The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-08-04
Dangers Of Proposed Law to
Make Strikes Illegal
NO SURRENDER OF RIGHTS
To Deny Waseworkers Privilege Of
Concerted Action Would Take Away
the Only Effective Weapon Of Organ
lied Labor-Eeonomio Power lie the
Tollers' Only Protection.
BY SAMUEL eoMPERs.

BY SAMUEL GOMPERS.
A proposal which is now under con-
federation 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 descrfb-
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 it seems that
only those who occupy the same rela-
tive relation to workers that cats do
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
at 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
I Injustice or wrong. There Is no way
J by which he can as an individual Sc
/ cure redress for wrong. For an indi-
iduHl to quit work has no effect upon
conditions against which he may just
] III protest The only effect Of his &C.
ton wc,lld be to leave him without
l tAEt..Ant. An individual worker
can readily be replaced.
The only way to make the protest
4 Of workers effective is concerted &C.
! 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
J 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
i ly at variance with the whole trend OF
Industrial development and recent leg
islation enacted by congress. Pracd-
/. cally all of the people of our country
have now grasped the fact that strike
Is not crime. There must be a COM
| plete reyulsion of feeling If they in
dorse the proposal in congress which
will make strikes crimes. If strikes
are declared crimes it will then be nee
essary to impose severe penalties In
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 to
force them to work at the command of
employers.
The workers throughout the entire
country are fully aroused to the dan
I gers contained In this proposed "com-
pulsory investigation plan. These
dangers have awakened them to full
appreciation of fundamental princt-
pie Workers cannot delegate to out
side authority, even though that au-
thority be the government, the right to
regulate Industrial relations without
creating an opportunity for a continu-
GUS infringement upon their rights and
freedom. The railroad brotherhoods,
like all organizations affiliated to the
I American labor movement, have OPP
posed the legislative method as the
way to secure shorter workday and
higher wages, but the situation was
such that the railway brotherhoods
yielded to the policy of the government
and accepted the Adamson law. But
Just as soon as the government acquired
the right to regulate the hours Of work
for railway employees 1t at once began
to augment it's powers, to provide regu-
lations for other relations and to limit
the right to quit work The experience
+; illustrates the danger to which the
American Federation of Labor has re-
peatedly called attention.
The Industrial freedom Of wage earn
ers depends upon their keeping con-
troll over Industrial relations within
their own hands Once delegate even
particle of that authority to the gov
! eminent and they limit their freedom
and forge chain that retards normal
free action In all lines.
Economic power is the only agency
which the workers have for self pro
lection and self betterment. They must
| retain that power and oppose every eff
| fort that would take from them their
| birthright as free workers free CHI.
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