The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-03-20
Severe Scoring of American Fed.
Grafton of Labor Record
BEFORE MANUFACTURERS
President Kirby Declared That If Organ
lied Opposition Hadn't Been Made,
"Gompers and His Hosts" Would
Had EN- Bound Hand and Foot

Boston. March 20.-Some very warn
things with respect to the labor organ
izations of the United States and th'
| drift of Socialism" were said by til,
speakers at the dinner at the Algonquin
club OF the Boston members OF TIN
| National Association of Manufacturer
at 2 o'clock yesterday.
The speakers were the general man
ager of the national association, j. PHILIP
Bird OF New York; the national presi
dent, John Kirby, jr., of Dayton, @.
and James A. Emery of Washington.
| Among the statements were: The rec
ord of the American Federation of. La,
Dor and its allied unions is the black.
est in all history; "a peaceful strike
Is an unheard Of thing; the "dynamit-
ngs were the result of deliberate
plot planned by an executive officer
and approved by the executive board OF
national union constituting an impor-
tant wing of the A. +. L.; "the writ
ten and unwritten constitution of that
organization is wrong and wicked"
President Kirby began with some ex.
PLANTATION of the purposes of the organ
ization of which he is president, and a
reference to the necessity of united re-
sistence to "the strides of Gompers and
bis hosts" and then plunged into the
midst of his scathing denunciation Of
the A. +. of L.
Nov, what do you suppose would be
our Industrial conditions to-day if some
thing, or somebody, hadn't interposed
a potent objection to the progress that
Gomperism was making IL years ago.
Is it unreasonable to say that had it
not been for organized resistance to
the strides which Gompers and his hosts
were then making, we would now all
be bound hand and foot in the throes
OF militant organized labor? As it is,
we have to endure enough Of its persecu-
tion and coercion, but instead of its
having absolute control of our commerce
and industries, as Gompers predicted
would be the case by this time, We
find his militant type of labor union.
ism fighting for every inch Of its wicked
life, and if it is to be kept on the de-
fensive, as it now is, there must be
strong, influential organization that will
Keep hammerng away at the octopus
until, from sheer exhaustion, through
enlightened public sentiment, it is forced
to give way to more humane and rea
sopable type of unionism to which none
OF US will object.
"A labor union is justified in claim
ing and excising every legitimate right
and privilege arising from organization,
when it recognizes and assumes corre-
spending obligations But when labor
seeks TO monopolize the labor
market by the denial of opportunity for
lahorers ever to become anything but
laborers; by placing barrier, in the way
of our youth; by the adoption of meth.
DDS which are demOralizing to its own
by putting the laggard on
a parity with the thrifty; by partner
ship with grafters and demagogues; by
to shield rather than to
ferret and punish its criminal mem
hers, and by utter disregard for and de-
fiance OF law and human liberty, it
becomes an intolerahle menace to civil
lied society, which all decent people
should unite IN an effort to cut out of
nX istence.
"A strike of peaceful character is
m unheard # thing. Something Yet
10 be recorded in the history of labor
such as Gompers chooses to
'all the American labor movement Nor |
will il be heard of until there is
aw, and strict enforcement thereof. /
which provides for the punishment OF the
men responsible for calling the strike, /
md for any and all acts OF violence or /
lamage committed as result of the I
strike. When that time comes there I
will be fewer strikes and less assault,
murder and destruction of property, and
ne shall have less to say about the
buses of trade unionism. But, as it
5, the strike, with its attendant cruel
les is the greatest menace of all, not
,nly as affecting commerce and indus
ny, but the peace and happiness of all
he people as well.
"The government that does not safe
uard its citizens against such sys-
EN- can but acknowledge its impotency
o make good its constitutional guar
ntees.
Labor leaders who are continually
rying about the wrongs of labor have
he lesson to learn that the wrongs of
which they complain will never be right
d by war upon society, by assaulting
nd numbering innocent working men
fhc do not agree with them, nor by
cstroying property and creating a CON
ition of industrial chaos.
Let combined labor deal with COM
ined capital, when both are willing,
ut let il be along lines of strict jus
e. and free from every semblance of
oercion, intimidation or fear. When
his lesson is learned and becomes the
llc of conduct with labor unions, la
Or, will speedily acquire all the just
rvileges il seeks. and be immune from
Dc wrongs of which il may be reason
bic to complain"