The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-03-05
MENACE Of
The OP[AY SHOP
Seth Low Says S Nothing But a
Shop WheT 3 on Labor Is
Not. srSed to
-.
PRAISE FOR GoMpERs
Undoubtedly Made Mistake in McNa-
mara Case But Outside Of
That He Is All
Right.

- ~ NAND notCu lie BC~
called open shop is menace to
America, in the opinion OF Seth Low,
president of the Civic Federation. He
told that organization, at the opening
of its annual convention here today,
that the ''open shop ordinarily. is not
shop where union and non-union men
work side by side, but shop from
which union men are excluded IL they
live up to union principles" And if
the various org ganizations of employers
persist in their efforts to crush union.
ism, he said, the states and congress
will club them with drastic legislation.
Low blamed certain class of en-
ployers for the growing feeling of un-
rest, saying:
Some of the largest corporations in
this country offend in practice against
the primary law of fairness, the right
of workers to collective bargaining
through leaders of their own choice
and in 80 doing they are, in my judg-
ment, more responsible for the growth
of revolutionary socialism than all
other agencies combined
Low praised the American Fedora
tion of Labor and its head, Samuel
/ Gompers. He defended Gompers from
the many recent open charges against
4 him, saying:
4 st is impossible to deny that Mr..
4 Com IS, az pfeH saant OF az az A Algserics.n
Federation of Labor. made d lament
able mistake when the McNamaras
were arrested, not in assuming their
I Innocence, but in attacking as an
enemy of organized labor everybody
who believed them guilty. He should
have remembered they might be
guilty. If the federation in the future
wishes to command public sympathy
/ and confidence. It must be prompt to
disown all violence connected with
the cause of labor
Low discussed at length the growth
of Revolutionary socialism," as typi-
4 fed by the Industrial Workers of the
1 World. They. he said, are seeking a
social revolution instead of social
4 evolution" In connection with this
4 Low severely criticised the manage.
: ment of the Lawrence strike. Only
under the plan of the American FEEDER.
alton of Labor, he said, can this coun.
: try hope to have strikes prevented as
it maintains that though the inter.
ests of capital and OF labor are not
identical they are usually reconcil
able
The Lawrence strike. Low said, and
similar occurrences in many places
"are episodes Of such character as
to awaken the most serious reflection
: They show, he said, that the relations
between capital and labor in this
country are far from satisfactory. The
various clashes of employers We're
then discussed at length and those
: who oppose labor unions severely
! criticised He concluded:
"The pathway to indstTial peace an6
industrial efficiency is to be found In
the hearty cooperation OF employers
: with labor unions. In day wher
family of nations, the trend toward
II the conduct of industry by mutua
; agreement between employer and EN-
ployed would appear to be irresistible.
Three hundred delegates, including
: nearly score of governors met tt
y discuss industrial peace.
President Taft opened the meeting
8 in brief address of welcome
For two days the federation viii be
$ in session, closing with a reception
y tomorrow afternoon and the annua
a dinner tomorrow night. A meeting o
the women's welfare department viii
also be held during the convention.