Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1916-11-18
LABOR TO OPPOSE
THE COMPULSORY
ARBITRATION BILL
THIS WAS ANNOUNCED TO-DAY
AT SESSION ON AMERICAN
FEDERATION OF LABOR.
LATEST REPORT STATES THAT
ALL UNION LABOR Is AGAINST
THE NEW BILL.
THlRTY-SlxTH SESSION OF THE
FEDERATION HELD TO-DAY
IN BALTIMORE CITY.
(By United Press.)

(By United Press)
BALTIMOREyNov. Is. - Warning
that union labor will oppose with all
It's power any attempt to put through
Congress compulsory arbitration bill,
az proposed by President Wilson. was
given today when the executive com.
mittee of the American Federation of
Labor, at the federation's Beth annual
convention, read its report.
THE wage earners of the United
States" said the report, will oppose
aay proposition TO impose upon them
compulsory institutions which dis
Snise involuntary servitude. They
h6ld that the principle involved in
voluntary institutions is the key to
personal and industrial freedom and
that this principle is of more impor-
lance to them than any other CON
sideration.
The immediate problem involved
IS q class problem but the principle
involved in compulsory institutions
even for class in our Republic, is
OF concern to the whole Republic, for
we know that the Republic cannot
be maintained part free and part
slave.
Involuntary and compulsory labor
once enforced, even for single hour
VIII not halt at it's temporary en-
forcement but will go on and become
permanent.
In human institutions when a
wrongful course has been pursued it
Inevitably is held of driven on to it's
logical conclusion of error. Then
there is no retrieving except by a
CONFUSION brought about by a rev.
olution.
The human labor power which
this law compels wage-earners to give
to employers against their will is in
separable from the body and the per-
sonality of the wage-earners. 1t is
TART of the men and women them
selves. They cannot be forced to
work for an employer against heir
wills without reducing them to the
legal condition of slaves and trans
forming their minds and spirits into
those of slaves. No more dangerous
proposition has exer been proposed
tnan this compulsory investigation
treasure"
IL conclusion the committee recon-
rielided that the convention take a
strong stand against it and "in favor
OF the maintenance of institutions and
opportunities COR freedom"
Discussing the arbitration principle,
the committee viewed 1t as second in
Importance on the general admins
tration program to the eight-hour day
principle.
This effort to again subject wage
earners to involuntary servitude has
aroused the determined resistance of
wage-earners generally" it continued.
ITO their declaration against involun.
tary servitude the proponents of the
legislation have replied that although
a strike would be made illegal under
the proposed law and strikers Grim
inals. yet individual workers were
not deprived of the right to quit work.
2 he committee, taking ND politics.
urged woman's suffrage, Porto Rican
independence, government ownership
Of telegraph and telephone lines.
national child labor law, a minimum
w ge law for the government. ex-
tension Of the eight-hour law to all
government departments, exclusion
from interstate commerce convict Ia
hor products, preparedness, vocational
training as a means to preparedness.
aid a host OF other planks designed
- help the cause OF labor.
turing tne year the report stated,
strikes cost the Federation $2,70s ,7s9.
Two hundred and sixty thousand PEG.
ale were involved in them. One thou.
sand ono hundred and thirty.fve
strikes were won; 13S were comprom.
iped; 3o5 are pending and 40 were
lost. The federation gained nearly
$4,000 members, aud issued eco
charters to organizations joining it,
Death benefits paid totaled $2,2GA31o.
Sick benefits totaied $lO6S 500
Fsilure because OF the war 10 ar