Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-28

movement, headed by Mr.. Gompers.
The more radical wing OF the work
ers-and / do not mean by this the
extreme revolutionary fringe-met
on November q In convention at
Chicago and organized a new Labor
party to carry the whole struggle
into the field of politics.
Labor" says an official report of
this convention, "has hurled its
challenge to the business and fnan-
cial interests that control the Amer
lean government today. The battle
is on"
The sense that "the battle is on"
is to be found among certain groups
in both camps. I heard a great
manufacturer, arguing that the en-
ployers were better prepared at this
moment to fight than they ever
would be again. They had SURPRISES
from prosperous years; and strike
now would cost only about half as
much as it would in an ordinary
year" on account of savings in in
come and excess profit taxation.
On the other hand. | heard several
labor leaders argue that they were
in a better position to fight now
than later, owing to the national
shortage Of labor. There was now
no surplus from which employers
could draw strikebreakers.
I have referred to the position of
two large sections Of the labor
movement; but there exist, as every
one knows, still more radical groups
smaller but noisier, which are for
various kinds of direct action"
There was never before in America
such a number of revolutionary
groups or so widespread a propa-
ganda.
Now, I am not setting forth these
facts out of any desire to BE alarm
ist; nor am | forgetting that there
are strong counter-currents and re-
constructive movements among
both employers and employees
which l shall treat in later articles
but we ought above everything,
here and now. to face the situation
honestly and frankly. 1t is only by
recognizing the danger which
threatens us that we shall be able
to escape it. Ill.,.
Government in Crisis.
Another disturbing factor In the
problem-in some ways the most
disturbing of all-has been the i'm
potency of the government in deal
ing with these industrial crises
Both sides seem equally critical, if
not contemptuous, of congress;
both sides have refused to accede
to the requests of the president. The
steel workers would not delay their
strike even for two weeks until the
presidents industrial commission
could sit. On the other hand, Judge
Gary refused the presidents request
for conference with the labor lead
ers.
In the case of the coal strike the
government, through the attorney
general, announced that "the full
power of the government. would
be used to save the country from
fuel famine. Nevertheless coal was
not mined; factories were closed,
railroad transportation was crippled,
the country suffered acutely. Coal
strike leaders were enjoined by the
federal court; but the injunction
produced no coal Congress inves-
tigated the steel strike; it had not
the slightest effect upon the resump-
ton in the production of steel. The
present cessation of the coal strike
is no settlement at all; only post
ponement of the controversy.
The effort of the government to
get the parties to the controversy
together to formulate some general
plan of compromises the Octc>~
industrial conference-failed utterly.
Mr.. Wilson has now appointed a
new commission of seventeen at
this moment sitting in Washington,