The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1916-10-26
AN INJURY TO LABOR's CAUSE.

AN INJURY TO LABoR's CAUSE
The evil effect of President Wilson's abandonment of the
of arbitration and the passage of the Adamson his
demand well brought by exPresiden Roosevelt
his speech at Wlkesbarre He quoted Wilson as saying
This is assuredy the best of indicating principle
namely having failed to make certain of its observance in
the present. to make certain of its observance future
Surrender when principle attacked to sacrifice
indicate it. The only to vindicate it is to defend and
maintain it the first time it is attacked The president
failed the present. because he made effort at vndica
ton His action similar that of Rip Van Wrinkle he
vowed to quit drinking but said "Ths doesn't count "
The result that he did not quit drinking So also the result
OF Mr. Wilson's surrender Sin the present" will be that
principle of arbitration will be indicated by him.
Secretary of Labor Wilson only made matters for
President by his to the charge that the
is legislation without investigation He says the eghthour
system has been investigated applied number of trades
but ne mentions no inquiry as to its applicability to the rail
road business In fact inquiry has been made in that
and Secretary Wilson's admission that has been
to the other trades which he mentioned implies necessity
OF inquiry before action to the railroad BUSINESS
The principle of inquiry before action followed by Col
one Roosevelt in the anthracite coal strike When that strike
mao caused coal famine throughout the Eastern states and
had thus become interstate matter of first Importance
Colonel Roosevelt called upon the and
to arbtrate When the mine refused prepared to
seize and operate the mines the of the and
he enlisted the support of his Democratic predecessor Grover
Cleveland for that plan This brought the mine
TERMS but work resumed at the old pending inquiry
and decision by the Strike Commission Inquiry then began
to whether the miners demands should be granted Mr.
Wilson granted the railroad mems demands without in
curry whatever
The Presidents of the principle arbitration to
force hailed great victory for labor though in fact
sacrifice of principle for which labor has fought through
Labors best security is the decision Of all ques
tons according to justice Arbitration the best of
curing such decision The President asked Congress pro-
vide for arbitration of all future labor disputes but the
brotherhood leaders said they would
legislation Mr. Wilson did not insist but Colonel Roose
welt said except weak and silence about this de-
ance Congress yielded to this defiance and the President
dd not get the legislation which he declared essential
to vindicate the principle in the FUTURE
The passage of the Adamson law really is aught with great
danger to the of labor Surrender force
quarter becomes precedent for surrender
another quarter Another President may yield mperos
demands of capital just Mr. Wilson has yielded tie de-
mands of labor Nor believe that Mr. Wilson's surrend
imbued by friendness to union labor His speeches
and writings before he became politician hostile labor
unions He sad Labor unions drag the highest down to the
level of the lowest He called labor leaders formidable
enemy He said: 81 fierce partisan of the open shop
AS Colonel Roosevelt said
Labor leaders may at the moment get from a in
public Office who is not actuated by Justice than
from who is actuated by Justice But the aborng
people whole cannot afford to accept such gains. If
unjust legislation is given them for improper reasons
then unjust legislation against them may be enacted for
improper
The entire struggle of labor has been for Justice Exacon
of by force without knowledge whether
just not violation of the very principle for which labor
has commended 1t precedent which may plague
those who have obtained it.