The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-02-02
PUBLIC OPINION JURY
FOR LABOR DISPUTES
O Congressman Townsend Speaks in
Favor of His Bill for CON-
pulsory Investigation.
Denies That It is For the Purpose
of Arbitrarily s sitting
Labor Disputes.

Washington, D. c., Feb. 1.-"When
you remember that from 1880 to 1890,
the latest decade for which we have
anything like accurate data, labor in
this country lost, through the idlesness
Of strikers and the money paid for the
maintenance Of strikers. more than
$30o,0o0,0 900. and that during the same
time capital lost $150, 100000 on account
of strikes, 1t seems to me that there
ought not to be any hesitation about
passing my bill for the compulsory in
vestigation of disputes between capital
and labor, said Congressman Town.
send Of Michigan. today.
1.-THE bill has been before the COM
mittee on interstate and foreign COM
nlerce for some time now and con-
siderable opposition to Its has devel-
oped, but at the same time a good
many people have also signified to me
that they believe it to be the step need
ed in this country at this junoture.
The measure has been called a
compulsory arbitration bill, but 1t is
not that. It compels nothing but an
investigation. And the time when an
investigation shall be made is left to
the president Of the United States and
to no one else. The president is author
ICED to appoint q commission Of not
more than seven members, whenever
a dispute between capital and labor
shall In his judgment interrupt or
threaten the transportation Of the Un-
tied States mail, the operations civil
or military, Of the federal government,
commerce, anG this commission shall
investigate the dispute and report tho
facts to the president. That is the
whole thing in brief. The president
will make those facts public, by laying
them before congress, and he is also
required to give a copy to each side
In the dispute.
Acts Only in Big Strikes.
Nov it has been alleged that this
bill If it became law would cause
all sorts Of trouble Tor tho manufac-
turers Of the country by compelling
them to expose their books every time
they had dispute with their men, and
that this would hit practically every
manufacturer, because few mapufac-
turers in these times have no inter-
state trade. To this I reply that no
president would order an Investigation
of a labor dispute unless it was Of
widespread consequence. Thus, one Of
the stove manufacturers Of Detroit
raised this objection, but I am sure
the president would not think Of In
TING To-
featuring plant In one city unless 1t
grew to be Of the first mangnitude. For
instance, II all or most Of the stove
manufacturers of the country were to
combine, and all OF their employees
were to strike. or II all or most Of tho
men employed In the stove factories Of
the country were to combine and strike
SO as to produce a condition Of wide-
spread distress throughout the country.
then, believe the president would
order an investigation, and having
learned the facts, would lay them be-
fore the country, and the side which
was shown to be wrong would be COM
PEELED by force Of public opinion to
yield.
THAT is the whole theory of the
bill; that the party in the wrong could
not Withstand public opinion. This
bill is intended to provide for a great.
dignihed. intelligent investigation. For
that purpose the initiative is given to
the president Of the country.
"Of course, when an investigation is
ordered the books of the employer will
have to be open to scrutiny. The bill
provides for that, and also for the
swearing of witnesses. 1t givese the
commission full power to conduct a
real Investigation. including the en-
ployment Of experts, so that there may
be no doubt that the facts have all
! been secured. To be effective it could
be no other way. But a concern which
IS IN the right will be glad to have
It's books examined, and one which Ia
IN the wrong ought to be compelled
to show them. The same is true of
labor organizations. Their records will
also have to be open to the scrutinv
of the commission"