Evening star., 1920-01-06

two relatively inconsequential hg-
ures-MargOlis. lawyer having no
connection whatever with the steer
strike. and Foster, only one of COM
mittee-than was given 10 any otner
witness except Judge Gary himself.
The steel employers have had reprint
ed and have circulated widely among
employers, business men and editors
Fosters red pamphlet on syndlcailsm
with this inscription on the outside:
"William H. Foster. one OF the au-
thors of this book. is in charge of the
present campaign to organize the
steel strikers.
They have given this pamphlet
far wider circulation than ever Fos-
ter was able to give 1t; they have
aroused just the curiosity about the
ideas which it contains. and which
they are trying to combat, that the
radicals themselves have failed in
aroUSing.
Have 'Played Up" Extremists.
Now. / am not here going into Fos-
ter's denial that this wild pamphlet
published nine years ago. represents
his present beliefs Gin another arti
Gle | hope to exhibit the true rela-
tionship of radicals such as Foster to
the American Federation OF Labor
| am merely illustrating the point
that the steel employers have played
up" these extremists. and at the same
time have refused to meet and dea
with the moderate leaders. who rep
resent the great solid masses of Amer
lean labor.
On the other hand. the extremists
upon the side of labor play eXactl!
the same game. | have been examln-
ing recently a number of the more eS-
treme publications issued by radica
la bor groups. some of them circulated
at Gary Ind. and / have ATTENDED
r.,l n
speeches To many of these extrem
lists Judge Gary is a very devil: al
capitalists are devils: any one VINO
sees anything good in the presen,
system is tool" They 60 no.
recognize the fact that an immensf
proportion of American industry to-
day is based, 50 far as labor condi'
tions are concerned upon reasonable
conferences between employers ant
employees: or that many employer:
and managers in America are earn
estly and sincerely endeavoring to
work out new methods Of co-opera
tion with their workers-as l shal
show later-or that even Judge Gary
has encouraged. among other things
great improvements in safety device:
in his mills-a really remarkable
work
Conservative extremists thus stimu
late radical extremists. We even SET
employed in this steel strike the now
familiar technic of war. Both sides
try to prove atrocities. both SIDES as
sert that the other is using the poison
gas of propaganda and the dum-dun
bullets of intimidation. Each side. oi
part of each side, is doing it's bes
10 stir up hatred and suspicion OF the
other, with the danger always present
that these violent views may Involve
the great quiet majority of both EN-
ployers and employees who are trying
TO work out humanity. decently ano
patiently the enormously complicated
problems which confront all of us.
In this situation it is most impor-
tant to try to get behind the smoke
screen of claims and counterclalms
try to see the thing as it is.
went to Gary, Ind. eXactiy
with this purpose in mind: to find out
upon the ground the facts regarding
the direct issue here presented. How
much of the trouble and unrest is
caused by "outside agitators and
"alien radicals and how much is
caused by conditions inside of the
steel towns and inherent in the pres
ent state of the steel industry: l snail
set down what l found in the next
article.
Copyright, 1920. -
(The next article by Mr.. Baker Will
appear in the Editorial Section of next
Sundays starr.