The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1919-11-01
SOME PROBLEMS AMERICA FACES

SOME PROBLEMS AMERICA FACES
The present indication is tina. the Industrial conference at
Washington is to adjourn with nothing accomplished. And
after Mr.. Gompers Withdrew he is quoted as having said that
he would again meet the employers in conference and when
they next met the employers would be glad to concede the
point for which the labor group was contending, and that
every aid would hencefOrth be given to the steel strike that
could be given. by the American Federation of Labor. The
public will await with interest the development of that threat
The point for which the labor group contended was the
right of organization and the principle of collective bargain
ing, both of which have long been in general vogue; but
the employers group contended that the collective bargaining
should be conducted by and limited to those employed in the
plants concerned, while the labor group opposed this limita-
ton and contended for the right of employees to select their
own representatives from any source.
In the meantime the leaders of the coal miners are appar-.
emily determined to carry out their threat of closing the mines
on November first unless they can have their six hour day and
only five days to the week-a thirty hour week-with a fifty
per cent increase in pay.
And while these things are going on, England is settling
down to normal productions, as France and Belgium have
already done and Germany has started off with a twelvehour.
day aud a seven day week. While the German is sowing dis
cord and Bolshevism abroad wherever he can find the soil,
at home he is saving wood" and lots of it.
We are not going to have an eighty-four hour week in
America nor a twelve hour day, but in this period of recon-
struction of the world the man who labors with his hands has
just as much at stake for himself and his pOsterty as the man
who labors with his brains and employs his capital and that
of others entrusted to his care. True, and unfortunately true,
there are some millions who feel that they have nothing to
lose anu AZ lHOft InlcTtStcu HI pulling oucio hto iC "oHS
condition than they are in reaching the position these others,
by greater industry or greater prudence, or both, have at
tanned.
For ourselves we never believed that this was the proper
time for the calling of that conference. There was too much
danger of its failure to reach a solution of the problems in
,olved and failure would only aegravate an already aggra-
waited case.
For ourselves we believe. in government by law and not
by men. There has been too much Quitting in" for the good
of American industry-for the employee as well as the EN-.
ployer. Whenever either side feels that somebody in some
1mbHc office has the power to compel the other side to yield,
Ihe appeal will be made, and bitterness and disappointment
will follow either refusal or failure.
The whole case is seen in a nutshell when we look back
to the railroad strike of two years ago.
It was stated in a nutshell by Fitzpatrick, leader of the
steel strike, when he told the senate committee that the strike
had to be called to sustain the prestige of the president of the
United States" who had asked Mr.. Gary to confer with the
organizers of the strike, and been refused.
4 \
Neither the constitution, nor congress, nor the people,
ever conferred any powers on the president of the United
States that made him an arbher in such disputes. And no
congress is ever going to pass any law that will ever place
him in such a delicate and unnecessary position, nor place, in
the presidential office a power that could be so abused to
further the political ambitions of any president who might
happen to be nursing them.
= The people have settled a good many problems when left
to their own devices. Let's have fewer appeals to Washington,
either to the White House or to Congress. Paternalsm has
wrecked more than one government. And government never
interviewed between classes in dispute without gaining the
enmity of one side or both-usually both.
When government speaks it is supposed to speak for all
The people and not for any class. II
In New York it is openly charged, in space paid for, that
tbe Washington government in disposing of the war materials
IN France disposed of 22 100000 pounds of sugar which we
needed at home and also many other things that we are now