Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1915-08-26
Industrial Commission

+ Il -
tcontanuea from Pa9s u
and is. signed by Frank r. Walsh
hartman of the Commission, ana -py
{ ON raissioners John B. Lennon jas
t1,Conneu and Austin b. Garretsoh.
AS a paramount necessity, II ths
Nation is to remedy the eVlls aounu
ia exist by the Commissions stan, tue
report urges action that will remcve
the many existing obstacles WHICH
nrevent effective organizat lion, ana GU
nneration" by wage eanrers, anu tna'
will thereby bring about oeMo
raatic organization of industry ATOMS
thel ines of trade union a>civlty. al
The .erux of the whole question: "
industrial relations is declared 70 De
shall the workers, for the protsc.ioI
# their interests, be ORGANIZED anu
represented collectively by their 9hos-
=. delegates. even as the stocKholu-
ars are represented by their Greeoorst
and by the various grades VI eAecu-
tive officials and bosses. +h
Mr.. Manly's report is based on tne
research and field work OF members
Of the staff, whose ?oint OF view Is
that of impartial Investigators, anu
mon testimony at the public hearings
Conducted by the Commission IN -FOUR
Teen principal cities and industrial
centers of the United States. Inese
| hearings occupied in all l54 Gays anu
! total of TAO witnesses were nearu.
OF these 23O were affiliated Win eM-
ployers, 245 with labor and zoo were
not affiliated with either gorup. Wnere
interests are affected, statements ..
1 facts are based entirely on the teslr
mony of those witnesses whose inter
ests might be regarded as adversely
affected.
Action is Imperative,
In an Introductory statement COR
gress and the public are urged TO re-
gard the question OF industrial. Iela.
lions as more fundamental and OF
greater Importance to the Wenare "
fhe Nation than any other question
evcont that of our Government"
-"The only hope for the solution OF
! tho tremendous problems created py
industrial relationship" says the re-
mort. lies in tue effective use OF our
democratic institutions and the rapli
extension of the p4nciples of democ-
racy to industry"
i The immediate effects Of the form
and character of industrial organiza.
;ons are held to be greater ana
loser to the lives and happiness OF
all classes of citizens than even fne
:orm and character of our political In
situations"
IN. ordinary man." it is pointed
out. whether employer or worker, mas
relatively little contact with the gov.
eminent. If he and his family are
Well-fed, well-housed, and we'll clotn
ed. and if he can pay for the eouca
ton of his children, he can exist even
under an autocratic monarchy VIII
little concern until some critical SIT
uation develops in which his own I'D
erty is interfered with or until ne II
L deprived of life or property by the
overwhelming power of his tryannlca
ruler. But his industrial relations de
termine every day what he and his
family shall eat, what they shall wear
how many hours of his life he shall
labor and in what surroundings. I'm
der certain conditions where his in
dividua or corporate employer owns o.
controls the community in which NJ
lives, the education of his children
the character and prices OF his food
clothing and house, his own actions
=! speech and opinions, and in som'
cases even his religion, are controlled
- and determined, insofar as the inter
ests of the e1nployr make it desirable
for him to exercise such control. Sucl
conditions are established and main
tanned not only through the dictatiol
of all working conditions of employ
ment by the employer, but by hi
usurpation or control of the functions
and machinery of political government
in such communities.
6Tu hn
impossible to ascertain how genera
such conditions are, but it is clearl.
indicated by the Investigations tina
in isolated industrial, mining or agri
cultural communities, which are own
ed and controlled by single individual
or corporations, and in which the EN-
ployees are unorganized, industrial
: efudalism is the rule rather than tn
- exception.
in such communities democratic
government does not as rule exist
except in name or form, and as a con
sequence there now exist within tn
body of our repubh cpetty industrial
communities, which are virtually prin
cipalities, oppressive to those depend
ent upon them for a livelihood and
dreadful menace to the peace an
welfare of the nation.
"Such conditions as these are tn
direct and inevitable consequence o
the Industrial relations which exis
in such communities. Political free
dom can exist only where there is in
dustrial freedom; political democrac,
only wheer there is industrial democ
racy.
"Such industrial democracy has beel
established in greater or less degre
in certain American industries or 70
certain classes of employees. But be
tween such conditions of industrial
democracy and industrial feudalism
there are almost infinite graduation
marking the stages of evolution whicl
have been reached. In every case
however, Investigation has shown tina
the degree Of political freedom an,
democracy which e2lsts is condition
ed by the industrial status of the cit
zens who form the majority of tn
community"
Political Liberties at Stake.