The Connecticut labor press., 1919-12-13
FRANCE PROMOTES GREAT "GET TOGETHER" PLAN

Trade Unionists Launch Recon
 struction Project Intended to
 Unite Employees, Technical
 and Managerial Staff and Con
 sumers in a Real Co-operative
 Effort will Be Watched With
 Keenest Interest in This Coun-
 try By WILLIAM ENGLISH MAILING.
 France also has its program of social reconstruction. This plan has been put forward not by the government nor by the socialists, who oppose it as much as they dare, but by the labor unions.
 The Confederation Generale du Travail, known all over the world as the C. e. T., has launched the plan but if Is not narrow class project. Before putting forts its new proposals, the c. GIT. secured the cooperation of great organizations representing the salaried classes, the government officials and the Consumers of France ..
 The French project is perhaps the first reconstruction plan the world has seen which rests upon economic and not upon political democracy It aims frank ly to bring about by gradual and by peaceful means the substitution of in dustrial democracy in place of the pres ent political state and the control of that state by private or capita1istic in- terests.
 The new project consists not III a program of reforms, but in new method of evolving such program.
 Let the C. G. T. speak for itself:
 The C. c. T., representing organ ized labor, examined the general prob lerns that confront the country irnmedi- ately after the armistice and pointed out in a general way the solution of these problems, through national economic council
 To its proposition to create this na- tIonal economic council with the duty of confronting these difficult and essen- tial problems the government replied only by offering to enact a grotesque caricattIre of the project. The Gen eral Confederation of Labor then de- clded itself to constitute an economic council of labor.
 The C. T intends to have re- course to the new form of organization and to introduce-by new methods-a changed direction into the entire econ oInic activity of the country. 7
 his language may appear radical or even revolutionary But we must re- member first, that all great reforms in France especially If they are presented 10 the working classes--are put forth ih revolutionary phrases phrases which are often entirely constructive and practical in application however idealistic and even violent they may be in the manner of their formulation
 Second, 1t must be remembered that since the war even conservative states men like Lloyd George and Woodrow Wilson have acknowledged that radical changes are called for and have ern- ployed revolutionary language in this connection Mir Wilson also has called for changed direction III organiza- tion of industry and has advocated the inauguration of genuine democracy. The French O. C. T. and other organ nations associated with 1t believe they have proposed a plan for genuine irl- dustriaI democracy of a more practical character than anything offered by Mir. Wi1sOr-Who relies upon new indus trial commission from which labor IS excluded.
 The c. C. T explains its new project as follows gIn order to assure to the organism which is has created tie necessary max innum of competency and authority, the C. G. F has appealed to the following organizations of consumers and techni- cial1s, all of which have agreed to give it their undivided support:
 National Federation of Co-Opera- lives, National Federation of Govern Inent Employees and Functionaries, the Union of Technicians of Industry Commerce and Agriculture.
 eThe Economic Council of Labor thus constituted is placed under the pro tection of the C. G. n The tend pur- sued IS to contribute to economic re- construction by means of practical principles aimed solely at the common god and giving to labor a just share in the management and control of produc- tion and distribution.
 "Such work cannot be the result of fragrnerltary studies and discontinuous efforts Hence the establishment of this permanent council.
 THE "CoMMoN GOOD" vs. THE GLASS
 STRUGGLE
 Most remarkable i'll this new plan is the appeal to @the common good" and not to the "class struggle" French labor here repudiated not only the Bol- shevism which now completely domin- ates the French socialist party but also the whole Marxist "class struggle" dog ma, which under1ies the entire political socialist movement of continental Europe and America, Undoubtedly the AC. G. 1T would still claim that it ad- heres to the "class struggle, but its new interpretation converts that doc urine into, industrial democracy. < The C. G. F. then proceeds to throw over second reactionary dogma of orthodox Marxism-the proposition that the problem of production is HOW solved and that only the problem of a more equal distribution remains.
 \ On the contrary, the French, labor ,tnions base their new project primar- fly on the proposition that the problem of production IS not solved and that the present governmental and capitalis- tic methods cannot solve it. Therefore the new project.
 Let us again give the floor to the C. c. T.: .. t~
 "The salvation. of industry demands organization for increased production. This organization for increased pro