Arizona republican., 1917-09-15
Labor Opposing the Common Interest

Under the above title the New York Times pub fishes editorial which very clearly eptomizes tain phases of unonism direct interest to the public. The particular situation described is na- tional importance nasmuch as it shows what might happen at any hour anywhere in the country. The menace of this condition at war is obvious The editorial says:
 The Council of National Defense announces the appointment of labor adjustment commission on the same day that the necessity put beyond doubt by strikes against the public welfare even against the specific interests of labor The proposal is to give government contracts only to those employers and workers who will agree to abide by the commissions findings upon the merits of differences about condi- tons of employment. It is mandatory that the com mission shall act in concerning 1000 workers and discretionary in smaller cases whenever the in- tervention of the department of labor failed to paclfy the disputants.
 The need for such action is shown by conditions at the cantonments Strike orders issued affect ing hundreds of men, with possibility of affecting thousands. lnasmuch there a jurisdictonaI quarrel between unions it is not possible that labor should be entirely in the right. From one point of view labor is in the wrong The demand is that only unlonlsts shall work for the government although the unions themselves disagree as to which sort or unionists are entitled to the work The demand that private employers shall not employ any workers upon terms mutually agreeable is at least arguoble or contentious, whatever may be the merits the closed shop as covering the right labor against the ld"lui TiSHtS oI all But the advancement of that princlple as applicable to the government. because contractors for government work are the employers cannot be admitted President Roosevelt settled that issue in his peremptory manner There are unonists al Washlngton Tn government employ but they are hed Tn restraint in most of the departments and do not monopolize government jobs The Brotherhood of Carpenters does not hesitate say publicly that it intends to unionze every cantonment building
 Such a strike Samuel Gompers says is contrary to the agreement between himself the federation and Secretary Baker that there should no strikes during the without opportunity for adjustment But as 1t happens, this strike against union which does not acknowledge the jurisdiction of the federation. The carpenters at work disfeloW- shipped by the federation jursdctionai dispute to whether these carpenters zn exclusive right to work docks The ironworkers chartered the dock carpenters and the federation revoked the char ter of the ironworkers These unionists may be in the wrong They the cause of the demand objectionable in principle that only one sort of unon- ists shall work cantonments There is no quarrel for the Federation unonists getting $50 to S6O weekly for work which be done by any, body who can drive nail a s because the pckngs rich that there is such rivalry their exclusive possession There will be small local sympathy with the carpenters unions, for the reason that there is court record of of their factions having entered into arr agreement with their em- ployers to exclude all products of union labor from use in New York. That is the unusual case of a combination of labor and capital for monopoly Now the demand is for a monopoly of government work, not for bettering the condition of labor
 This is not time when there can be sympathy with any set of men excluding other from work on whatever ground There is work for al and there is urgency government work behalf of all When the demand is that the government shall suspend the law which protects all workers impartally in their lawful occupations patience and labor puts itself in the wrong.