The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-14
Makes Characteristic Speech on Mob Spirit in America
UNIONS FORM STANDING MOB
He Says In Attempting to Compel Rec ounitIon of It's Pretentlons to Sov- ereIenty 1t Relies on coer-
 eIon and Not Reason.

chautauqua. N. r., August 13.-D. M. Parry, president of the National Asso- citation of Manufacturers. today deliver ed one of the most important addresses before the conference on 'The Mob Spirit In America"
 Mir Parry spoke on Mob Spirit in Organized Labor" He said in parts
 Tn this country, in the last year, there have been many mobs of different kinds, but to my mind the most danger ous of them all is the mob of organized labor. No man, I take it, can object to any kind of an association, labor or other, which is organized for lawful and beneficient purposes. but organized labor. as 1t is conducted today. stands convicted by It's own leaders as a lawles organiza- tion.
 "Definition of Mobocracy."
 Tn that 1t seeks by physical force to overrule individual rights and is con- tinually railing against the laws and de- nouneing courts and public officials for enforcing these laws, 1t fulflls all the requirements of the definition of mob ocracy. Unlike the lynching bees and thu vigilance committees, it is what might be termed a standing mob, under fair discipline by It's officers, and ready upon occasions to commit the overt acts of outrage and destruction which are the outward manifestation of the mob spirit It declares in effect, that its will is su- perior to customs, traditions, government regulations, and even the constitution of the country. It asserts that the indi- vidual has no inherent rights that can not be taken from him, and that there fore it has the right to say that no man shall work and that no industry shall run without its consent.
 Appeals to Baser Passions"
 Tn It's attempt to compel a recognition of it's pretensions to sovereignty, it relies not on reason. but on coercion intimida- tion and the bludgeon. In it's continual preachments against. law and It's constant appeal to the baser passions of men. 1t is doing more than any other agency to in- cucate the mob spirit and to encourage the unfurllng of the red flag of anarchy.
 "The president of the Chicago Fedora ton of Labor recently declared in a re- cent interview: The President deals a death blow to organized labor when he declares that he cannot discriminate in its favor. It sounds fair on the face of it, but without discrimination we are just where we started What we have been fighting for Is union labor to the exclu- sion of all other
 These are the words of a conserva- tive among union leaders. and they voice the sentiment of the agitators the coun- try over. To their mind if you deny the right of their organization to commit ille- gal acts you are attempting to crush it. If organized labor has only lawless pur- poses 1t ought to be crushed.
 ITO Set Up an oIIgarchy."
 During the last year the attempts [, to force men to give allegiance to strike bosses in their plans to set up oligar- chy that will control industry indepen- dent of the laws of the country have re- suited in mob conditions in many of the leading centers. supremacya of law and order has sustained not only many severe shocks, but the nation has also lost mill lions of dollars by the likeness of thou sands of men. This loss must fall heavier upon the men who depend upon their daily wage than upon those who have something to fall back on. It is time that the workmen of this country were learn Ing that TOT the millions or dollars they pay in salaries to the agitators they are receiving In return nothing but ceaseless trouble. enforced idIeness and less of the comforts of life. They are also bidding for the destruction of their most precious possession-that of industrial liberty. Their investments in mobocracy is mighty poor investment"
 Kidd Is More Moderate.
 Thomas l. Kidd of Chicago opened the discussion on the Labor Unions and the Mob Spirit" He asserted the leaders in labor riots were usually recent converts to unionism, flushed with the possession of power.
 One explanation of riots advanced by him was that thousands of working men had been embittered by the conditions of their childhood and their experiences in latter life with the company store, and the other evidences of greed and power arrayed against them had made them more desperate.
 MT. Kidd insisted, however, that the percentage of riots in labor troubles was small, saying that records of 25 GOO strikes in seven years showed that fewer than l per cent has been attended by riots. He did not believe MT. Parry correctly rep resented the employers of the country
 The employment of detectives and agents. who excited the men to violence, said MT. Kidd. placed much responsibn- ity on certain employers. Organized la- bor said he, was not responsible for the employment of private policemen during the anthracite strike, for the whitecap- ping of miners in Colorado, for the riots at Danville and Evansville.
 The lawlessness of the few. he insist should not obscure the good citizenship of the majority of trade unfonists.