The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1912-10-04
THIRD TERMER'S
joke ON LABOR
Brandeis Shows Right to Or
ganize Is Not Recognized
THE PLATFORM IS SILENT,
Noted Lawyer Exposes the Finishes
OF Promises Made to Workinsmen by
Perkins and His Candidate, Who
Stands For Private Monopoly.

1.-THE new party pledges itself to So
ciai and industrial justice and specific
ally to work increasingly for effective
legislation lookingsto the prevention of
occupational diseases. overwork. invol-
untary unemployment and other In
furious effects incident to modern In
dustry, but nowhere In that
long and comprehensive platform
can there be found one word
approving the fundamental right of
labor to organize or even recognizing
this right without which all other
grants and concessions for improve
ment of the condition OF the working
man 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 its well
fare department. There is no promise
of, that justice which free American
workingmen are striving to secure 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.
1.-THE new party stands for the per-
petuation and extension of private
monopoly in industry-that private
monopoly from which the few have
ever proflted ut the expense OF the
many and for the dethronement OF
which the people have, I'm the past,
fought so many valiant battles. That
cursed product Of despotsm. the new
party, proposes to domesticate I'm 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 that commercial power may be so
great that 1t is the part Of wisdom to
fear It."
The above declaration was made by
Louis ID. Brandeis before tho conven-
ation OF tho American Federation OF
Labor. Massachusetts state branch, at
Fitehburg. Sept Is.
l OF Supreme Importance.
He urges n careful study OF the now
party platform. particularly its effect
upon labor. noting not only WHAT 1T
CONTAINS, but WHAT IT oM1TS.
adding. "When you make that cxami-
nation you Will find that there In Il
Significant omission and that this skill
fully devised platform TAKES FROM
LABOR MORE THAN III GIVES"
Labor Record of Trusts.
Mr.. Brandcis then lays bare tho Ia
Dor record OF the trusts, declaring that
great trusts-the steel trust. tho sug-
ar trust. tho beef trust. tho tobacco
trust, tho smelter trust and whole
troop OF lesser trusts-hnve made the
determination OF organized labor from
their factories tho very foundation
stone of their labor policy. The ablli-
ty TO defeat labor's right TO combine
seems TO have been regarded by the
trust magnates as proper test OF the
efficiency OF their capitalistic comblna-
tion.'
Mr.. Brandeis shows that I'm 1890,
during the Colorado shelters 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 with
competing employers the result would
have been different. The United States
Steel trust was prompt in introducing
this plan. June II, 1901, six weeks
after II began its operation, its execu-
tive committee passed this vote, which
was offered by Charles Steele, a part
ner Of George w. Perkins In the firru
Of ]. p. Morgan e Co.:
THAT we are unalterably opposed to
any extension of union labor and adj
wise subsidiary companies to take firm
position when thesc questions come up
and say that they ~. not going to rec
ognize it-that ia. any extension of un-
ion In mills whore they do not now
exist"
Union Men Not Wanted.
The result was that the bulk OF
American union laboring men 10 the
iron and steel industry were made to
understand that they were not wanted
al the works OF the United States Steel
corporation. Places once filed by
American laborers loyal to their union
were given TO others. and. as the STAN
ley committee found. "Hordes OF Ia
borers from southern Europe poured
into the United States" ."
Hence about so per cent of the un-
skilled laborers IN the iron and steel
business are foreigners of these classes.
the profits going 70 the steel corpora
ton. Mr.. Brandeis declared that ''the
immediate and continuing result Of
the steel trusts triumph over organ
lied labor has been an extensive sys-
tenn Of espionage and repression"