The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1917-12-13
PROFfE:RS PLAN TO
AVERT STRIKES
Secretary Of Labor Wilson Ex'
plains Proposed Law
.FAvORS INDUSTRIAL COURT

Opposes Compulsory Arbitration as ar
Invasion of Human Liberty-Federa
Commission Would Be Empowered te
Investigate and Adjust Disputes anc
Enforce Decisions.
Incident to the investigation by Il
special committee of the United States
senate into the facts of the existing
! street railway strike in the city OF
Washington, Secretary Of Labor Wilson
has submitted to the committee the
draft of a proposed bill providing for Il
| United States industrial adjustment
commission, which shall act as an in
dustrial court for all Of the interstate
carriers of the country as well as for
! the street railways Of the District OF
! Columbia. This commission would not
have power to prevent the dismissal of
! employees, either individually or col
| lectively, nor the voluntary abandon,
ment Of employment by employees,
either individually or collectively. In
| that sense it has not the power to pre-
vent q lockout.
On the other hand. the bill does pro
vide that the commission shall not only
I investigate industrial disputes inyolv
ing these common carriers, but it shall
| pass Judgment upon these disputes by
the issuance of orders Of adjustment
| Moreover. such order or orders shall
specify the date, to be fixed by the
commission, upon which they shall be-
come operative ana shall thereafter
have the same force and effect both
upon the employers and the wage earn
ers concerned as would contract
made and executed by and between the
same parties upon the same subject
matter and shall he so construed"
Machinery for the hearing Of appeals
from these orders is provided through
the federal district courts and circuit
courts of appeals. but evasion Of the
terms of an order through separate
agreement between employers and EN-,
ployees is forbidden.
The bill was accompanied by letter
from Secretary Wilson-to Senator Pitt
man of Nevada. acting chairman of the
senate investigating committee The
letter says in part:
l have been opposed to compulsory
arbitration hecause-I did not believe
that any man or set of men should be
compelled to work for the profit or con-
venience of any other man or set of
men. All other objections are eco
nOmic and incidental, although some of
them are nevertheless serious.
The first objection cited involves
serious question Of human liberty,
which no majority should have the
right to invade. l realize, however,
that when all the people are cut off
from their food supply and starvation
confronts them, they arc not going to
stop to consider whose rights are invad.
ed or whose liberty is destroyed They
are going to find means of securing
food. They will take the most direct
road, whether that happens to be the
right way or the wrong way. For that
reason it would seem the part Of wis
dom to carefully work out the problem
when no crisis exists, with view to
conserving both the freedom Of the
workers and the food supply Of the PEG
pie. The other two objections are pure
ly economic and may with perfect pro
priety be dealt with in such manner
as will best protect the general welfare
These thoughts have been borne in
mind In the preparation of the measure
which submit for your consideration
It is proposed to create system by
which nothing can be gained by strik-
ing. Other machinery is provided by
which progress can be made. The work
er is left free to work or not, individu-
ally or collectively, and the employers
to dismiss their workmen individually
or collectively, but the motive for
strikes and lockouts is destroyed. l
feel sure that with measure Of this
character on the statute books strikes
and lockouts would never occur over a
sufficiently large area to seriously i'm
pair the transportation facilities Of the
country, and the end would be reached
not by crushing the workers, but by
giving them different method of I'D.
| juSting grievances