The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-29
Mn. p.RRy.s cRUsADE.

The Journal has no disposition whatever
to belittIe the efforts of its fellow-towns-
man, d. NJ. Parry, to organize the employ
ers of the country TO meet organized labor.
On the contrary, while there is much to crit
icise in his utterances, he is doing need
ed and successful work. He raised his voice
at 'the psychic moment when long per-
iod of prosperity, with its consequent
scracity of labor. had enabled the organized
forces of labor 10 obtain so much, not only
in wages. but also in rules restricting pro-
duction and limiting the freedom of the
employer that employers were alarmed
Not only did they see their profits disap-
pearing. but they saw the prosperity of the
country menaced by the increased cost of
production and the consequent high selling
prices. with their tendency to cut off con-
sumption. Therefore, they were ready to
listen to the man who was willing Ito speak
out in meeting" and put into words not only
the alarm they felt over the situation, but
also the accumulated irritation and annoy
ance produced by the continuous process OF
surrendering privilege after privilege so
long enjoyed by the capitalist that they had
come to be looked on s rights-for 1T is the
most natural thing In the world for the
holder of privilege to forget that he has
only such rights as organized society may
concede to him, and no more.
Thus the people Mr.. Parry desired to
reach were ready to listen. but not to listen
to the quiet voice. To get his hearing he
had to be extremist. 1t is'always so in
large movements of men. The way is
blazed by the extremist-the crank" If
you please Organized labor seemed to have
none but extremists in its early days. but
time has brought not a few labor leaders
of conservative and reasonable, and even
judicial temperament. Large organizations
of capital do not suffer often from labor diff
ficulties. One does not hear of labor trou-
bles with the Standard Oil Company, one
of the largest industrial organizations in
the country. The big railroad corporations
have learned to deal with labor in a regular
way. In the more regular lines of railroad
employment the proposition has been pretty
well threshed over and is now settled in
regular grooves. United States Steel had
its big fight. and the coal industry had
its war before methods were found for sat-
isfactory adjustment of labor questions
But the great mass of smaller industries,
not strong enough to cope alone with the
well organized and compact network of
labor unions, have been feeling very severe
ly the power of organized labor in its eff
forts to get all it can in every quarter.
To these Mr.. Parry comes with the offer
of a general organization for the mainten-
ance of the employers position as the mas
ter of his own shop. And it is among these
independent manufacturers, resisting on the
one side the tendency toward mergers and
on the other side the asgressions of organ
lied labor. that he finds his response. That
he is an extremist may be admitted-and he
never showed this more clearly than in the
attack the publicity law in his New
York speech. Nothing can be clearer in
either morals or law than the proposition
that, If organized society is to protect the
property and business of corporation a
person, it has right to know that that
corporation or person is using the protected
property legitimately and doing legiti-
mate business.
But while Mr.. Parry's extreme views give
not a little ground for specific criticism.
he is filling long-felt want in his agita-
ton for an organization of employers to deal
with labor questions. He is quite likely to
| succeed in forming such organization,
| and it Is not impossible that he will precipi-
tate pretty general labor war. involving
the independent manufacturing industries.
But, if so, it will be followed by peace
founded on bitter experience and better un-
derstanding, and much more lasting than
the makeshift agreements that are now
made from year to year and evaded by
either party whenever 1t feels strong
enough.