The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-11-15
CLEAR EXPOSITION OF ,PRINcI.
PIES BY NOTED AUTHORITY
HOW LABOR MAY SHARE IN
PROFITS -CO-OPERATlVE OWN
ERsHIP AS GOAL FOR LABOR IN
ALL INDUSTRIES.

ALL INDUSTRIES.
AT an open meeting Of the Mulrv
CLUB, held in New York on October 30
the Rev. DIR. John A. Ryan, professor
OF sociology at the Catholic Univer.
sity, Washington, D. c., delivered an
enlightening lecture on industrial
Democracy The Mulry Club is an
association Of Catholic workers in the
field of social service.
Dr. Ryan spoke in part as follows:
DR.. Ryan's Lecture.
industrial democracy is a phrase
which has been used with increasing
frequency during the last two wears.
1t means literally popular government
IN the world of industry. Obviously
the degrees of popular rule in indus.
try may vary, just as they vary in the
sphere OF politics. Most of the Euro.
pean states are today commonly called
democracies, but the amount of con.
troll exercised by the people differs
very greatly from one to another.
Ihe case is the same in industry. So
long as the worker remained a slave,
or even serf, industry was without
any democratic element. Nor was
there any democracy in the early
stages of the competitive system,
when wages and all other conditions
OF employment were completely de.
termined by the employer. But as
soon as trade union became power.
ful enough to enforce the policy of
collective bargaining, industry became
in some measure democratic: for the
masses in the industry exercised some
control over the conditions in which
industrial operations were carried on
Complete democracy in industry
supposes one of three systems: So
clalism, the national guilds, or cooper
ative ownership and management
The first is undesirable; the second is
desirable in probably only a few in
dustries; the third will ultimately,
hope, become the accepted system in
the majority of industries. Either as
perfect" cooperation or as co-part
nership, this system is, l hope, the
one toward which we are tending, and
with reference to which 1 speak OF
next steps,"
On "Next Steps,"
Next steps, implies that some
steps have already been taken. Some
of these have been in the form OF
trade union action, especially in the
field of collective bargaining; others
are exemplified in cooperative and CO.
partnership enterprises. In the do.
main of production, as distinguished
from trad and agriculture, the only
important progress in industrial de-
mocracy has been through trade union
action. Happily the necessity of this
degree of industrial democracy is
pretty generally recognized today.
There are, however, some conspicu-
Gus exceptions, Mr.. Gary of the
United States Steel Corporation, oc-
cupying just now a decidedly bad
eminence.
Certain officials of the American
Federation of Labor think that col
lective bargaining constitutes all the
democracy that is required. Their
theory is that through collective bar
gaining the workers will be able to
obtain satisfactory wages and other
conditions of employment, and that
this is sufficient control of industry.
A Wrong Theory.
This theory is wrong, for two rea-
sons. First, because the masses of
the workers ought not to be content
to remain mere users of the tools of
production, even though all working
conditions were perfectly satisfactory.
They should not remain mere infants
of industry. Adult human beings
should strive to make progress con-
tinuously by increasing their knowl-
edge and their control over the mate
rial things of the universe. For the
sake of their own self-develOpment
and self-respect, the workers ought to
strive for greater voice in the order
ing of their own industrial life. Nei-
ther for society nor for their own well
fare is it desirable that the workers
should permanently occupy status of
industrial dependency. And they
ought likewise to strive for a greater
measure of industrial responsibility.
The truth of these contentious is seen
in the instructive desire of all normal
men to be industrially independent
rather than the hired employees OF
some ether man. The theory that our
industrial society should be divided
into two classes, one of which should
perform all the functions of direction
and management, while the other
should be merely well-fed automatons
of industry, is neither in accord with
our democratic age, nor conducive to
reasonable life. Therefore the work
ers must obtain some share in the
management of industry.
The second reason why collective
bargaining is not a sufficient degree
of industrial democracy is one that is
particular and peculiar to the present
time. The supreme need of the world
today, even in America, is greater pro
duction. This cannot be obtained
through the recognition of collective
bargaining and other labor union poll
cies. For each powerful labor group
seeks to better it's condition through