The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-02-11

utions and effective means for the lust
redress Of grievances that may arise,
labor in its turn should surrender all
practices which tend to restrict maxi.
mum efficiency.
Y. Uncorrected evils are the greatest
provocative extremist propaganda and
their correction in itself would be the
best counter-propaganda But there is
need for more affirmative education.
There has been too little publicity of
an educativo sort in regard to labor's
relation to the war The purposes of
the government and the methods bv
which it is pursuing them should be
brought home to the fuller understand.
ing of labor, Labor has most at stake
in this war; and it will eagerly devote
its all if only it be treated with con
hdence and understanding, subject
neither to indulgence nor neglect. but
dealt with as a part of the citizenship
Of the state"
At length the commission records its
search for the real cause" of the labor
unrest and comes to these conclusions.
The conclusion cannot be ESCAPED
that the available man power of the
nation, serving as the Industrial arm of
war is not employed to its fun capacity
nor wisely directed to the energies Of
war
"The effective conduct Of the war sur.
ters needlessly because Of interruption
of work due to actual or threatened
strikes, purposed decrease in efficiency
through the strike on the job decrease
in efficiency due to labor unrest. and
dislocation Of the labor supply.
Tnese are not new conditions in
American industry nor are their causes
new. The conditions and their causes
have long been familiar and long un-
corrected. War has only served to in
tensify the old arrangements by making
greater demands upon industry and bv
making greater demands upon industry
and by affording the occasion for new
disturbing factors.
among the causes of unrest. familiar
to students of industry, the following
stand out with special significance to
the industrial needs of war:
Responsibility of EMPLOYERS.
Broadly speaking American indus
try lacks a healthy basis of relation
ship between management and men.
At bottom this is due to the insistence
by employers upon individual dealings
with their men. Direct dealings with
employers are in active opposition to
labor organizations. This failure TO
equalize the parties in adjustments Of
inevitable industrial contests is the cen
tra cause of our difficulties. There
IS a commendable spirit throughout the
country to correct specific evils. The
leaders in industry must go further.
they must help to correct the state Of
mind on the part of labor: they must
aim for the release Of normal feelings
by enabling labor to take its place as
a co-operator in the industrial enter
prise. In a word, n conscious attempt
must be made to generate a new spirit
in industry
Too many labor disturbances are
due to the absence Of disinterested
processes to which resort may be had
for peaceful settlement Force becomes
too ready an outlet. We need continu
Gus administrative machinery by which
grievances inevitable in industry NAV
be easily and quickly disposed Of and
not allowed to reach the pressure of
explosion.
There is a widespread lack of knowI.
edge on the part of capital as to Iabor's
feelings and needs and on the part Of
labor as to problems of MANAGEMENT.
This is due primarily to a lack Of col
lective negotiation as the norma,
process Of industry. In addition there
is but little realization on the part Of
industry that the sOcallei labor prob.
lem demands not only occasional at.
tention but continuous and systCma.ic
responsibility, as much so rs the tech.
nical or financial aspects of industry.
Endorses Eight-HOur Day.
Certain specific grievances, when
long uncorrected, not only mean definite
hardships; they serve as symbols of the
attitude of employers and thus affect
the underlying spirit. Hours and wages
are, of course, mostly in issue. On the
whole wage increases are asked for
mostly in order to meet the increased
cost Of living, and such demands SHOULD
be met in the light of their economic
causes. Again, the demand for the
eight-hour day is nation wide, for the
workers regard it as expressive Of an
accepted national policy.
'Repressive dealing with manifesto.
tons Of labor unrest is the source Of
much bitterness, turns radical leaders
into martyrs and thus increases their
following, and worst Of all, in the minds
of workers tends to implicate the GOV
ernment as partisan in an economic
conflict. The problem is a delicate one
There is no doubt, however, that the
Bisbee and Jerome deportations, the
Everett incident, the Little hanging. and
similar acts Of violence against workers
have had a very harmful effect upon
labor, both in the United States and in
some of the allied countries. Sach In.
cidents are attempts to deal with symp-
toms rather than causes. The /. w. w.
has exercised its strongest hold in those
industries and communities where en-
ployers have most resisted the trade.
union movement and where some form
of protest against unjust treatment
was inevitable.
The arrangement of our labor sup.
ply is one Of the great evils in indus
try. The shockingly large amour: or
labor turnover and the phenomenon OF
migratory labor means an enormous
economic waste and involves an even
greater social cost. These are evils
which flow from grievances such as
those we have set FORTH they are ac.
centuated by uncontrolled instability of
employment. Finally, we have failed in
the full use and wise direction Of our
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