Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1915-08-26
Industrial Commission
(Contlnued from Page 4.l


no group of workers can become fret
except by combined action; nor car
the mass hope TO achieve any mater
ial advance in their condition except
by collective effort. u.
Furthermore, it is urged by the
representatives N labor that the eff
forts of individuals who are bent up
on lettering their own condition with
out reference to their health or to the
interests OF others, directly injure
each of their fellow workers and in
directly weaken the whole fabr.U OF
society.
Bargaining Equality Lacking
1t is also pointed OFT that the
evolution of modern Industry has
greatly increased the necessity for or.
ganiZation on, the part OF wage earn:
ers, while it is not admitted that the
employer who has only ol45 eu.k.-y, I
is on an economic Equality. with the
person who is employed by him, be-
cause of the fact that the employer
controls the means of livelihood which
gives him an almost lncalculable ad-
vantage in any bargain. nevertheless
the condition OF inequality is held to
have been enormously increased by
the development of corporations con
trolling the livelihood of hundreds Of
thousands of employees, and by the
growth of employers associations
whose members act as unit in Ques-
lions affecting their relations with
employees"
The report points out that less than
half a dozen employers out of 230 en-
ployers or their agents who have tes-
titled before tie Commission, have
denied the propriety of collective &C
ton on the part of employees, but that
many maintained what they, in &C.
cordance with common Technology,
called open shop" .1s
Meaning Of "open Shop"
OF the open shop the report says:
'aThe theory of the open shop, ac-
cording to these witnesses, is that
workers are employed without any
reference to their membership or nom
membership in trade unions; while,
as a matter Of fact, it was found upon
Investigation that these employers did
not willingly or knowingly employ un-,
ion men. Nevertheless, this is deem
ed to be a minor point. The open
shop, even If union. men are not dis
eliminated against, is as much a de-
NAL Of the right of collective action
as is the anti union shop In neither
is the collective action Of employees
permitted for the purpose of negotiat-
ing with reference to labor conditions.
Both in theory and practice, in the,
absence Of legislative regulations. the
working conditions are fixed by the
employer. 4
ait is evident, therefore, that there
can at best be only benevolent des-
potism where collective action on the
part of employees does not exist"
Discussing the attitude of employ
ers who refuse to deal collectively
with their workmen, but who do in
fact grant audiences at which the
grievances of. their workmen may be
presented, the report says:
zone is repealed rather than I'M
pressed by the insistence with which
this idea has been presented. Every
tyrant in history has on stated days
granted audiences to which his faith
full subjects might bring their COM
plants against xis officers and agents.
At these audiences, in theory at least,
even the poorest widow might be-
for justice. That justive was never
secured under such conditions, except
at the within of the tyrant, Is sure.
1t is equally sure that in industry,
justice can never be attained by such
a method"
The willingness of certain employ
ers to deal with their own employees
collectively, while refusing to deal
with any national organization, and
resenting the intrusion of any persons
acting for their employees who are not
members of their own labor force, IL
dealt with in the following:
I'm practice these statements have
been generally found to be specious.
Such employers as a rule oppose any
! effective form of organization among
| their own employees as bitterly as
they fight the national unions. The
underlying motive of sucn statements
seems to be only that As lons as or
Examinations are unsupported from out
side they are ineffective and can be
crushed with ease and impun1ty by
idischarging the ringleaders. Similar
ily. that opposition to the represents
/ ton of their employees by persons
outside theirl abor force, seems to
larise wholly from the knowledge that
as long as the workers represent
iatiyes are on the payroll they can be
controlled, or, il they prove intract-
liable, they acn be effectdall ydisposed
iof by summary dismissal.
Advance Must be Uniform.
ITO suggest that labor unions can
be effective Il organized on less than
a national scale, seems to ignore en-
ltireIy the facts and trend of present,
Iday Amrican business There is no
lime Of organized industry In which
individual establishments can act In.
dependently. Ignoring for the time
the GENERALIZATION Of control and own
iership, and also the almost universal
Iexistence of employers associations.
the mere fact of competition would
render any organization Of employees
which was limited to q single estab'
IIishment totally ineffective. Advance
lin labor conditions must proceed with
la fair degree of uniformity through.
i out any line Of industry. This does
mot indeed require that AL employees
In an industry must belong to q ma
itional organisation. for experience has
i shown that wherever even consid