Las Vegas optic., 1914-11-20
SECRETARY or LABOR TALKS
UPON INDUSTRIAL PEACE
REQUIREMENTS
THEIR INTERESTS ARE MUTUAL
SAYS EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYER
ARE BOUND TOGETHER sY
STRONG TIES
SAYS He IS A PARTISAN
DECLARES He is WORKING FOR
THE SQUARE DEAL FOR
THE TolLERs

The TOlLERS
Philadelphia, Pa Nox. 90. There
can be no permanent industrial. peace
THAT is not based on Industrial jus
tice,p declared William B. Wilson,
secretary Of the federal department.
of labor, today to the delegates of the
American Federation of Labor. In
troduced to the convention BY Presi-
dent Gompers as "our Bill and ad-
dressing the delegates as FELLOW
trades unionists.p Secretary Wilson
said that he had been criticised for
certain statements he had made at
the federation's convention at Seattle
last year, and declared that he re-af-
firmed what he said there.
The secretary said he also had been
accused Of partisanship in conducting
his department.
"If securing justice to those who
earn their living by the sweat Of their
face is partisanship," he exclaimed,
then count me a partisan on the side.
of the man that labors
Mr. Wilson. in telling Of the work Of
his department, said that in the last
year and a half it had handled scores
los trade disputes apa Chat a9 hare
been settled With the a1 pIien 81
the Pere Marquette strike and the
strikes at Calumet and in Colorado
The department, he added. takes the
stand that employer and the employe
have mutual interests in creating
greater amount of production with
given amount Of labor. They differ
only as to the share that should go to
each and under the method should
be produced. When the employer and |
the employe reach this stage, ne said,
then it is the proper thing to sit down
and solve the problem.
Department Unprejudiced
"The department Of labor also has
been accused Of partisanship, Mr..
Wilson continued. ':on the theory that
in acting as mediator in labor disputes
it is performing a Judicial function.
That is not true. It performs diplo-
matte functions. There is no more
reason why the department Of abor
should be barred from handling labor
disputes in diplomatic manner than
there is for barring the state depart
ment from handling international dis (
putes.
What we want in handling labor
disputes is men who are experienced !
and level headed and who understand |
the technicalities involved Ing carry
ing out its work the department takes
men who are experienced and have
the technical knowledge Of tho EN-
D.oyes' side and also men who are ex-
perienced and have the knowledge Of /
he employers sloe, ana sends them
mt to perform their work"
Speaking on industrial justice sec-f
'etary Wilson said there stilI are exs
remists who look upon the workmen
,nly as d part Of the machinery Of the I
aWhen a piece Of machinery is
and breaks down from strain
t costs the employer something to re-
pair or repace #; not SO with The hu.
man being,s declared Mr. Wilson.
when the human machine is crowd
"a and breaks down from strain. It (
costs nothing to replace IT We con
tend that the human machine should /
be treated differently from nanimate
machinery. The human machine Is
entitled to the same confederation
IL the human being that is not EN-.
ployed."
Secretary Wilson declare thar the
labor features Of the Clayton anti-trust
law are the greatest step taken by
labor for labor in the last Two genera
tions.
Labor, al last" the secretary said.
ghas been placed where IT ought 70 he
an q part Of the community We 1e