Evening star., 1920-02-29

/
! scheme which succeeds in one indus
I try may fail in another. There is the
| hackneyed contrast between water
power plant with an enormous in
| vestment of capital and q labor force
OF half a dozen men. and a laundry
| with little or no capital invested and
a large number of workers. No me-
chanical plan can fit both cases.
! No Paaaceas Will Sumee.
patent panacea. and there are patent
panaceas in this department Of life
as in any other-will solve the prob
lem. Everything depends upon the
spirit Of approach. the attitude of
employer and worker. If there is a
real desire for cooperation, a genuine
wish to substitute democratic for
an autocratic point of view, the
| method will soon appear. Each stu
alton must be studied for itself. 1t Is
| q wholesome sign in America that we
are taking hold Of the problem In the
, American way-experimenta local
ly. with small respect for former ex-
perience and with little attention to
theories-a method which irritates
some critics who want US to think
through and to have a program
like the Germans or the British. The
variety and enthusiasm of the expert
mentation in America seem. however.
sign Of health. We are going about
1t with the same spirit Of inventive
| hess and ingeniousn ess. with the same
disregard for government commission
and government advice which have
always marked the most vigorous and
original American development.
One OF the chief dangers now con-
fronting the new movement is the
evident effort upon the part OF some
employers to use the new device with
the intent of forestalling the organ
ization Of labor. They put in the form
Of the system-perhaps call it de
mocracy'-but have not the spirit by
which it can really be made to work:
No class Of men are harder to fool
than the workers; and many OF them
today are suspicious of the new sys-
tenn because they are not convinced
that it is genuine. One of the de-
mands of the steel workers in the re-
cent strike was for abolition Of
company unions" There is danger in
every case where the system is put
in by the employers he would put
in q new machine-without encourag-
ing firm and independent organfza,
tion of the workers. There can be real
cooperation only where the COOPER
ators both have the sense OF being
free. Good will must be reciprocai;
it can never be all on one side.
know Of employers who have put IN
various forms Of welfare work with
q real intent to express their good
will and have been tragically dfsap.
pointed when it evoked no return; but
out of association. 1t is for this rea-
son that the best example OF the de-
yelopment Of the whole idea Is in the
mems clothing trades Gas have al
ready described). in which both sides
are firmly organized and approach
each other face to face as outstanding
equals.
Must BE Open Diplomacy.
There must also be open diplomacy
between the co-operators. There Is
nothing that so allays suspicion and
feeds the spirit of common effort as
frankness in taking the workers into
full confidence Real publicity-which Is
simple truth tellinE-would solve large
proportion of the ills the world now suf-
One great value Of the new system is
that 1t must more and more set up
standards Of empioyment-for once the
old basis Of employment, in which labor
new methods Of determining standards
Of work, standards Of living. standards
Of nay must Be devised In the clothing
industry research bureaus have already
been established by both employers and
workers and the work OF investigation
task win eventually have to be done. by
outside, impartial government agencies.
Another important development-per-
haps the most important OF ali-is the
gradual upbuilding of common law for
Industry, through the recurring dect-
sions Of shop councils and boards Of ar
bitration. Industrial democracy Is thus
emerging lust as did political democracy
through a steady accretion OF principles
Of control and adjustments, veritable
Dean J. n. wigmore Of the North
western University Law School. in COM
menting upon this growth OF law In the
clothing trades Of Chicago, has this to
say: .. .,
principles are beginning to be formu-
lated. And the moment you have gem
eral principles, used for deciding par
ticular cases, you have Justice In the
form Of law, as distinguished from the
arbitrary justice Of q Turkish cadph. or
from private struggle decided by private
force.
industrial controversy win become q:
justicable as property controversy. And
q now neld will have been gained for
systematic Justice"
Renewed Interest In Ea1eatfon.
/ Another tendency apparent in the
new movement 10 q renewed interest
! in education. Just as q great wave OF
| its best expression in the common
school system Of America. followed the
introduction Of real political democ-
racy. 50 q wave OF new kind OF edu-
cation is coming in with the approach
to Industrial democracy. Autocracy
tday in the steel industry; but educa-
| ton is the very life blood Of democ-
racy. In every case where the new
system has been genuinely introduced
i there is tremendous urge toward
classes. clubs. schools. Both employ
ers and workers are interested. The
IAmalgamated Clothing WoSkers have
a regular department Of education; !;
and the shop school or the training
class is q feature of these new move
| new loyalty to the shop or mill. That
new loyalty tends to reduce the labor
! turnover and make for steadier en-
ployment and steadier employment
means the opportunity and the en-
coura cement for better training OF
this important subject here; 1t de-
serves an entire article. g..
! One other point Ia of great impor-
tance-she support OF public opinion in
demanding that the two parties to the
industrial warfare which is now par
and stay together. The public must
more and more keep in touch, not
necessarily with the details Of the
problems involved. but with the gen.
eral currents of progress.
! I received a rather impatient letter
! the other day from correspondent,
who said he had read my presentation
| of some Of the rather discouraging
aspects Of American industry.
What IL the solution of the prob
lem?" he demanded.
| Well. I felt like asking in return;
What is the solution Of life?"
! For the laber problem is the great
est continuing process OF life. In 1t
are involved the myriad human re-
| lationships under which men work
together here upon the earth to create
food. clothing, shelter-and a few