Willmar tribune., 1915-09-08
UNITED CON SlOll
on INDUS SIRIlL RELATIONS

UNHElD llE0 1GUlI IliNSluI I,
On INDUS trial Rel AIlONs
The final report OF the United State,
Commission on Industrial Relation,
has been made, and will be presented
to Congress when It meets. Basil M
Manley was the director Of the inves
tigation. The report was accepted ant
ordered printed By the full commits
sion, and is signed BY Frank P. Walsh
chairman Of the commission, and By
Commissioners John B. Lennon, Jas
O'Connell, and Austin B. Gerretson.
So little notice Is being given this
report In the daily press on which oul
readers depend for their general news
Information that we believe we are
warranted in publishing the same
somewhat at length in our paper o1
this week and in some future issues
While most of our readers are agricul
turists it is we'll that they inform
themselves on conditions existing IL
purely Industrial districts, for even
tually. one depends upon the other.
The Hope For the Solution.
'The only hope for the solution ol
the tremendous problems created by
industrial relationship" says the re-
port. "lies in the effective use Of our
democratic institutions and the rapid
extension Of the principles of demo.
racy to industry"
The immediate effects Of the form
and character of industrial organiza.
tion are held to be greater and closer
to the lives and happiness Of all class,
es of citizens than even the form and
character of our political institutions >
THE ordinary man." it is pointed
out, whether employer or worker
has relatively little contact with the
government. II he and his family are
well-fed, well-housed, and well-cloth.
ed, and If he can pay for the educa.
ton of his children, he can exist even
under an autocratic monarchy, with
little concern until some critical stu.
alton develops in which his own lib.
erty Is interfered with or until he is
deprived Of life or property by the
overwhelming power of his tyranica]
ruler.
Industrial Relations,
But his industrial relations deter
mine every day what he and his fam.
1ly 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
d1v1dual or corporate employer owns
or controls the community in which he
lives, the education of his children, the
character and prices Of his food, cloth
ing and house, his own actions, speech
and opinions, and In some cases even
his religion, are controlled and deter
mined, in so far as the interests of the
employer make it desirable for him to
exercise such control. Such condi
tions are established and maintained
not only through the dictation of all
working conditions Of employment by
the employer, but by his usurpation OF
control of the functions and machin
cry of political government in such
communities.
I'm the available time it has been
impossible to ascertain how general
such conditions are, but it is clearly
indicated by the investigations that
in isolated Industrial, mining or agri
cultural communities, which are own.
ed or controlled by single individual
or corporations, and in which the EN-
ployes are unorganized, Industrial feu
dalism Is the rule rather than the ex
ception. -,
I'm such communities democratic
government does not as q rule exist
except In name or form, and as a CON
sequence there now exists within the
body OF our republic petty Industrial
communities, which are virtually prin.
cipalities, oppressive to those depend.
ent upon them for a livelihood and q
dreadful menace to the peace and wei
fare of the nation. =
"Such conditions as these are the
direct and inevitable consequence o1
the industrial relations which exist in
such communities. Political freedom
can exist only where there is indus.
trial freedom; political democracy on.
ly where there is industrial democ.
racy. .-.
"Such industrial democracy has
been established in a greater or less
degree in certain American industries
or for certain classes of employees
But between such conditions of in.
dustr1al democracy and Industrial feu.
dal1sm, there are almost infinite gra.
dations marking the stages Of evolu
t1on which have been reached. In ey.
cry case, however, Investigation has
shown that the degree of political free
dom and democracy which exists is
conditioned by the Industrial status o1
the citizens who form the majority o1
the community. :
Political Liberty Also at Stake.
1.-THE problems of Industrial rela.
tlons, therefore, demand the attention
OF congress, not only because they de-
term1ne the Life, security and happi
ness OF the 25,000,000 citizens Of the
United States who occupy the position
OF wage earners, but because they af
feet for good or evil the government
OF localities and states, and to q small
er degree that of the nation itself.
What each of these wage earners
snaH eat, what he shall wear, where
ne snail live, and how long and under
wnat conditions he shall labor are de-
termined by his industrial status and
by his relation individually or collec
lively to the person or corporation EN-
ploying him. Similarly and almost
as directly this relationship deter
mines whether the machinery of the
government shall be used for Of
against his welfare, whether his vote
shall count for or against his own in
terest, whether he shall be tried by 3
jury OF his peers or jury selected il
colluston with the employing company
or, under conditions Of so-called mar
t1al law, by no jury whatever; Wheth
er in fact he shall be q free man 81
pc deprived of every right guaranteed