The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-15

Association of Manufacturers, repre-
senting hundreds of millions of invests
ed American capital, began at Tulane
Hall to-day what promises to be the
most important annual convention in
the history of the organization.
The open and avowed hostility of
President D. NJ. Parry towards the
methods of organized labor has at
tracted wide attention and the large
ly increased delegate representation
from the various manufacturing states
of the North was declared by the mem
bers to be largely due to the interest
taken by the members in the labor
question.
James w. Porch, vice-president for
Louisiana, called the convention to or
der. Mayor Paul Capdevielle of New
Orleans and Gov. w. w. Heard adj
dressed the delegates in hearty
speeches of welcome and President
Parry responded. And then the con-
vention settled itself to serious bust
ness of the session, beginning with the
reading of the presidents annual re-
port.
After calling attention to the mark
ed growth of the National Association
of Manufacturers which now has over
2100 members on it's roll, Mr.. Parry
Immediately took up the question of
the battle between the manufacturers
and organized labor in connection
with the eight-hour and anti-conspir-
acy bills, which were defeated at the
last session of Congress. Referring to
this contest, Mr.. Parry said:
Was n Public Service.
"By it's determined opposition to the
passage of the eight-hour and the an
ti-injunction bills this association per-
formed what, to my mind, was a great
public service the full significance of
which is, perhaps, not realized even
by any who were foremost in con-
demning those measures. The mere
defeating of these two bills does not
tell the story. What was done that
was much more important and far
reaching was to give an opportune
check to socialistic impulse. 1t is inn
possible to hide our eyes to the fact
that a large mass of the people, for
getful of the liberties and blessings
they now enjoy, are with restless ar
dor striving to force the nation to
what must eventually mean indus
lTld1 uISdSlSIb IL IlOl dlldINtAy clAAu 0Co-
potism.
organized labor, an army presun-
ably 100000 strong, feeling its
strength and exultant over many VIC
tories it had won, concluded last win
ter that the time was ripe to make
Congress engraft upon the statute
books of the nation its sprigs of So
cialism, legalizing those denials of in
dividual rights which it has heretofore
sought to enjoin by force. 1t drew up
and fathered the eight-hour and anti
injunction bills, the former of which
could we'll have been entitled AN act
to repeal the bill of rights guarantee
ing the freedom of the Individual
and the latter should have been term
ed, "a bill to legalize strikes and boy
colts"
1.-THE introduction in Congress of
such measures as these and the sup
port they received there and from the
press and public can only be regarded
as ominous manifestations of the deep
seated power of an organization which
in late years has had such an tns1d-
uous growth that we ind 1t donn-
mating to a dangerous degree the
whole social, political and government
tai systems of the natiog.
"Unce thoroughly alive to the true
nature of this un-American institu-
ton of organized labor as at present
conducted, the people, 1 firmly believe,
will place their stamp of disapprovai
upon it, and will dwindle in power
faster than it grew. Perhaps new
form of unionism will take it's place
a beneficent unionism-for the right
of the workmen to organize within
the spirit of the federal constitution is
not to be disputed. The employers of
-, <txan txyffh
men that work for them considered as
individuals. The welfare of those who
toll in our factories calls for our most
earnest consideration. But what we
must protest against is the unwarrant-
able usurpation of rights and the dis
asterous industrial policy which char
acterizes them in their present as
ISOLATED capacity.
Its One Law Is Force.
"Organized labor knows but one law,
and that is the law of physical force
the law of the Huns and vandals, the
law of the savage. All it's purposes
are accomplished either by actual force
or by the threat of force. 1t does not
place it's reliance in reason and justice
but strikes, boycotts and coercion. 1t
is in all essential features, a mob
power knowing no master except its
OWN VIII anu Is COHllnud1y COilueiln-
ing or defying the constituted authori-
ties. The stronger it grows, the great
err a menace it becomes to the con-
tinuance of free government, in which
all the people have a voice. 1t is, in
fact, a despotism spripging into be-
ing in the midst Of liberty-loving peo-
pie.
ut holds bludgeon over the head of
the employer, laying down the terms
upon which he shall be permitted to do
business. 1t says to him that he must
deal direct with the union; that, while
he shall pay the men who work in his
factory, they shall be beholden mere to
the union than to him for their posi-
tons; that he cannot employ or dis
charge men without the endorsement
and consent of the union; and that he
must pay them the wage fixed by the
union, without regard to their individ-
ual worth or the economic ability of
the employer to pay.
ut drives unwillingly men into ranks
by it's policy of intimidation Thou
sands of it's members are such to-day,