The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1917-02-02
NO SURRENDER OF RIGHTS
To Deny Wageworkers Privilege OF
Concerted Action Would Take Away
the Only Effective Weapon of Organ
ICED Labor-Economic Power is the
Toilers' Only Protection.
BY SAMUEL GoMPERs.

A proposal which Is now under con-
Alteration by congress illustrates the
necessity for making theory square
with experience A plan may be theo-
retically perfect, but may fail complete
ly when put into actual practice. Upon
labor matters particularly many OF our
lawmakers are merely theorists. the
result often Is what was aptly describ-
ed by John Bright, who looked around
the British parliament and remarked,
Here are we, the cats, making laws
for the mice" So in truth 1t seems that
only those who occupy the same rela-
tive relation to workers that cats 90
to mice could seriously propose and de-
fend the legislation now pending In
congress.
1t is proposed that congress enact
law to prevent wage earners from
agreeing to quit work collectively. In
other words, legislation is proposed to
limit or deny the right of concerted ac-
ton to inaugurate a strike. However,
every one knows that the effect of the
proposed legislation would be to deny
individuals the right to stop working
ut will or, stated conversely, the law
would compel workers to remain at
work under conditions against which
they protest-a condition which Is In
no way different from slavery.
The Individual worker in modern In
dustry has become simply cog in the
great industrial machine-each must
work In cooperation with the others
Real individuality is gone from indus
trial organization. There Is no way by
which an individual worker can eX-
press his individual resentment against
Injustice or wrong. There Is no way
by which he can as an individual Sc
cure redress for wrong For an ind1-
yidual to quit work has no effect upon
conditions against which he may just
ly protest. The only effect Of his ac-
ton would be to leave him without
employment An individual worker
can readily be replaced.
The only way to make the protest
of workers effective is concerted ac-
ton. For one or two railroad men TO
leave their positions because they
could not secure the eight hour work
day would accomplish but little in in
ducing the railroad corporations to
agree to shorten hours Of work. The
only thing that can make the railroad
companies see the reasonableness OF
the eight hour workday IS to make
them appreciate the economic power
of their employees.
The purpose Of the legislation Is to
make strikes Illegal This is complete
" at variance with the whole trend of
industrial development and recent leg
islation enacted by congress. Practi-
cally all OF the people OF our country
have now grasped the fact that strike
Ia not a crime There must be com
plete revulsion of feeling if they In
dorse the proposal in congress winch
will make strikes crimes. II strikes
are declared crimes 1t will then be nee.
essary to impose severe penalties IL
order to enforce the purpose of the law
The purpose and the method OF the leg
islation are reactionary. To make
strikes illegal means to hold prison
before the eyes of the workers and tc
force them to work at the command oi
employers.
The workers throughout the entire
country are fully aroused TO the dan
gers contained in this proposed com
pulsory investigation plan. These
dangers have awakened them to ful
appreciation of fundamental princi
ple. Workers cannot delegate to out
side authority, even though that au
thority be the government, the right Il
regulate industrial relations withou
creating an opportunity for continu
ous infringement upon their rights ant
freedom The railroad brotherhoods
like all organizations affiliated to tn
American labor movement, have op
posed the legislative method as th
way to secure a shorter workday ant
higher wages but the situation wa
such that the railway brotherhood
yielded to the policy Of the governmen
and accepted the Adamson law. Blu
just as soon as the government acquiret
the right to regulate the hours OF wor
for railway employees it at once bega
to augment its powers to provide regu
lations for other relations and to 1mi
the right to quit work. The experienc
illustrates the danger to which tn
American Federation of Labor has II
peatedly called attention.
The Industrial freedom OF wage carr
srs depends upon their keeping col
troll over industrial relations With
their own hands. Once delegate eve
particle of that authority to the go
ernment and they limit their freedol
and forge chain that retards norm;
free action In all lines.
Economic power is the only agenc
which the workers have for self pr
lection and self betterment. They mus
Aetain that power and oppose every G
fort that would take from them the
birthright an free workers-frse cit
GEMS