El Nuevo mexicano., 1919-09-25

Judging from reports on the second
day Of the great steel strike, upwards
OF a quarter or a million employees
have quit their jobs to force the Y. s
Steel corporation to employ only union
labor. While general charges Of out
fageous conduct have been made
against the steel corporation. SO far as
we have been able to discover no
boz, pay or anything else is the point
in controversy.
AS we get it, one OF the greatest
American industries, affecting almost
every phase of manufacturing in the
country, is tied up by its employees to
secure the recognition OF the closed
shop principle.
On the other hand, the steel op
orators decline to allow any one TO
dictate to them whom they shall EN-:
ploy.
Meanwhile, as usual. the country
and the public are being again offer
cd up as burnt offering to the tune
OF a declaration Of class warfare by
organized labor.
Broadly speaking the situation now
III the United states Is that organized
labor has the nation by the tail with
"a downhill pull. 1t is quite likely
that the coming weeks will determine
whether or not organized labor Is
greater than the government, the gov
efnment being the people. The pres
ent executive, busily expressing his
very deep ~displeasure at Pigmy Minds
and Unworthy Persons while the coun-
try is being plunged into an industrial
maelstrom, has already made the
damaging admission that something
is greater than the United States gov
erhment, the special thing he had in
mind being the league OF nations. The
principle, however, that the Y. $. gov,
eminent occupies q general subordii
nate position to this and that seems
to be achieving popularity, the feeling
OF organized labor that II Is superior
to the government having been per
haps somewhat encouraged by the at
titude OF the government itself at va
rious times during the past year.
Probably it Is Just as well to have
u showdown and have this thing
threshed out once and for all. II has
to be settled. II the government has
the power to force the steel manu-
fa~ctdrers TO accept the dictates Of the
unions; OF il 1t tremendously feels
that it is really above the labor unions
and can screw up It's courage to the
point OF saying so. either action Will
the afr immeas1rabiy.
Our private opinion thus publicly
Expressed is that a government should
power to prevent the Industrial
GENERALIZATION. vast economic loss,
suffering and hardship caused by q
labor and capital war; power to conf
pei arbitration Of industrial disputes
ana 10 force compliance with the ver
dict. So far In this strike-mad year
The administration has given a spec
iacular exhibition OF complete help
Iessness.
In the land or the free and the home
of the brave it would seem that any
nan should have the inaliennble right
work where he pleases for the best
wages he can get, by collective bar
or otherwise; that he should
rave full protection In this right; and
hat employers Of labor should have
he right to employ whom they please,
where they please and when they
so long as the arrangements ts
mutually satisfactory and the en-
complies with reasonable re-
luirements as to working conditions
md pay.
When an industrial disaster is pre-
sipitated on the issue that y man
dictate to another either whom
IL shall employ or lot Whom he shall
work, It ID time for the government
D take a hand.