Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1919-11-09
B0ARDFAV0RED
To INVESTIGATE
ALL LABOR WARS
Senate Quizzers Brand
Walkouts as Industrial
Barbarism.
HOURS IN MILLS SCORED
AND FOSTER LEADERSHIP

Washington, Nov. S.-Chlracterizlng
all strikes as industrial barbarism" and
declaring that "there is no place in this
country either for industrial depostism
or labor depostism," the senate com
mittee which investigated the steel
strike presented it's report, today. The
committees main conclusion was ex
pressed in the statement that "tae public
has a right to demand that capital shall
not arrogate to itself the right to de-
termine in it's own way those industrial
questions, and it is the same as to la
Dor, and the duty is upon congress to
provide some way of adjusting these
differences"
AS permanent preventative OF
strikes, which the committee comedies
''are apparently the only way for labor
to secure even its just demand if en-
ployers refuse to Grant thcm," it is rec
commended that congress authorize tie
establiskn ent of some such mediation
agency with we'll defined powers as the
recently dissolved war labor board.
No Compulsory Arbitration.
This board would have the power of
compulsory investigation" the report
adds, but mot to the extent of compul-
board would be indorsed by the public.
There is good sense enough in the Amer
ican people to bring about an adjust
ment of these difficulties"
The report was signed by Senator
Kenyon, of Iowa, chairman; and Sena-
tors Sterling, South Dakota; Phipps, Of
Colorado; republicans; and McKellar.
Tennessee; and Walsh, of Massachusetts,
democrats.
Treating of the causes of the strike,
the committee in its report expressed
10
cipitated by the determination of the
American Federation of Labor to or
ganize the steel industry. Wages are
not factor in the strike, the committee
held, being high enough to give no rea-
son for dissatisfaction. Hours of the
workers, however, the senators believed
Nre too long
Scores Revolutionary Element
Further behind the strike, the COM
mittee found. was massed "a consider
able element" of revolutionary radical
ism, of which, it is said there is no
question but that William u. Foster, sec
retary of the general strike committee,
was a leader. With Jacob Margolis, at
torney for the I. w. W. and assistant
in organizing the strike, Secretary Fos
ter came in for unsparing condemnation.
Despite Fosters partial disavowai of
his former syndicalist doctrines, the com
mittee failed to be convinced that the
strike leader has had little change of
heart" but, on the contrary, "Ee is now
in the full heydey of his power
''The laborers in the steel mills had
just complaint relative to the long
hours of service on the part of some Of
them," said the committee.
Men Had Some Rights.
"They had the right to have repre-
,ta&s hn ,1YlIn nf1la
grievances to the employers. Some
members of the committee believe that
such representatives ought not
to be from outside the industry"
with the system of working hours IN the
steel industry, the conmitte disagreed
strongly. saying:
IAN S-hour day with a living wage
families and bring up their children ac-
cording to the standards of American
life ought to be a cardinal part of our
industrial policy, and the sooner the
principle is recognized the better it will
be for the entire country"
Took Wrong Course With Gary
The report also dealt with the ef-
forts of strike leaders to get Judge f.
H. Gary, chairman of the United States
Steel corporation, into conference far
enough to point ont that committee mem
bers felt sympathy with the principle
of collective bargaining. but did not be-
ieve the steel strikers had taken the
right course.
'The representatives selected (for
CONTINUED on Page Two)