The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-07-21
'pROFFERS PLAN TO
AVERT STRIKES
Secretary Of Labor Wilson Ex-
plains Proposed Law.
.FAvORS INDUSTRIAL COURT

Opposes Compulsory Arbitration as an
Invasion of Human Liberty-Federal
Commission Would Be Empowered to
Investigate and Adjust Disputes and
Enforce Decisions.
Incident to the investigation by a
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
draft of a proposed bill providing for
| United States industrial adjustment
| commission, which shall act as an In
dustral 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 lockout.
On the other hand, the bill does pro-
vide that the commission shall not only
investigate Industrial disputes involv-,
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 and 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 be 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:
4 l have been opposed to compulsory
arbitration because did not believe
that any man or set of men should be
compelled to work for the profit or con-
venienee of any other man or set af
men. All other objections are eco
nomic and incidental, although some Of
them are nevertheless serious.
The first objection cited involves a
serious question of human liberty,
which no Majority should have the
right to invade. realize, however,
that when all the people are cut off
from their food supply and starvation
confronts them, they are 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 seeA 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 peo-
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 I submit for your consideration.
1t 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.
feel sure that with measure of this
character on the statute books strikes
and lockouts would never occur over q
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 ad.
justing grievances.
Opposes Women Substitutes.