The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-02-24

the Only Effective Weapon of Organ
lied Labor-Economic Power ls the
ToiIers' Only Protection.
BY SAMUEL GoMPERs.
A proposal which is now under con-
sideration 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 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.
It is proposed that congress enact a
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 &C.
ton to inaugurate 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
injustice OF wrong. There Is no way
| by which he can as an individual So
cure redress for wrong. For an indi
vidual to quit work has no effect upon
conditions against which he may just
J " protest The only effect of his &C
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 tc
leave their positions because they
could not secure the eight hour work
day would accomplish but little in in
ducing the railroad corporations tC
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
| ly at variance with the whole trend Of
Industrial development and recent leg
lslation enacted by congress. Practi
cally all of the people of our country
have now grasped the fact that strike
Is not a crime. There must be com
plete revulsion of feeling If they in
dorse the proposal in congress which
will make strikes crimes. If strikes
are declared crimes 1t 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 a prison
before the eyes Of the workers and tt
force them to work at the command Of
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 full
appreciation of a fundamental princi
pie Workers cannot delegate to out
side authority, even though that au
thority be the government, the right tt
regulate industrial relations withou
creating an opportunity for a continu
Gus Infringement upon their rights ant
freedom. The railroad brotherhoods
like all organizations affiliated to thu
American labor movement, have op
posed the legislative method as thu
way to secure shorter workday an(
higher wages, but the situation wa!
such that the railway brotherhood
yielded to the policy of the government
and accepted the Adamson law Blu
just as soon as the government acquired
the right to regulate the hours of worl
for railway employees it at once begal
to augment its powers, to provide regu
lations for other relations and to limi
the right to quit work. The experience
illustrates the danger to which tn
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 With
their own hands. Once delegate eve
particle Of that authority to the gov
eminent and they limit their freedom
and forge chain that retards norma
free action In all lines.
Economic power is the only agenc
which the workers have for self Pre-
lection and self betterment They mus
retain that power and oppose every ei
fort that would take from them thei
brthright as free workers-free cit