El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-04-15
FAV0RS
AIDING WORKERS
Capital and Labor Get To
gether, Discuss Prob
lens Amicably.


the situation Is far from clear and fun
OF Inconsistencies
Farm Labor Party.
Those who believed the federation
Of labor was opposed to political or
Eanization as such find the leaders
thereof engaged in forming the III
nois labor party. Chicago has at least
/ 100000 laboring men. yet only $1,000
+ voted the labor party ticket in the
F city election recently.
And the Socialists are accused by
. some OF the leaders Of falling 10 sup
port the labor ticket. but the labor
vote was not the only thing that got
in a tangle-
A Remarkable Election.
Out Of 500 600 votes more than 400.-
600 were cast for five candidates.
l that is. against William Hale Thomp-
l son, yet he was elected by q plural
( ity Of 1900. Somebody has figured
out that at least 10000 negroes can
I vote in Chicago. enough TO swing an
! election like that. It seems pretty well
z agreed that Mr.. Thompson rallied the
I dissatisfied among them The pro-
/ Germans Of war days drew strength
/ from the Democratic as well as Re
publican parties. But Chicago seems
[ as Illogical as New York when IT comes
10 choosing mayors and a city with
more than 100000 Germans in it is
Just as likely as not TO reflect a man
{ who refused to receive marshal Joffre.
Capital EntertaInH Labor.
This Is an age Of surprises. though
not merely in politics. Jus few
days ago, for example, the Illinois
Manufacturers association had ban
Quet And at that banquet John
Walker, former vice president OF the
state federation Of labor. was guest
and speaker. Now. there IS no man in
Illinois who has fought the manufac-
turers more bitterly than Walker, yet
he was invited 20 sit at the guest
table and make a speech Such q
thing would have been unthinkable a
Few years agO. But that wasn't all OF
the surprise Mr.. walker began laugh
ingly with the statement that he had
had many scraps" with the members
OF the association. but didn't come TO
scrap" this time but 10 tell some
things that ought TO be told And he
proceeded to tell them with a per
suasion and emphasis that won ap-
plause repeatedly. Yes. the employ
ers applauded him. The incident it
self is typical Of the new spirit with
which the age old controversy be-
tween capital and labor IS being ap-
preached.
Labor f. demanding many things
and employers are beginning to
says yes we shall maintain the
high wage scale. but will you
guarantee rs efficiency Of produc-
tionF7
Then the responsibility OF cOopera-
tive arrangement comes into play.
The millennium between employers and
employee is a long way off but Chi
cago discloses many a sign OF the
times in its industrial affairs, many
d sign Of wanting to understand and
OF wanting to remedy, which is a step
farther ahead than this thing was be-
fore BOlshevism, to be sure, as II IL
known abroad, hasn't put in an ap-
pearance here
Socialists and radicals are actively
trying TO accomplish demands many Of
them extremely political methods. I
They may not elect their candidates
labor Is far too uuOrEauiZed for them
but they may prod and stimulate the /
regular parties to meet some OF these
demands. To keep Republicans and /
Democrats from joining the independ- /
ent labor party viii be the task OF the /
political leaders throughout the state 4
Competition for popular support at
the polls thus ensues- Even the most
conservative Of conservatives while
deploring much OF the imitation, re-
Iuctantly admits some benefit may be
derived from T.. Labor, for instance /
may get representation In the con-
stitutiousl convention soon 10 be held
Error In Decentralization.
Generalization has been faster than
employment, but the situation here
is not serious. Every day there is
evidence, however, OF the error Of the
war department in demobolizing
through military centers rather than
through local draft boards Many SOL
diers who are needed on the farms
stay in the cities. Many decide to try
other kinds OF work Jobs are being
found at the rate OF 100 q day, but
applicants number an average OF 400
Many positions would be available
II certain technical men could be
taken out OF the army at once to start
processes in which large numbers Of
other men would then be employed
Conditions are far from normal. but a
man who has lived among working
people for 25 years and who under
stands the relations Of capital and
abor from an intimate yet impartial
told me he had seen days
much more nervous in the history OF
Chicago, and that while business was
naturally in some suspense, due TO
over foreign trade, peace
ielays and other causes. the situation
night be described as fairly good and
With every reason to expect that the
present spirit Of cooperation would
mean a Weathering OF the storms and
SQUALLS OF reconstruction days-Copy-
right. 1919, by New York Evening
Post, Inc