Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-01-20
F. P. WALSH CONDEMNS
AMERICANIZATION AS
'PATERNAL TYRANNY
Chairman of Industrial Rela-
tions Committee Sends
Sharp Letter to the
Conference
TRADE UNIONS IGNORED"

Frank y. Walsh, chairman of the Com
| mlttee on Industrial Relations, sent a
, letter to the National Conference on
immigration and Americanlzation today.
condemning the purposes of the National
Amerlcanization Committee.
The Walsh letter declared that better
standards of living and of citizenship
among immigrant workers can only be
brought about through the betterment or
wages and working conditions and that
the trade unions are the agency to do that
work The letter. addressed to Frank
Trumbull, chairman of the Amerlcaniza-
ton Committee, says in part:
Several weeks ago. /, as Chairman OF
the Committee on Industrial Relations,
wrote YOU and the other members of
your Executive Committee, requesting
that the Board of Directors of the Amer
icanization Committee indorse and urge
the use of the American trade and labor
unions as Americanization agencies.
MY letter remains unanswered except
as Miss Frances Keller has replied to 1t.
LAS far as l am advised. the commit
tee Ignores my request that my letter
be placed before the Executive Com
mittee for discussion and action at the
meeting which is to be held at the home
of Mr.. and Mrs. Edward 7. Stotesbury in
Philadelphia on January Is, and evades
my urgent plea that you use your pow
erful machinery OF agitation and direct
appeal to point out to the immigrant
the advantage and necessity OF strong
union organization II he and his fellows
are to be protected from exploitation and
oppression
"Only one conclusion can be drawn from
the response to my letter and from
close study of all the publicity material
and other literature which you have is
sued. / am forced to believe that the last
thing your committee desires is the Amer
fran nf no mi iprn
instead you are attempting to set up
paternRlism that will bring the 'orkers
of this country even more absolutely
under the control of the employer than
they are at present"
Mr.. Walsh goes on to name "active
members of your committee" who, he
says. are ''relentlessly resisting any move
ment that threatens to free their en-
ployes from industrial tyranny" The
problem of the immigrant, he says, is the
problem of the wage-earner. The firm
of which Mr.. Stotesbury is a member
financed the New York subway, on which
Mr.. Walsh says there are ''unspeakably
wretched conditions"
He condemns the Pennsylvania Railroad
system of "spies and armed guards, au-
thorlzed by the corporation of which your
Mr.. Samuel Rea is president"
Mr. Walsh letter was read by Dante
Barton, vice chairman OF the Industrial
Relations COmlHlllee, OF WHlCn MI w dlsn
is chairman. He prefaced IT by saying
that he didn't think his hearers would
like II, "but" he said, "Mr Walsh and
/ think /. strikes a fundamental note for
the Amsr1<an workmen.
Characterization means state of sat
isfaction with bad industrial conditions.
and bad Industrial conditions are dis
tinctively American" he said. mo other
country in the world except this one has
its workmen driven so hard, nor is there
any other country in the world where
private individuals and private corpora
tions are so in control that soldiers OF In
dustry may be shot down at their will
I'VE should do our 'Americanizing' at
the top as well as at the bottom"
Then he read the letter. When he fin
ished the audience was distinctly shaken.
The delegates didn't know whether to
applaud or be silent. Justice Goodwin,
OF Chicago, who was presiding. relieved
the tension by walking over to Mr.. Bar
ton. taking his hand and saying TO him:
II want to congratulate you and thank
you for introducing a new and enliven-
ing note into this conference" Then the
audience applauded.