Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1920-12-10
THE EXTREMIST AND THE
LABOR MOVEMENT. A SPARK
IN THE POWDER MAGAZINE

The menace which threatens indus.
/ try in the United States and Canada
/ has IFS source IN the extremists.
/ The speeches made By the irrespon-
sibie, revolution breeding agltators on
The streets corner; the nnbridled
+ statements in some radical papers:
+ the efforts 20 inhame prejudice against
+ ali en- piOyers and against the govern
Iment; the unsound. impractical and
dangerous theories and programs
which have been occasionally voiced
+ by those who hold no responsible po-
sltiOn in the trade.nni0n movement
/ bur assume 10 speak for labor, are
| used most effectively for the purpose
/ of creating suspicion and fear OF our
| trade.unlon movement They are used
/ TO influence public opinion against
/ the legitimate and necessary wage
earners' organization. They are used
TO secure huge contributions from EN-
poyers and corporations to be applied
in non.union shop campaigns, and they
are used with telling effect at times
before the committees of legislative
/ bodies.
The same, honorable, patriotic trade
union movement of North America Is
forced TO meet volume of adverse
public opinion because of the state
lments made by Bolsheviks within our
boundaries and the advocates OF !. W.
W.,ism and zone Big Union"
But the menace to our industries
created by these radical, revolutions
airy and dangerous elements Is not
nearly as great as that which comes
from the extremist in the other camp |
the employer. who holds that the |
application of the democratic methods |
In industry are impractical and dan
gerous and must be prevented at all
cost.
There are in our country a number
of men prominent in the employers
associations, who continually preach
a war OF extinction against the trade
unions, who use their influence to stir
up a feeling of hatred against organ
lied labor, and who continually
preach the necessity for autocratic
control and domination of industry by
the employers. These extremists be-
lieve that labor should be under the
unquestioned control of management;
that labor should have legislative
saddle strapped to It's back, and that
management should sit in the saddle
| and gall labor with its judicialiy-
equipped spurs whenever the wage.
Garner insists upon having voice
| in determining the terms of employ
ment and conditions of labor.
The systems, schemes. plots, and
methods which these industrial auto
Gratis set in motion become known.
/ Their speeches, their pamphlets. and
a., Will tnhfah fhAV Hnn1
the country are read, and these arouse
antagonism and apprehension In the
wage-earners' mind
Much of the literature of the non
union shoppers. coupled with the
methods which they adopt to prevent
workers from enjoying the right of or.
| ganlzation, create sentiments and
1 thoughts within the workers mind
/ which give some ground for the pres
| emit widespread feeling OF suspicion
and OF antagonism towards many EN-
ployers and, occasionally, among the
| ot-so-wellinformed against employ
ers as a whole.
The extremist and radical among
wage .earners, as among the employ
ers, is equally a potential spark in
! powder magazine. The overwhelming
I flldJOTlIY Ol HdEttdIhtlo III Sho
United States and Canada are not
revolntionists, instead they abhor
the thought of revolutionary methods,
the resort to brute force and blood
| shed. instead of peaceful and demo
| cratic methods to secure the condi-
! tions they desire The trade-unionists
of America are men and women with
an abiding faith in democratic meth.
fAFs hatt4
| country, and a belief that the aver
age man--whether employer or en-
ploye--is a decent citizen and amena.
BILE to reason and influenced by hu.
manitarian considerations.
The average employer in. the United
States and Canada believes that the
| rights of labor are entitled to con-
| sfderation. and that wage-earners
must be given the right to a voice. if
i the employer is TO hold that he also
Is entitled TO consideration, The aver.
age employer does not desire TO enjoy
the right of organization for himself,
while denying the same right to his
employees; the average employer be-
lieves that he must be in close touch
with those in his employ; that he
must consult with their organizations
and their representatives, IL industrial
problems are TO be solved.
The average employer believes in
collective bargaining, but the aver
age employer is frequently swept from
his feet and forced because of the
pressure brought 70 bear upon him,
TO fall in line with the policy of the
extremist and the radical In his own
camp. And sometimes groups OF
workmen, forgetting the lessons of ex-
perienee, are momentarily led away
from the practical methods of trade.
unionism by some irresponsible indi-
vidnal.
II is these radical and extreme
forces which constitute the menace
which faces American industry today.
No one. who is In touch with the I'M
dercurrents at play during recent
months, can fail TO realize the serious.
ness of the situation, for the radicals
in both camps desire, and preach, war
IN the hill against the other and no