Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-14
nv LANES w. SULLIVAN.

II J. H. Thomas, general Sec
rotary of the National Unior
of Railwaymen of Great
Britain. and the frequent refer
ence jim London cables to the threat
ened% cul shortage in Great Britain
due 10 the strike of more than
100000 miners. have served to di-
rect the attention of American indus
trial cir cles to Great Britain's triple
alliance. 1.-THE story Of the formation
of the alliance and its history to
date make interesting reading.
The tlipNe industrial alliance is a
labor Combination for direct action
to achieve economic purposes ulti-
mately. 1t aims beyond wages and
welfare cla ar to naturalization of
certain ind lstries. 1t is made up of
the Miners. Federation of Great Brit
ain $3.50. col, members), the National
Union Raika aymen 400.000) and the
National Ira nsport Workers Fedora
ton (275.00d)., Its basic principle OF
organization. is: Recognition of the
fact that in, ;the case of the miners.
railwaymens and transport workers.
an injury TO. onA, is. in a very special
sense, an njnry%to all"
The alliApc1 began systematic joint
action in 1s1x By experience of the
strikes Of 1s10-1e the lesson had been
learned that a, stoppage by one Of the
three bodies. i,ed to an Involuntary
stoppage in one or both the others
After conferenc es in 1s14-15 the con-
stitution Of the triple alliance was
ratified in Ds. Gambler. 1915. At a meet
ing in April CT 1916 resolutions were
passed dealfn;y with after-war prob
lens, deman. ting that departures
from trade u hion practices should
terminate on be resumption of peace
and that subst :ituted workers should
be given emf tlpyment at standard
rates or full maintenance by the
state and making certain proposals
in connection VIII rehabilitation.
Coercion1.Is Charged.
When this proera m was presented to
the prime minister ain August, 1916, the
Times accused the, triple salliance OF
formally attempting to supersede
constitutional go Sernment and. to
Brighten the apo tnted ministers OF
the crown, who sre responsible for
the conduct of theS affairs Of the ma
ton. into doing thtir will" In June,
1917. the alliance, Esf a conference at
tended by $50 de4eryates, passed reso-
lutions against indl UtriAl conecr1puon
and for the consumption OF wealth
and property, to bri ug about equality
of sacrifice. J. H. Tla)mas, explaining
the origin of the ALI ance, has written
that he saw that sGa:tional unionism
had become obsolete and that even oc-
cupational unionism = ould have to be
A radical opinion 1sl: that "the triple
alliance is the nucleAnA Of general
federation Of INDUSTRIAL unions. which
may be Of invaluable importance to
the future Of the labor movement"
and, further: TT mayt hnr instance. be
the alliance may be employed to raise
the status rather than. merely to In
crease the wages of itslmembers."
The triple alliance xsteod aloof from
the Joint standing i'm tustrial councils
and from the special tpint committee
of the governments national indus
trial conference of employers and en-
ployed which met in February in Lon
don. However. ]. H. EhOmas, repre-
senting the alliance. in - 1-rtttsn COM
munication stated that the organised
up their minds to procure IAN increas-
ing share of the wealth. p 'oduced by
their labor; they are deta rmined to
shorten materially their working
hours; they are dissatisfedswitha sys-
tenn which treats their labor power as
a mere commodity to be bought, sold
and used as though they. were ma
chinelike units in the process OF
wealth production andA distribution.
And they demand that they Hhall be-
como real partners In industry. JOINT
sharers In the determinationsO OF work
ing conditions and manag'eD emit. They
stand una1terably for the ownership
by the state of the mines. railroads
and means Of inland and Goa 51ai trans
portation. However. they recognize
that the capitalist. the inventor, the
director and the organizer h Ra,e some
interest in the products. of II Wustry.
Leaders Of tho Alliance
OF the three foremost leadereSof the
alliance, J. H. Thomas, has reI eaxedly
advised a moderation in procedure
falling far short of the desires .ofsex-
tremists. Robert Smillie &o6 ths
miners, president of the alliance az
well as of the miners federation, was
chief Of the labor side in conducttnx
the sessions of the coal commits sion
in London, q mission which he l,er-
formed with satisfaction to social lists
generally. Robert Williams. repre-
senting the transport workers is
much In the public eye, especially as
q speaker in opposition to the govern
ment. AS candidate for the house
Of commons he was defeated by a
coalition liberal
II accepted as 100 per cent solid the
triple alliance would be undoubtedly
. standing menace not only to the
state but to British 6ade -unionism;
but there are reasons ADr regarding it
as less frightful than 4 looks on first
blush. 1t is commonly. asserted that
ecutives for a general strike would
cause a demand for a secret ballot by
all concerned. ending iii general ex-
posture Of internal weaknesses now
obvious to other unionasts. The Ma
tional Sailors and Firsmen (65.000)
are united to the alliance by slender
ties, and the Independence usually
shown by the National Union OF Dock
Laborers (45.000), Jamet, Sexton. sec.
rotary, is apt to be displayed or
rightful OCCASION. Nor d; the Dock
ers' Union, Ben Tillett, secretary
easily led to anti-social action. There
are more than 100000 railway en-
ployes. one-half of them organized
not in the National Union Of Railwa!
Men and several hundral Thousand
mine workers not in the federation
THE trade unions outside Hhe alliance
are far from united in supporting it:
methods.
In the last week of May. after mucf
consideration of the proppI ntion, the
parliamentary committee Of the Trad,
Union Congress declined to act upor
a request made to it by the triple al
lance to call a special natl onal labor