The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-10-02


a button or pulls a lever
What we'd like to know is what caused
this strike" interrupted Senator Walsh
OF Massachusetts.
Judge Gary, Mr.. Gompers and Mr..
Fitzpatrick told us the cause of this strike
was your refusal to meet the mems COM
mittee,' Senator Kenyon said; chat
ought to bring up the point
They ought o&know; they called it, i
Judge Gary retoyted There was no |
reason for this, strike The men didn't |
want it. Theyt were satisfied with their
jobs. 1t wis the union leaders who want |
ed the strike" II
"How ofyoa know they were salts
.fed?" asked Senator johnson, Republican,
of South Dakota ''Yeu were not in the
mills among the men, were your
They have told the officers of our corp
Grafton so, Judge Gary said. Our fore
men and superintendent know it. Ourl
men. are able to come to foremen and SUI
perintendents at any time and make com.
plants and get adjustments. They can
even come before the chairman of the
board if they desire 1t is always our
practice and they know how the men
feel
Judge Gary declared the union leaders
do not represent tie corporations en-
ployes. They were not authorized to-
speak for our men, he said.
| Senator Walsh asked if Mr.. Gary knew
the men would strike if the leaders were
not received by him as they requested.
Il didn't. 1t didn't occur to me- said
! Judge Gary.
Haven't you learned since that the men
/ 1i1 1apU &c
workmen?'' 80
Il learned that small percentage had
! joined the uniom1
WAS there any other reason for Your
refusal to see the union leaders, Senator
Walsh pressed.
After pause Judge Gary replied:
Senator, | want to be frank enough to
say that it has been my policy and the
policy of the corporation not to deal with
union leaders at any time. If an employer
contracts with union labor leaders he
will Immediately drive all Of his employees
into the unions, otherwise they could not
get employment.
I'm not saving that they have not a
perfect right to belong to a nnion. But
we are not obliged to contract with them
if we think that unionism ia net a good
/, tliiIlS .titlltl ipI lllG tluplOAc Oh IUC EN-
{ ployer'' 49,
Senator Walsh asked whether his posi-
ton was not practically notice "to the
employees that the corporation was op-
posed to organization Of unions"
I II cannot concede that" said Judge
Gary
What is the good of unionizing if the
leaders cannot talk with their employ
1
Il don't think employers should tall
: with few men when they know in ad
vance that no contracts viii be made Will
labor leaders, replied the witness, espe
cially when the men themselves are no
! requesting it."
: Senator Woeott' Democrat, Delaware
! asked Judge Gary whether he meant t,
: say that the corporation refused to tall
: with representatives of its workmen o
with outsiders
: I'm referring TO outsiders, said MI
:. Gary. III our men or any part of then
: desire to confer with any company ofica
tictAestaaRe f3sloosns,, lpegardlessl Of whethe
j they are members of unions or not
. But in this case, these leaders wer
!, entirely outside They were trying to OIL
+ ganize the mills when our men were nc
requesting organization. They had notl
a ing to do with our business or our a
:, fairs
iii If they had nothing to do with yot
affairs how could union chiefs get yot
es men to strike Senator Walsh asked
"a Il can answer that" Judge Gary r
I'M turned They had about 10 per cent
in our men in organizations, but the
ne couldn't even depend on that numhe
10 They said here that they didn
p dare wait, i'll response to the President
as request, or that small number would ha'
p left their organization When the stril
Il, was called, a considerable number of OF
m ers were forced out"
lis If this committee, to see you. had be-
composed of men working in the mil
ID though belonging to unions, would y,
have seen them Chairman Kenyon aske
YES. unless they came specifically
a union men, | don't know whether | won
have seen them then, but let me say til
IRE ii they had come to complain of the
ton OF subsidiary companies, | would ha
seen them without question
This whole thing comes down to
oil question of unionism Judge Ga
Fps pounded the table-'to a question OF OF
am shop We stand for that
rly Il saw statement that you would
arbitrate this question:, Senator Borah
he Idaho interrupted, because there was
csc moral issue involved. The whole eoun
. is interested in knowing what you cons
err that issue, so fundamental, to be. y
Senator, the open shop is the qr
tion,' Judge Gary responded. The ri
of a man to work whether he belongs t
union or not: the right of an employer
employ a man whether lie belongs t.
union or not ] think it's immoral 70
small minority of organized men to fc
a large marjority to weld to their wsl
If unions control industries IN this co
try. it means decay, the dropping of
duction. 1t means this country can
keep up in the race with the world.
means the condition | fear England is
today
1T seems to me that you are on the