The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1918-04-26
So Declared Senator Pittman. Is
Ready To Conscript Both Labor
And Employer, But Not
Labor Alone.

Because of thes differences the bill
was referred to conferees, who agreed
to eliminate the Cannon and Lunn
amendments. This has been accepted
by the house and senate.
AS matters now stand, the bill is in
the shape it was originally intended
to punish those who conspire to de
stroy or injure any material neces-
sary for the prosecution of the war.
The difference between a conspiracy
herein defined and workers forced on
strike to improve conditions is the IN
tent to injure the government.
Although conscription legislation is
defeated at this time, it must not be
understood that the conscriptionists
have abandoned their position. They
will renew the fight at the first OPP
portunity, while hoping to create
such public opinion against trade
unions that some court will costrue
the clearly-defned conspiracy laws as
intended to include workers on strike
Il the unions rar7ait coaseription.
lists to develop this public opinion the
latter's fight is made easier.
In the senate the Lunn amendment
was vigorously; defended by Senators
Hollis and others, who insisted that
the conscriptionists were injecting a
matter entirely foreign to the intent
of the bill, and that if the senate is
to pass on the question of the right
to strike, it should be presented in the
open, where a fair fight can be made
rather than confuse it with other is.
sues.
In answer to the claim that there is
no need now to strike because of the
governments mediation and arbitra,
tion machinery, Senator Pittman said
'How long would the employer bt
anxious for mediation if these mer
could not quit? Why is it that the
employers today are willing to meet
the laborers before mediation board
1t is because the men can quit. Take
away from the employe the power tC
quit and you will find every employer
in this country refusing to arbitratt
the question of conditions or of wages
That must be apparent to everyone
We have provisions for mediation, but
it is not compulsory.
"Take away from labor the righ'
to quit and what protection have they
against starvation wages and intol
cradle conditions? What control dt
you provide over the employer? L
there any punishment for the impo
sition of starvation wages and death
dealing conditions 2"
"You are conscripting labor. Ar
you ready to conscript the employer
| am ready to conscript both of them
but | am not ready to conscript tn
employe and not conscript the EN-
ployer am not willing to say t
the employe, If you quit work yol
viii injure the government, and yol
will be guilty of crime, and not sa,,
to the employer, "If you do not pa
these men living wages and do no
let them live under conditions tha
they can live under, you will be guilt
of crime ! do not believe in hay
ing an act that works on one class Q
people and not on another class Q
people"
While the bill for the protection 9
war material and war transportatio
facilities was being considered by cor
4 feres of The house and senate, Pres
dent Gompers expressed the hope t
Senator Overman, one of the COZ
ferees, that labor's right to cease wor
4 would not be denied. The senate ha
declared for this denial by retainin
the Cannon amendment, which i
q cluded "conspiracies, and elimina
q ing the Lunn amendment, which d
4 clared, in effect, that strike was N
d conspiracy to injure the gover
q ment
4 In his letter President Gompe
U said:
& "The elimination of section 8 (Lul
d amendmentl and the retention of t
N Cannon amendment, would be dire
Y challenge to labor. Such a pole