Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-10-10
Brandeis Shows Right to Organ
ize Is Not Recognized.
THE PLATFORM IS SILENT
Noted Lawyer Exposes the FiImsIness
OF Promises Made to Worklngmen by
Perkins and His Candidate, Who
Stands for Private Monopoly.

4eSlS1dLlOu lOOR1uS 10 Tue prevention VI
p~ccupational diseases, overwork, invol-
iuntary unemployment and other in
furious effects incident to modern in
dustry.' but nowhere in that
long and comprehensive platform
a there be found one word
approving the fundamental right of
Labor to organize or " recognizing
this right without which all other
grants and concessions for improves
ment of the condition of the working.
men are futile. The platform promises
social and Industrial justice, but does
not promise Industrial democracy. The
Justice which it offers is that which
the benevolent and wise corporation
is prone to administer through it's well
fare department. There is no promise
of that Justice which free American
workingmen are striving to c for
themselves through organization. In,
deed, the industrial policy advocated
by the new party would result in the
denial of labor's right to organize.
"The new party stands for the per.
petuation and extension of private
monopoly from which the few have
ever profted at the expense of the
many and for the reinforcement Of
which the people have, in the past,
fought so many valianesbattles. That
cursed product of despotism, the new
party, proposes to domesticate in our
republic, proclaiming, We do not fear
commercial power Certainly organ
lied labor has had experience with the
great trusts which should teach all
men hat commercial power may be so
great that it is the part of wisdom to
fear it,"
The above declaration was made by
Louis D.. Brandeis before the conven-
ton of the American Federation of
Labor, Massachusetts state branch, at
Fitchburg, Sept. Is.
OF Supreme Importance.
He urges a careful study of the new
party platform, particularly it's effect
upon labor, noting not only WHAT IT
CONTAINS, but WHAT 1T OMITS.
adding, when you make that exami-
nation you will find that there is a
significant omission and that this skill,
fully devised platform TAKES FROM
LABOR MORE THAN 1T GIVES"
Labor Record Of Trusts.
MI. Brandeis then lays bare the La
Dor record Of the trusts, declaring that
great trusts-the steel trust, the sug-
ar trust, the beef trust, the tobacco
trust, the smelter trust and q whole
troop Of lesser trusts-have made the
determination of organized labor from
their factories the very foundation
stone of their labor policy. The abili'
ty to defeat labor's right to combine
seems to have been regarded by the
trust magnates as a proper test Of the
efficiency Of their capitalistic combina
ton"
Mr.. Brandeis shows that In 1899
during the Colorado smelters' strike
the American Smelling and Refining
company closed its mills where the
strikers had been employed and trans
ferred the work to other mills, thus
breaking the strike. The United States
Steel corporation had similar success
in 1901 with the Amalgamated Asso
citation Of Iron and Steel Workers
Had the association been dealing witt
competing employers the result woult
have been different. The United States
Steel trust was prompt in introducing
this plan. June II, 1901, six weeks
after it began its operations. its execu
tive committee passed this vote, which
was offered by Charles Steele, a part
ner Of George w. Perkins In the firm
of ]. P. Morgan & Co.:
"That we are unalterably opposed tt
any extension of union labor and ad
wise subsidiary companies to take firm
position when these questions come ~
and say that they are not going to rec
Dgnize it-that is, any extension Of un
ion in mills where they do not nov
exist"
Union Men Not Wanted.
The result was that the bulk O.
American union laboring men in thu
iron and steel industry were made t
understand that they were not wanted
at the works of the United States stee
corporation. Places once filed by
American laborers loyal to their uniol
were given to others. and, as the Stan
ley committee found, "Hordes Of la
borers from southern Europe poured
into the United States" o "
Harno about on nov can't ~ tho ~
skilled laborers in the iron and stee
business are foreigners Of these class
es, the profits going to the steel corpor
alton. Mr.. Brandeis declared that "th,
Immediate and continuing result o
the steel trusts triumph over organ
lied labor has been an extensive sys
tenn Of espionage and repression"