The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1918-08-30
Frank P. WaIsll
OF War Labor
Board
Has No Philosophy Except
To Know Lab0r's Needs
And Work For Them.

Zone of the noblest acts of man is to
give credit to whom credit is due.
FRANC P. Walsh has proven himself
a man and so has the Editor of the
New York Call in the following edi-
torial-Ed Press.)
Socialists may not agree with
Walsh's conception as to how the
struggle between labor and capital is
to be settled; may believe that only
the abolishment of the capitalist sys-
tenn can bring industrial freedom to
the toilers. This does not prevent
us, however, from honoring the man
who has fearlessly indicted capitalist
misrule and who is sincerely doing his
part in helping to improve the con-
ditions of the workers throughout he
nation. We are, therefore, glad of
the privilege of printing this pen pic
ture of Frank Walsh, man who has
been strong enough to wrench himself
loose from capitalist environment and
who sees the justice of the cause Of
the toilers with the seeing eye" that
is so rare among statesmen of this
day and generation.
The average man is of the opinion
that a philosophy is needed in every
action in life.
"Set your mark and shoot at it,
was the medieval way of looking at
it; medieval, of course, not in the pass
age of time, but measured by the
quick succession of events these days.
But it seems that not all men tread
worn paths.
Frank P. Walsh, joint chairman
with William Howard Taft of the ma
tional war board, is conspicuous ex-
ample of man who got away from
what may be termed a Spencerian con-
ception of life. His copy book had
among other aphorisms, the target
idea. But Walsh disregarded it.
ScOrns Limitations.
PHILOSOPHERS impose limitations
he said, in explaining his views OF
the matter. ''They also have habit
Of getting under your feet. Those
who have PHILOSOPHERS invariably
waste effort in being consistent. Nc
man, considering the film of life as
it fickers by, can be both consistent
and truthful. Events shape and re-
shape themselves so fast and reac-
tions gained from them are SO
changeful and even inconsistent with
each other, that the man with phil
osophy would carry mental bruises
all the time"
Walsh was sitting back in a chair
in the office of the national war labor
board in Washington. He threw aside
the ancient view of life as he saw it,
casually even carelessly.
Labor Needs No Lawyers.
Conceptions on economics are
purely mental and the point of view
governs entirely" he continued. New
knowledge gives new thoughts. Any
one who has studied economics must
advance. Labor presents its cases to
the board without attorneys, as a rule,
because they know more of what they
are talking about than could be in
stilled into the average attorney in
years The employers are represented
by counsel usually because they have
handled the fundamentals of wages
and working conditions through stew
ardships for years"
Board Is Shirt Sleeve Court.
Walsh voiced the foregoing view in
describing the workings of the ma
tional war labor board. He is in his
natural element with the board 1t
is shirt sleeve" court of the first
magnitude. None of its sessions have
shown formality of any kind Four
years ago Walsh came into national
prominence as chairman of the United
States commission on industrial rela-
tions. 1t was his first shirt sleeve"
court. It's course shocked the conserv-
atives. But Walsh went about the
country holding hearings and swing
ing the dead cat of informality all over
the premises. Working men found