Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1920-01-23
THE TOPIC WORN
ALMOST THREADBARE

itcers because of the actions OF ran
calls of the employing class. LiktwlSc'
too many employers and Il ro"diN p"r-
tion of the people are led into the
mistake of saying and believing That
all organized labor is iniinical to the
well being of the country. bccaus" oi
the words and deeds of the radicals
among organized workers
If, as Assistant Attorney Genera
Ames says, f.. T. Gary. the steel mag
nate isn't as good citizen as the
leaders of the miners union. it cannot
from this be argued that all employers
or all organized capital are to he
judged by the steel trust officers
standard, or that of his business as
sociates.
That the steel people have imported
hundreds of thousands Of foreigners
TO do their work at cheap wages. In
preference to hiring natives OF TINS
country, and thus added to the crop OF
bolsheviks now menacing the country
is no ground for the assumption that
all employers or capitalists are inten-
tionally, though indirectly fomenting
radicalism by employing cheap or for
eign labor.
No doubt there are corrupt and un-
principaled employers. as there are
employees, union and non-union. and OF
the same stripe. To brand class or
a labor principle as unjust because OF
the attitude of mistaken individuals. or
radical units, is wrong.
1t is only in comparatively recent
years that the right of an employer to
profit at the expense of his employees
has been questioned: and the change, or
what change there has been. Is charge
able to the better understanding OF
labor conditions by prominent employ
ers themselves. And. incidentally. II
might be remarked that this class OF
haa
his employees, union or non-union.
Also II may be fittingly said that
only during the last decade has there
cropped out that element in union
labor which now occasionally mani
tests itself in unjust demands and dog
matte actions and decisions
In both classes--employers and un-,
ion men--there are characteristics that
should be eliminated and individuals
who should be corrected and their ac-
rivities suppressed; their mistaken no
tions modified: their utterances and
deeds nuilfed and diminished, as much
as we may do so under the 'onstitu-
tion.
All men have. and should not be
denied. equal rights. The right OF cm-
pioyers to organize never has been
questioned: the workers priNil"E" to
organize should not be, the non union
mans prerogative to remain unaiill-
lated should not be refused him.
The world of finance has seen many
an honest well-meaning manufactures
20 to the wall on account of not seeing
things in the manner his brother en-
ployers deemed best for their common
veal: he stayed out of tn" organi2a- .
ton and lost. lie was n non union
man" in his field of "ndcavor. Th's"
organizations of capital or employers
were not always "profitccrS"; quite
often they We're for AN adjustment OF
conditions which meant littl" directly
to the employee, hut much 10 tn" sta
bility of th, employers business. Ais"
frequently they wor" the methods used
TO bleed" the public. Thc manufar-
turer who remained "indcucnd"nt' and
went "on his own hook took what
he could get; and he did not ret MS
due, for he failed to tax" advantaG" of
the safeguards others threw about
their concerns. There is Il simili" in tn"
foregoing not hard to find
combinations" or "unionism." as
long as they stand for efficiency and
fairness, never come in for c"nSur'
from the 'tust These same elements.
when used unfairly ,note the word
'unfairly'D TO coerce either side or the
public become dangerous units OF our
social anl industrial system,
Most employers combine. though per-
haps in small way in small communi-
ties. We believe we have right to
90 SO When i"ir u c"p'oSec' an" ~.
pubic ana we VIII continue III ''''
belief. III our ieilow pup'shers 40
not wish to combine with us to secure
what we know to he fair; II they do
not wish to organize for our mutual
protection, we are APT 10 nave hl''e
use for them ana nothins IN common
We deny TO no man OF SET oi h'c"
privileges we belleVe ourselves eht'-
led to. Nelthtr 40 we reluse 10 our
brother employers the right to view
matters differently. nevertheless, we
don't pun in the same harness Ihey
do rot assist In our projections we
give them none OF ours.
sOundness Of ieasoninE-the oneness
or aim--wc must cohce"e 'he Si'n'hes
appncabie 10 employers ana employees