Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1914-12-15
SECRETARY or LABOR DIS
CUSSES INDUSTRIAL
PROBLEMS.
IGNORED THE EMPLOYEES
Local Managers in Michigan and
Colorado Failed to Act
Properly.

y HilNGION, Dec. lA,--SeCretary
WI ~ OF tho department Of labor,
IN g. annual report. submitted today
eAI uses the conviction that had tho
oW Of the mine properties In tho
"a let copcpr region and tho Col
ora p coal fields dealt with the strike
sltl sion in their Inception. had they
pee .on the ground and personally in
en- Te, there Is reason to believe that
no - rike would have occurred"
hAleNcr may have been the re-
50 -billty Of the workmen for the
st and lts Incidents" said Secre-
Ia : Wilson, the local management
ca = OF be wholly acquitted. and upon
tn elementary principle OF agency, as
sound I'm morals az In law, ultimate
responsibility must rest upon tho
owners"
Principally. Secretary wilson's re-
port IA devoted to review Of the la
Dor disputes the department has sue
cesSfully mediated during the last
year and It defines AT some length tho
principles upon which the department
acts In such cases OF the mediation
and cancellation work the report saws.
'Of all the functions OF the depart.
ment OF labor which IT Is yet possible
to administer this one may be reason
ably regarded as the most important.
Suggesting with reference to labor
disputes development OF diplomatiJ
duties in tho department - labor
analogous TO those IN the department
OF state with reference to intcrnn.
uonal disputes 1t points to federal
administrative system for promoting
and fostering Industrial peace; not "A
peace or the warsaw order but ono
of mutual benefit and good will
Conserve Iabor's interests
Primarily the department of labor
must conserve In industrial disputes
me interests Of the wage earners Of
: the United states. Such is its duty un-
der the law OF its creation, the first
section of which charges II with re-
sponsibilty for their general welfare
while the eighth makes this RESPONSE
Dillty specific as TO labor disputes.
And those interests are exceptional IN
their magnitude. Not only do wage
earncrs constitute in number mora
than third Of our total population,
but In financial respects also their
aggregate interests are vast II IA
doubtful If any vocational interests
represented In our governmental sys-
TEN exceed In volume Of public im-
portanCe those of the wage carners
of the United States.
but though the department Of la
Dor represents primarily the wage-
earning interests in labor disputes. It's
|, ideal Is to make It's representation
similar in character 10 that Of the de-
partment Of state which. while repre-
senting the interests Of this country
In disputes between 1t and other coun-
} tries, does so with fairness toward all
countries. Accordingly the policy Of
the department OF labor, though 1t ex-
ecutes It's mediation and conciliation
functions as the governmental repre-.
sentative Of wagc-earning interests 9
TO do so without partisanship OF pre-
Judice, but with fairness to every in
terest concerned.
1T should be understood, therefore.
that mediation does not mean arbitra-
ton, compulsory or otherwise Nor
Is IT In any other sense n judicial
function. The function Is one Of no.
gotiation Neither the secretary nor
commissioners of concliation whom
he appoints are arbltrators Though
they may propose arbitration when
circumstances seem TO call for II. they
do not thcmselves act as arbitrators.
ana II Is contrary 10 the policy Of the
department of labor for them to
do so.
Bring Them Together.
What the commissioners OF con-
Citation seek 10 do Ia 10 bring em-
ployer and employe together. so that
they may work out their differences
between themselves peaceably and
/ amicably as business men with legiti-
mate differences 10 adjust When
commissioners fail IN that way to get
cmplOye aud employer together medi-
alton is resorted TO- The commission
ers negotiate between representatives
pf al - al nd raj A,s 30.
employer In an effort to hnd some mu-
tually satisfactory basis or agreem ent.
Failing also in that the commissions
ers endeavOr b get the conflicting
parties TO agree to a basis of arbitra-
ton, the award to decide nothing but
the points actually in dispute. Any ot
those three courses Is preferab Bile to
a strike
When the department is unable
whether through commissioners ~
conciliatlon or otherwise. TO yet the
parties to meet and work out their
own problems or to agree upon an
adjustment by way OF medlatorisl ne
gousuon, or TO adopt arbitration '
arbitrators OF their own choosing,
then there is nothing further tho de-
partment can do than to give 10 tho
public the Information necessary to
enable 1t 10 pass a fair Judgment upon
, the merits Of the dispute.
Must BE Qualified
1T viii be- seen therefore. that tho
qualifications of commissioners OF
, cancellation are not at all judicial.
aud that criticisms OF their having
or having had partisan affiliations are
based upon a misapprehension OF tho
duty the statute has imposed upon
them and upon this department ls
is not a reasonable objection to "a
! commissioner OF Cancellation that no
/ belongs to workers organization,
nor that he belongs to an employers
organization. His important qualin-
cations are not ignorance OF or lndlf-
ference 20 the interests OF either
party or both. but tact. fairness and
good feeling In negotiations In addi-
ton 10 competency with reference TO
technical aspects of the matters ia