The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-06-06
New Power Changes Aspect
of Fight Between Labor
and Capital.
LEADER DISPLAYS
HIS GENERALSHIP
Victory for Philadelphia Car Men
Is Latest of Long List
for Him.
By ALLEN D. ALBERT, Jr.

By ALLEN D. ALBERT, Jr.
A new kind of power, new
force, for the better allotment
of burden and harvest be-
tween employer and work
man, has stood proof here in
America within the past seven
days. 1t has earned substan-
tial privileges of body, mind,
and heart for 5000 Philadel-
phia workmen. It has justi-
fed a new sense of strength In
the laborer everywhere. It
has inevitably changed the
character of future battle be-
tween the toiler and the di-
rector.
knowledge
Combined With Force
In its essence this new thing is a
| combination OF the skill of the great
commander in war with the teach
ing of the great combination in conn
merce. 1t has the effect of trans
forming the old chaos of the strike
into the clear order of the military
campaign as resolutely furthered as
any expedition Of araies under
! banners.
It is the putting 20 use for the work
man-hitherto irregliarly enlisted and
dependent mainly upon his strength
alone to overcome his opponents
strength re-enforeed by skill-of the
seeing ahead, the deliberate planning,
the staTming Of the weak places in
stead OF the strong, the employment of
natural advantage. which marx the
progress of successful generals and are
the explanation OF successful combina-
Itions OF industry.
Brings Scales
Back To a Balance.
It Is more than orsaRization, though
i Is the latest manifestation of the
power which lies in organization. It is
a eounterpoise fof the ingenuity wh'ch
has lately enabled the corporation TO
range ITSELF in time Of troubls with it's
men. on the leeward side of the Iaw.
This new thins has found It's express
sion in the leadership. theee ten years
past, of a young, shirt-sIeeved Ameri-
can union workman, Clarence o. Pratt.
Az hts hands It has never once failed.
In decade he has tested it in sixteen
cities for the oeneft of fellow street
car employees Wherever ne has been
able to organize the strike so that II
would respond TO this new power he has
succeeded. Wherever this has bsen the
outcome he has left his soldiers richer.
not only in shorter hours or better pay.
nut richer also in what this leader
would regard of quite the same import
ance-the possession of plessanter rela-
lions between boss and men. OF a new
and mutual esteem
Ranks Leader
With Great Generals.
These are high-sounding phrases. II
they can be justified. they rank this
obscure walking delegate in his
chosen field of iydustrial progress
with Alexander and the great Fred
erioE in the field of military tactics.
with Fgatt and Whitney in the field Of
mechaaical invention, With Franklin
and y8ismark In the field OF diplomacy,
with sle founders Of the Hanseatic
League. with Vanderbilt and Gould.
w.sh Rockefeller and Havemeyer. in
tn. Ssid of commerce That the strike
Just ending in Philadelphia should sux-
tain such a judgment must seem at irst
increGhSe. It win be for the reader
TO judge.
Let US consider first what has just
happened in Philadelphia.
In that city there were about 5000
motoEmen and conductors restive under
4 wage of q cents an hour, a schedule
wsiah required msny of the rsen to be
practically on duty from sixteen to
eighteen hours in order 10 flau a ten
hour day, no opportunity TO treat with
the employing company through regu-
larly selected grievance committees. and
Continued IN Fourth I1axsA