Evening star., 1920-01-25
INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY
SEEN 1 As UNREST :. CAUSE

IT, SContinued from First Page0
for the simple reason that the men
are overworlSed and they do not feel
like going to the schools and depriv-
ing their families of their company
after these long hours. Sundays they
have none, for most of them go to
work" ...-. .L
Unionism Almost Only Agency.
In spite Of all the faults and ex-
cesses of labor unionism-and they are
many-I think no one who studies the
situation honestly can escape the con-
clusion that it is of the very
greatest of all agencies OF American
zation for these foreigners: for here
they really, practice free ASSOCIATION,
today is almost the only agency that
is free from. any distinction of race
or "previous condition of servitude.
I. once Investigated. strike among the
clothing workers in New York. i
Germans. Italians. Lithuanians, Poles
and even Irish and, Scotch. all working
together in a. common cause. NO
other force tends more strongly to Sc
cure the arnalgamation Of these di-
a COMMON public opinion than these
unions Today I believe the unions
in the clothing industry in America.
which are now co-ooerating fully with
fhe. employ ers, are doing more to hold
their own rajdica 'elenents'in, check
opinion-than any policy of outside
force and deportation on the part of
the government could possibly do.
/ The American elements in our pop
ulation are fully az much in need OF
training in Americanism as most of
the foreigners; for, Americanism is
not language, or flag. or even
constitution. but a certain free and
generous point Of view. 1t is spirit;
an attitude toward life; full accep-
have free opportunity for the develop
ment Of the best that is in them.
Must Apply Democracy.
There must be, in short. real ap-
plication of the principles of Ameri-
can democracy to industry-a full
recognition of the right of those who
work. in whatever rank" as Presi-
dent Wilson expresses it. "to partici-
pate in some organic way in every
decision which directly affects their
welfare or the part they play in in
dustry
Herbert Hoover expresses the same
idea in another way:
THE paramount business of every
American today is this business of
finding solution to these issues. but
this solution must be found by
Americans. in a practical American
American philosophy of life"
He says that the primary question
is the better division of the products
of industry and the steady develop
ment of higher productivity" There
must be IA better distribution of
profits; and maximum production
cannot be obtained without giving
voice in the administration of pro-
duction to all sections Of the COM
munity concerned in the specific
problem; that it cannot be obtained
by the domination of any one ele-
ment." =.
In short. there must be more de-
mocracy in industry. No one auto
cratic element. whether the great
steel employers at one end of the
scale, or the radical labor leaders at
the other. can be permitted to domi-
nate; there must be greater repre-
sentation in administration of all the
elements concerned; and there must
be better distribution of the prod
ucts of the common toll. This is the
true Americanization of industry;
and it is the only method by which
production of goods, now the great
est need of the world. can be stimu-
lated
Copyright, 1920)
tTne next article by Mr.. Mr. Baker
will be published in The Evening
Star Tuesday.