The Washington herald., 1916-11-17
The Voice Of Business Men.

At the twentieth annual convention of the Ma
tional Founders Association in New York, the
representatives of $4,000 industrial employers who
carry 100000 workers on their payrolls formally
organized the National Industrial Conference
Board. These $1,000 employers are said to repre-
sent $8ooo.ooo,ooo of capital
The organization at this time, of such a large
number of employers having in charge the wei
fare of 100000 workers seems to be of the ut
most significance. One idea of the purposes oi
the conference board is given by President Barr
of the National Founders Association, In the fol
lowing words:
The developments of the last year. politi
cally and industriously, emphasize as never
before the need of more comprehensive CO.
operative action in industry.
Perhaps better idea of the real meaning of the
formation of the board may be found in the annual
report which President Barr submitted to the Ma
tional Founders Association just before announce
ment of the formation of the new National Indus
trial Conference Board was made. In his annua
report President Barr said:
The lesson of the recent election is so very
plain that it seems to me in the future there
will be less trucking to labor and more inde-
pendence on the part of political parties, so
lcg1SlatlOn Will NOT De tainted Dy 12VOr1tiSm or
political maneuvering for votes.
Despite the fact that the impotency of or
ganized labor has been shown in the recent cleo
ton the fact which the business must
bear in mind most clearly is that the party
which has been continued in power in the
United States for the next four years has,
during the last three and half years, sub
mitted to the dictates of organized labor, but
that party must now awake to the fact that in
its bartering with organized labor it was re-
ceiving nothing in exchange.
This point is clear: Business men and man
ufacturers must redouble their efforts to pre-
vent legislation which is unfair unjust and
sometimes illegal, and which is enacted at the
behest of labor. Employers of labor must seek
through education and publicity and by every
fair and honorable means to conserve their
own rights and to see to it that legislation
which is enacted is based on equity aud not
favor
We have seen the aggressiveness of
scrupulous labor and we have also seen weak
and vacillation in legislative councils; we
have seen subserviency, timidity and time serv-
ing in the Federal Congress. We have seen
labor LADDERS dictate to the highest officials of
the land, and we have seen them direct Con-
gress to pass bill before certain specified
hour. we nave seen congress pass the bill,
and have Senators and Representa-
tives warn their colleagues that not the slight
est change must be made in the text submitted
to them. This is humiliating spectacle.
Politicians generally have petted organized
labor until now it regards itself as the prvi-
legged class in this country. large number
of its lobbyists found in the halls of Con-
gress, while single representative of bust
ness interests is still branded and considered
as an ''insidious offender"
Though President Barr makes no mention o.
the Adamson law there can be no doubt that hi:
words constitute an indictment of that law and
the methods by which it was enacted. His word:
may be accepted as open declaration to Pres
dent Wilson that large part of the business mer
in this country have lost confidence in the admin
istrations ability to protect the nations business
interests But regardless of what Interpretation is
made of President Barr's speech and the formation
of the National Industrial Conference Board there
is an important lesson for administration leaders
in these words and actions by business men and
this lesson may be used valuable guide when
Congress assemblies in December.