The Oskaloosa herald., 1909-05-27
MITCHELL. REPLIES
TO k|RBYS SPEECH
Former Labor Leader Raps Man
ufacturer's President.
DEFENDS THE FEDERATION
Declares Violence and Anarchy Are
Advocated and the Great Ma
! Jority Of Employers Are Ma
( Iigned and Traduced. .

New York, May 26.-The recent ar
raignment of organized labor made
here in the course of his speech of &C.
1eptance by John Kirby of Dayton, O.,
the newly elected president of the Ma.
tiopsl Association Of Manufacturers.
is the subject of ccndemnatory ar,
ticle by John Mitchell, former 'presi.
dent of the United Mine Workers of
America, l5blsbed in the current il.
/, sue of the, National Civic Federation
Review III AZ
Mt. Mitchell quotes Mr.. Kirby as
saving that he has been elected to the
presidency Of the National Association
iqf Manufacturers, not on account of
ms ability or on account of his ma.
ttonal reputation, but because the
members of the association knew
where he stood on the labor question.
illustrates kirby's Position.
He then goes on to illustrate where
Mr.. Kirby stands on this question. by
contrasting his utterances on the sub
ject of organized labor with those of
President Taft, Pope Leo XIII. Car.
cinal Manning, Gladstone, the late
Mark Hanna, Potter Palmer, Wendell
Phillips, the late Bishop Potter and
Melville F.. ingalls,.
From this parallel. Mr.. Mitchell de.
duces that the only truthful and sane
declaration made by the newly
chosen spokesman of the National AS.
ISOLATION Of Manufacturers is that in
,socistion he says: I have not been Sc.
letted as your president on account of
my ability"
"Paradoxical as it may appear"
concludes Mr. Mitchell ,'the repre-.
sentatives of this employers associa.
tion insone breath clcrry and denouncr
what they term class division, and
class hatreds. and in the next
breath malign and berate their fellow
citizens who are workingmen, and all
other groups in society in sympathy
with the legitimate purposes and high
ideals Of the labor movement. They
claim and proclaim the right and ne.
cessity of organization among employ
ers. yet deny to workingmen the right
of organization and combination.
Advocate Violence and Anarchy.
They pirate about law and order,
vet advocate violence and anarchy:
they suggest the use Of the cannon as
means of dispensing the working.
men; they malign and traduce the
great majority OF the employers of
labor who refuse TO join them in car.
rying forward their unboly and I'm.
American designs to destroy the or.
ganized labor movement: and to cap
the climax of their inconsistency they
impugn the motives and question the
intelligence of the religious, educa.
tional and phila2thrrpic institutions OF
our country simply because these in
stitutions have opened their doors to
the organized labor movement and
have listened respectfully to the
claims made in behalf OF the working.
men and women whose brain and
Drawn have contributed in no small
degree to the commercial intellectual
and moral supremacy OF the nation.
How much better would It be for
themselves, how much more would It
contribute to the honor and glory of
our common country. II these gentle.
men Of the National Association OF
Manufacturers would examine with
open minds and intelligent discern.
meut the real purpose policy and
philosophy of the American labor
movement"