The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-09
CLAIMS LABOR UNIONS
ARE UNFAIR AND UNJUST
A. G. Marshall Tells How Trou-
bles at Dayton Were Settled by
Employers Association.
VICTORY OVER LABORERS
Local Organization Holds It's Sec
ond Meeting and Begins a CAM
paign for Members.

pdlSll III AlClllDNlo.
The Indianapolis Employers Association
held its second meeting last night at the
Century Club rooms in the Denison. The
speaker of the evening was Mr.. A. c. Mar
shall, of Dayton, o., who is secretary of
the Citizens Industrial Association of
America, the Nationa. Federation OF En-
ployers' Associations and Citizens Alliances
recently formed at Chicago.
The clubroom was crowded to its full ca
pacity. there being present over a hundred
of the more prominent employers OF labor
in the city. Aside from the speech of Mr..
Marshall a number of local men made re-
marks, all of which urged the wisdom of
speedy organization of the business men
of the city in order to forestall possible la
Dor troubles the coming year. Over fifty
new members were enrolled at the meet
ing and Secretary Frederick Matson was
instructed to inaugurate an active canvass
to bring employers into membership.
The strictest secrecy is to be maintained
as TO who are members, and the meetings
of the organization will not be public
The meeting developed the fact that there
is a very strong sentiment among the bust
ness men of the city to do something to
guarantee protection to the independent la
borer.
President John l.. Ketcham read a long
letter from L. c. Hornbrooke, of the Kan
sas City Employers Association, describ-
ing the methods which are being success
fully followed by that association to estab-
ilsh the open shop and Industrial freedom
in that city.
The leading speaker, however, was Mr.
Marshall Marshall is secretary of the
n nN Acc ffflF, raIl
OF the national organization.
Mr.. Marshall detailed some of the ex-
periences through which his organization
has gone. He said that DAYTON was three
years ago one of the strongholds OF union
ism in the country and that conditions be-
came so unbearable that the employers
finally decided TO bring about the change,
which they succeeded in doing after several
notable strikes.
ADDRESS OF MARSHALL
Mr.. Marshall said in part: ~ am pleased
to accept the invitation to talk to you on
the subject of organizat ton of employers
and the necessity of counteracting the
errors OF organized labor. because of an
earnest conviction that there must be a
general awakening upon the part of the
good citizenship Of the country, a realiza-
ton of the danger which menaces our form
or government because of the rapid growth
and development OF socialism, which is the
underlying principle of trades unionism.
III the duty assigned me was to appeal to
your SeIhShneSS; If your participation In
this work OF organization was based on
sordid or selfish motives, we would not be
together tonight. Our action results from
the conviction that the country is con-
fronted by dangers far greater than are
generally understood by the good citizen
ship of the country, which includes the
majority of those who are classed as bust
ness men and workingmen.
EVERY intelligent DQrSOn iS faniIia r
with the daily and hourly violations OF
law, involving the destruction of property
trespassing upon the rights of employers
and their workmen, murder of the duly
constituted officers of the city, State and
Nation; the crimes, brutal assaults muir
ders; the inhuman conduct which refuses
decent ana Christian burial of the dead
outrages the representatives of the church.
preventing the discharge of official duty
all done IN the name and, In many cases.
by the order of organized labor.
L think the time has passed when argu-
ment, as TO the wrongs committed by or
ganized labor is necessary. also the right
OF LABOR TO organize. Both may be called
Self-eVldent truths. The questions which
more nearly concern us are, how can these
abuses be most successfully restrained
how can the right of labor to organize be
| made most EFFECTIVE i'm protecting and pro-
noting the rights and interests of the mem.
bers? The former question may be vel
answered by the policy pursued by the Day
| ton Employers Association, concerning
THE details Of the struggle made by the
business interests OF Dayton in securing and
| maintaining Industrial peace are known Il
J every labor leader In the United States
! because ii Is a most signal incident of un
| qualified success. For years Dayton wa;
| known as labor stronghold. the banner
| town of the country for organizations, anC
| this claim of organized labor was fully
warranted by the prevailing conditions. TIL,
| great struggle for supremacy came with tn,
| strike in the spring of 1900. which involved
| almost every industry of the city and lee
| to the organization of the Employers Asso
| citation. 1t was a long, determined and ex
| pensive conflict, but from the hour of il
! inception, there was not moment Of hest
| tation not a step backward by any party
| involved in this struggle for the defense o
his rights as an American citizen. Not IL
| single instance was any concession made
| The result was a complete victory, not quail
| flied by the arbitration of rights which ar
| guaranteed to every American citizen b,
| the constitution of his country.
| IF any material change is made in exist
| ing conditions Ii will be the adoption of tn
| open shop policy. even the non-union
| izing of every considerable industry in TIL
city. Not only the employers. but % pc
| cent of the employees are ready for tn
| change and Will welcome action by tn
| unions which will lead up to ii. IL is, there
| fore, not improbable that Dayton, having
| been the first to organize in defense of al
| its people against the wrongs and tyrann'
| of organized labor, will be the first city 4
| adopt a non-union policy, and thereby en-
| force a reorganization OF trades unioniSn
which will place organized labor in contrO
| of men of honesty, intelligence, sobriety
| true Americapism; men who Will conduc
its affairs that 1t will protect the natura
rights of both capitalists and wage earn
sonal enterprise or personal liberty; mel
| who will eliminate force and substitute ODE
dience to law the agency for the accom-
| plishment of its purposes.