The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-09-12

have this tremendous authority
behind them; what they do they
VIII have the defense OF the Fed
cral Government to do, fncIud-
ing the right to pay the wages
approved by the government.
And IL Is worth the while of
the worlNingmcn OF the country
To recall what the attitude to-
ward organized labor has been of
the masters of consolidated in
duStricS whom the Federal Gov
ernmcnt is TO take under its pa
trOnage as well as under its con-
troll.
'"rhey have always been the
stout opponents of organized Ia
Dor and they have tried to UNDER
mine it i'm a great many ways.
Some of the ways they have
adopted have worn the guise of
philanthropy and good will, and
have no doubt been used, for all
L know, in perfectly good faith.
1T EEGALIZES MONOPOLIES.
"SOmc of them have set up sys-
TENS of profit sharing, of compen-
SatiOn for injuries and of bonuses
and even pensions, but everyone
of these plans has merely bound
their wOrldngmen more tightly TO
themselves.
''Their rights under these vari-
Gus arrangements are not legal
rights. They are merely privi-
lcgeS which they enjoy so long
as they remain i'm the employment
and observe the rules of the great
industries which employ them. If
they refuse to be weaned away
from their independence, they
cannot continue to enjoy the
benefits extended to them.
when you have thought, the
whole thing out, therefore, you
will find that the program of the
new party iegalizcS mOnOpolics
and Systematically subjects work
made by the Government both
with regard TO employment and
with regard to wages.
what most of us are fighting
for is to break up this partner
ship between big business and the
Government.
Il call upon all intelligent men
10 bear witness that if this plan
were cOnSummatcC, il this pro-
gram were carried through, the
great employers and capitalists of
the country would be under a more
OVerpOwering temptation than
ernncnt and keep il subscrVient TO
their purposes.
What a prize IL would be TO
capture! How unassaiIa bic would
be the majesty and tyranny OF mo-
nOpOly if il could thus get the
sanction of law and the support of
parties. by what means. exceDt
open revolt, could we ever break
the crust of our life again and be-
come free men, breathing an air
OF our own, choosing and living
lives that we wrought out for our
selves?
1T is like coming out of n close
and sitting air into the omen.
where we can breathe fully again
and see the free spaces of the
heavens above us, TO turn away
from such a prOgram-the identi-
cal program suggested TO commit
tees OF Congress by MIR. Gary and
Mr.. Perkins.
democratic leaders turn away
from any plan TO Iegalize mo-
nopOly and give n Federal COM
mission leave to say how much
of il there should be because
they know exactly what that
would mean. What they propose
Il the restoration of freedom.
"Wiat we need is the reguIa-
ton of competition and the
prosecution of what has created
monopoly. When you have rcgu-
lated IL YOU have, in effect, re-
stored IL.
I'VE are not opposed to rcgula-
ton; we are not opposed TO COM
missions even If they be neccs-
Sary instruments of adminiStra-
tive regulation, but we know that
titiOn il the very thing that has
created mOnODOly."