The Connecticut labor press. (New Haven, Conn.) 191?-1921, 1920-10-16
AFTER ORGANIZED
LABOR'S HEART
open Shop" Movement Design
ed to Bring About It's Ruin.

The existence of organized labor is
endangered by the open shop move
ment and those who are so active in
this propaganda know full we'll that
under this Subterfuge they are reach
: ing after the heart of organized labor
to bring about its destruction The
Atlanta Labor Journal has the fol-
lowing to say on the subject and is
quoted here because it fits the local
situation admirably:
The open shop has never been
advocated by any employer or con-
tractor who was in the least friendly
to labor; or even kindly disposed This
may seem harsh but the facts justify
the statement. There are exceptions
very few; here and there is a misguid-
ed employer, not understanding the in
tent or purposes of the movement, nor
the results that invariably follow the
struggle precipitated between employer
and employe caused by such agitation.
Even if we did not know the bane-
full influence of the proposition on the
public and the unions, the fact that it
has always been advocated by the keen
est opposers of the labor movement
would compel investigation and disclose
what is already matter of common
knowledge, viz: concentrated action on
stroy the organization of labor.
Back in the time of Perry and his
devoted disciples the cry went out for
the open shop; the unions were de-
nounced for advocating thing so un-
patriotic-so un-American-as a union
shop, and in support of their position
they quoted the Declaration of indie
pendence, the Constitution of the United
States and the Holy Bible.
And yet, we have lived to see the
day that all the Protestant churches
in America represented in the Federal
Council of Churches have endorsed the
declaration of principles of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, and only re-
Gently the Interchurch World Move
ment made this statement: Recognition
of the right of workers to organize
and the principle of collective bargain
ing is declared
Not SO very unholy
And the government of the United
States during the war, speaking through
the war labor board, of which Mr.. Taft.
ex-Pres1dent, was a member, declared
The right of the worker to organize
and exercise collective bargaining be
granted, and this right shall not be de-
MED or abridged or interfered with
by any person whatever
Strange, the government would aid
and abet in an unpatriotic and undemo-
cratic movement, especially in time of
war.
THE project has not foot to stand
upon and the open shoppers may as
well come out in the open and declare
themselves for just what they area
group who have no desire to see others
live as Americans group of men
whose sense of greed and power con-
sumes all the better qualities they might
be possessed Of
Here is late utterance of Mr. Taft
and this also will be denounced as I'M
American:
eve must recognize that labor
unions are here to stay. 1t is inevitable
that capital and labor should differ
The only thing that can be done is to
make it easy for those inevitable differ
ences to be adjusted: The labor unions
are essential towards that end. l be-
1ieve in them, although / recognize their
defects and mistakes of their leaders.
I don't know whether what l have
said regarding capital and labor rela-
tons has met with your entire approval,
but | have reached point where that
doesn't make any difference.
To say that the union shop is I'M
patriotic, illegal or immoral is to charge
the union employer with all those OBJ
jectionable basis.
1T is admitted that every man has
a right to sell his labor as he sees fit,
and he also has the right not to sell it
to the employer who desires to run an
"open shop" 1t is not liberty the open
shopper" desires for the worker, but to
deprive him of his industrial freedom.
Are the "open shoppers" prepared
to say those who prefer the union shop
have no right to make such contracts ?"
These are the sentiments expressed
there and they apply here. Labor has
at all times been loyal to the great en-
terprises of this city and this state
instead of trying to sow discord and
bring about strife, we need the united
effort of both labor and capital in this
state to bring to successful conclusion
many great projects now pending.