The Connecticut labor press., 1919-07-05
BASIL M. MANLY
 FIRES HOT SHOT
Tells Federation of Cable Sent to Wilson by Manufacturers
 Council of New Jersey.
By CHESTER M. WRIGHT.

Some time ago when Kirk Brown got after Basil Manly before the Manufacturers Council of New Jersey at Trenton he started something. Passing a resolution calling upon the President to remove Manly as joint chairman of the National War Labor Board didn't help matters any The resolution said that because of his ''in- temperate utterances" in a speech in this city Manly had shown himself "incap able of properly discharging his duties" Brown said Manly's speech was "pure socialism, except that part which was Bolshevism."
 The American Federation of Labor took up the matter because Manly was the cho1ce of the labor members of the Canno read from the resolution and speech and moved that the resolution committee draft a resolution in con- demnation of the manufacturers action. The motion was about to go through when Delegate Matthew Wo11, member of the War Labor Board, got the floor and added something to it. He told the convention that -'"The Public" a New York "uplift" magazine, had charged that two labor members of the board had ''sold out' He said that letters to The Public demanding proof or re- traction had brought no satisfaction. condemnation of The Public. The mo- ton went through as amended, by unanimous vote
 Manufacturers Council of New Jersey to the President of the United States asking for his removal, Manly said:
 This is not an attack on me but on the Nationa! War Labor Board of which I have the honor to be joint chairman with ex-President William Howard Taft MT. Taft was nomin- ated by the employer members of the board and 1 by the labor members.
 "The motive of the attack on the War Labor Board is obvious. Certain selfish and unpatriotic employers, some of whom are in New Jersey, entered into solemn agreement during the war to abide by the decision of the War Labor Board. Their employees kept faith and remained at work but now agreements and reduce wages below rhe figures fixed by the War Labor Board. Such employers seek to cover their own bad faith by their attacks on the board. This is obviously the motive which in spired the incorporate action of the Employers Council of New Jersey,
 "As regards the demand for my resignation, 1 have no concern. l spoke the truth and nothing but the truth as every unbiased observer of the indus trial situation knows.
 "The part of my speech which evi- dent1y got under the hide of the New Jersey manufacturers, was that in which 1 gave the results of study of the war time profteering of large number of American industrial corporations many of which hold New Jersey charters. The figures, taken from the corpora tions' own reports, show that their net profits during the war after the pay ment of all corporation and excess profits taxes were nearly three times as great as he profits of the same cor porations during the pre-war years. If the denunciation of such prohteeringS irritates the manufacturers of New Jersey I am ready to take the conse- quences.
 "I note also that at the same meet ing the New Jersey manufacturers found occasion to denounce the income tax which sought to secure for public use some portion of these excess pro- fits.
 "In my speech I urged that the seri- OuS industrial Q1StuTDanCeS WHICH 1 feared might be sverted if the Pres ident of the United States should call an industrial conference of the leaders of capital and the leaers of organized labor at which substantial basis for orderly progress might be reached. l said that an understanding might be reached if the big men who control American industry and are accustomed to do big things in big way were summoned to the conference, and that it was the small minded manufacturers who was causing most of the trouble by his failure to understand that we have entered a new industrial era. The action of MT. Brown and his col leagues of the New Jersey Manufactur- CTS Council seem to prove that l was right"
 asked.
 "No," he said.
 Are you bolshevist?"
 FNo."
 Do you throw bombs?"
 No"
 Then he added, "I possess certain in formation which 1 hope may prove of use When I know things 1 try to make that knowledge serve some purpose"