The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-03-09
GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF UNIONS.

". e. McEwEN Editor aud Publ.her
GOVERNMENT CONTROL OF UNIONS
Testifying before the Stanley steel committee,
Percval Robert, Jr director in the steel corpora
ton said he favored federal control of labor unions
as monopolles dangerous and wholly un-American.
1t is somehow easier to believe that these words of
MIR. Roberts represent the real attitude of the cor
poraton than to accept the altruism of Judge Gary
its more accustomed m0uthpiece. This is the way
the steel masters talk among themselves; such are
the ideas they would like to see carried out
No doubt their ideal of government would be
represented by a business administration - which
would see to it that business profits were safe
guarded against this monopoly of labor!
From men with ingrained ideas such as these
comes the cry of Let business alone'' The present
attitude and the apparently sincere feeling Of many
masters Of big business is that anything which tends
to prevent the largest profits which could be made
were it impossible for labor to demand fair price,
is really invasion Of their rights Until there is
recognition the part of these that it is not
n-American to insist that all the rights shall not
be on side, we may expect to hear this crv of
interference with business
So great is the peril from labor unions, in Mr.
Roberts opinion, that he see no remedy but
further federal control But what does he think of
the peril from the conditions under which the steel
laborer works? Is there nothing in 12-hours-a-dav
seven-days-a-week schedule that suggests danger?
Is there no peril to the republic when wages are
SO low that women and children must undermine
their health in sharing in the support of the family?
Mr. Roberts says also that 1.-THE average labor
union IS IN no sense American institution The
idea is imported and has place in the institutions
OF this country Now, it is admittedly railing
accusation to bring against anything to maintain
that it is "unAmerican.' The difficulty with the
charge is that apparently anything to which any
speaker writer is opposed is ''un- American To
Mr.. Lorimer the initiative and referendum and
popular nominations we'll are un-American; but
many Americans seem to approve of them more and
more Is there nothing un- American in paying so
low wage that Americans cannot maintain their
standard OF living and foreign labor must be i'm
ported? TO the steel company it is not un-
American to import foreign labor because it is cheap
but it is distinctly un-American to import the means
OF defense to which foreign labor has had to resort
The steel corporation admittedly has been able
under present laws, to stamp out labor unions ex.
cept among Of it's railroad employees, where
they have not found them Objectionable Yet thew
want federal control Of the unions Let us be fair:
MIR: Roberts includes organizations of capital also
saying that ne sees mo reason why should not
combine to dispose Of their labor just men combine
to use capital provided that both are under govern
ment control, and that neither side has
any monopolistic tendences' Does Mr.. Roberts
believe that any federal control which could be
secured would control the combinations of capital
as 1t would the COM inations Of labor? And since
the steel company, without this control. has been
able to combat the labor unions so effectively would
1t not show more becoming modesty to wait for
this federal control of the dangerous monopoly Of
union labor until combinations of capital are little
treer from the suspicion of 'monopolistic tenden-
cles which seems to attach to them so persis
tenty?"
Monopoly is un-American 50 are violence and
crime. No man in his senses advocates either. Nor
are the unions any open to suspicion of crime
ana violence than the combinations of capital, and
much less to the charge Of monopolistic tendencies
80 long as corporations like the steel company are
aoe TO stamp out collective bargaining and to main
tam the hours and wages they do, to seek further
federal control of union labor, would be an act Of
6razen etrontery to all who believe in the rights of
humanity e'' ~