The Washington herald., 1918-04-23

II any member of Congress were to
lay down the rule that laboring men
| have no more right to strike than SOL
diers. and IL he should work toward
| legislation embodying provisions such
| as this. he would have heaped upon
his head every malediction that labor
, could suggest.
And yet, so far as war work is con-
| cerned. there is rather common agree
ment among the thinkers Of Congress
that no worker has a right to strike
| or. if he has. that a soldier is justified
| in striking when hours are too long
| for him, or when his pay does not
mount as high as he thinks 1t should,
| or when he does not think he should
be sent into a certain sector. under GER
| tain conditions which do not please
| him.
There are many thoughts on the
| subject-there will be many more be-
| tween now and the end OF the war.
The question is decidedly one to the
| fore just now. And it is one. more
over, upon which officials of the ma
| ton have made little real progress.
So far We have not endeavored to
| bar strike by law-the Senate did. but
| the House refused to follow in its
| tracks. England found this ncces-
| anu II 10 POSoibit VIC VIM Aiiiu IL
| necessary before we get through. 1t
is not impossible, and that is why We
| introduce it to our readers.
| Workmen who object to being de-
| MED strike privileges. but who say
! that at least a voluntary agreement not
| to permit strikes is necessary IL We
| are to really go ahead. are fearful
| lest their grant to the lawmakers, to
take revolutionary action, might
| bring future difficulties more numer-
Gus than they care to predict. They
| think their submission to the enact
/ ment. at this time, would set prece-
dent which they could not get away
from when peace came again.
Basically. however. they are wrong.
| They think the country, after the
war. will tolerate conditions under
which We struggled previous to our
| entrance into 1t. This is not so, in
our humble judgment. The country
| will not return to the old conditions.
! Labor must conform to the new order,
as other classes must. And that class
stands best chances of falling in
with the new step most agreeably
| which changes its system during the
| pendency of the war, and under the
stress of war
The New Republic looks at the mat
ter rather differently than do some Of
the members of Congress. 1t sums
| up Its conclusions in these words:
Labor had needed its right to strike
as a protection. which 1t could and
did give up only in return for bal
| ancing concessions from employers.
The Senate ignored this bargain. 1t
disingenuously tried to make effec-
tive an anti-strike provision in a
measure where it did not belong, in a
measure which did not enact at the
same time the concessions which labor
had received. Instead of following the
logical and democratic English precc-
dent, the Senate. after months Of ap-
parent indifference. suddenly took
action calculated to invalidate the un-
derstanding just reached between en-
| ployers and employees"
Former President Taft. however,
in speaking Of the matter in con-
nection with his work on the new
Federal conciliation board said:
Maintenance of a maximum pro-
duction OF war materials is second
in importance only to the raising
and training of an adequate army.
We need both to win the war.
Strikes and lockouts will seriously
reduce output. In time of peace
they are legitimate instruments in
the struggle between employers and
workers. In England they have
been forbidden during the war by
criminal statute. and the statute
has been strengthened and confirm
ed by agreement between employers
and organized labor. With us it is
much better to seek the same OBJ
ject by voluntary agreement. Co.
ercive measures should not be
adopted here until agreement fails"
Thus. while the New Republic is
insisting that the right to strike
is a protection to the laboring man
(not denied under conditions of
peace. but to be cautiously admit
ted in time of war) Mr.. Taft insists
that this protection" can become
such a nuisance, If not real dan
ger. that 1t can and should be made
criminal to continue to avail ones
self of it.
On the theory that there IL duty
in the factory as well as in the
trenches, during > HE. " saaR9t
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