Evening star., 1919-12-31
BY RAY sTANNARD BAKER

d,
looks from above, to the employer. In
my next article l shall describe the
workers point of view. In studying
the employer ! shall use the eXplanl-
tory example at Gary. Ind.
1t is much easier to get at the polnt
of view of tire employer Ill the steer
industry than l. is to get at the POI nt
of view of the workers. for II is
quite definitely the expression OF one
man-Judge Gary, the head OF tne
United States Steel Corporation IL IS
Il cIear-cut. far-sighted, logically eX-
pressed point of view. whereas the
voice of the workers is confused ana
vague-a multitudinous murmur, as
diverse as Babel, with as many opln-
ions as town meeting Be as con-
scientious as you like in making your
inquiries and you are never sure you
have got it all. Judge Gary knows
exactly what he wants; the workers
are profoundly restless. without any
one clear idea of what they want. NOT
only ignorance and forelgnness' pu,
real differences of view. divide anu
confuse them. Judge Gary's position
is based upon experience and tradi-
tion but the workers want something
new; they are pressing forward ihto
an undiscovered country. Judge Gary
representing the group having power
and place desires security; the work
ers. having neither, want change
Powerful Countercurrents.
There are indeed, other voices. ana
powerful countercurrepts among en-
ployers in American industry-even IN
the steel industry. as ] shall snow
later John d. Rockefeller jr.. and
Charles NJ. Schwab are far from see
ing eye to eye with Judge Gary. New
erthelo,ss. in the present controversy
Judge Gary is the ype-defender. the
accepted spokesman of the entire in
dustry. No other important witness
the employing side of the
steel industry was heard by the Sen
ate committee. His stand has been
supported by the Iron and Steel IN
stitute. which represents the entire
steel industry in America he mas
been commended for'hfs position by j.
p Morgan. the most powerful fintn-
cier in America. Even some of The
strong men in the steel industry VINO
have differed sharply with Judge Gary
in regard to his policies have in this
emergency come to his support
have a copy of a letter from a steel
master connected with an independent
company. in which he says:
AT the greatest, personal Sacr1fce.
both in friendship and in money. for
the past twenty-five years. have
waged an unceaSing warfare against
the Steel Corporation on the question
of the seven-day week. the twelve
Of dealing with workmen. but in rhe
present struggle my sympathies are
entirely with Judge Gary
a Struggle for Control.
Boiled down. the position of this
fict is really revolutionary struggle
for the control of the steel Industry
on the part of ORGANIZED labor: he is.
therefore. with judge Gary. When
the employers win this strike-as he
believes they will-he is for beginn; ne
h harder fight than ever against what
the calls these relics of barbariSm -
meaning the twelve-hour day. tie
seven-day week and the refusal to
rermit workmen to organize and bar
gain collectively. Indeed. in the COM
pany he represents the men have been
encouraged to form company unions
and to make agreements regarding
wages.
Judge Gary's leadership has been
accented by the entire steel industry.
not alone because of the enormous
power Of the United States Steel Cor
general policies of which
must and do set the pace for the en-
tire steel industry in Ar'"rlca-but
because of his sheer ability. 1t is
not for nothing that he is at the head
of the greatest business corporation
in the world. with property worth
50 $50, 100000 (his own figures) and
having 300. 600 employees. He not only
has this enormous power, and is con-
scicus Of having it. but he knows with
clearness what he wants
to do with n. He is one of the most
extraordinary men in the world to-
day.
.'While / have a good deal of au-
thority and power he told the Sem
ate committee. II use the same very
sparingly: l am in the habit of con-
Judge Garysthe MainsprinS.
No one who touches the steel in
dustry at sany point fails to become
conscious of this pervasive authority.
Though the powerhouse may be dis
tant. no one who makes a contact
anywhere fails to get shock. had
such an experience myself-which l
tell in no spirit of criticism. but
merely to illuminate the point l am
When l went to the city OF
Gary to look into the strike situation
was as anxious to understand the
point of view of the management as
was that of the workers So / asked
quite directly if | might see the mills
and talk with some of the Superfn-
tendents and foremen. They seemed
and referred me to the
headquarters of the subsidiary cor
poration at Chicago. So l went there
and found that no observer had been
allowed to enter the mills since the
DeSdU anu tHdt II wal iiHpOS-
sible for any one to talk about the
situation without Judge Gary's per-
sonal permission.
But how am I going to get your
point of view? Judge Gary has COM
planned that Investigators present
only the workers side. How can I
get your side if I can see nothing,
and no one will talk to me?"
I told them what l was trying to
do and what for. Judge Gary was
,x.l, a 11e, Il 1te,tf, fA1A
New York-and 1 was enabled, then.
to talk with the representatives of
the corporation at Chicago and at
Gary and to visit the mills.
But to remarkable degree these
men I talked with. and very able men
they are. echoed Judge Garys views.
They would give facts. but would ex-
press no opinions whatever of their
own. 1t is wonderfully disciplined
organization that Judge Gary has ere
ated. IT speaks as one man.
AS to the attitude of the corpora
tiOn toward labor-and I am trying
now to exhibit the industry fairly as
1T looks from above-one of the fore
men at Gary seemed to Ine to strike
kind of keynote:
Judge Gary" he said, knows far
better what is good for these work
ingmen. mostly ignorant foreigners.
than they know themselves.
Gary Knows His Power.
Let me develop this little further
from Judge Gary's own testimony be-
fore the Senate committee. AS l said,
he knows his power.
Il recognize" he testified. that the
power of concentrated capital neces
sarily involves the power to do more
or less harm / recognize the fact per-
sonally that concentrated capital has
the advantage over single indi-
vidual, if the concentrated capital is
in the hands of dishonest and unfa.S
men,
This point of view leads directly to
the very heart of Judge Gary's atti-