin order
to adjust their relations with their
workmen."
AS to the attitude Of the unions to-
wards employers :. associations, Il Mr..
Mitchell says that it should not be
antagonistic, unless, such organiza-
tons show themselves distinctly and
Enthusiastically hostile to labor organ
izations. Mr.: Mitchell is quite sure
that anything which aims to make
employers act together in labor mat
ters and to assume moral or even
financial responsibility for each
others action is a step in the direc-
ton of final settlement Of the. labor
problem. The leader of the mine
Sc, hot he nct of.
fective. Organizations. for both sides
are those which limit their mem ber-
ships to a given trade. or industry
It is plain that Mr.. Mitchell real
ly looks upon employers Organizations
as the corollary~ of the joint bargain,
on which labor unions insist. The
| tendency of the employers or ganiza-
| ton is to bring the good employer to
| the front. He often suffers; for the
sins of the bad employer. : Entering
into an organization with the1 latter,
the good employer, as Mr.. Mitchell
sees it, will bring pressure to bear to
bring all employers up to his>stand-
ard, so that he will not be in danger
of strikes brought about by condi-
| tons for which he is not responsible
While Mr.. Mitchell opposes Or
ganizations either Of labor or capita
that seek to bring into one body al
laborers on the one hand, and into
another body all capitalists on the
other hand, he is not opposed to fed:
erations Of trade organizations. Hence
it is likely that he will not find fault
with the. Citizens Industrial ,Associ.
alton of America. The Knights Of La:
Dor disregarded trade lines. They
sought to- bring into one organization
all the Iaborers of the country anc
those who sympathized with their
cause. The federation is quite a diff
ferent association, it being nothing
but a loose association of separate
! trade organizations. If Mr.. Mitchell
| believes in federation of*la borers' Or
CARNATIONS and also believes in or
carnations of employers by trades, he
cannot object to the federation Of
such: organizations. j.,
1t is certainly to be hoped that Mr.
Mitchelrs optimism regarding the
steadying effects of organization are
to be realized. There is a fact in mod
ern history that justifies his optimism
1t is we'll known that peace has beer
maintained in Europe for the las
twenty-five years because of the
powerful military organizations of thu
great powers. They have had too
much respect for each other to fight
SO. when labor and capital are full!
organized perhaps they will, thru nu
tual respect and fear and dread of thu
conflict, prefer Cancellation to tria
Of strength. - 49, .'ss-
| ;-