The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1920-07-17
BROAD GAUGED.lABOR MAN
SEES SITUATION CLEARLY

John H. Donlin; president Of the
building trades department of the
American Federation of Labor, deliv-
cred an address at the annual meet
ing in Montreal which marks him a
broad gagged man. 1t is manifest
that he sees clearly the situation con-
fronting business and labor, and
through unprecedented eyes, says Skill
lngs' Mining Review Of this city.
1T is strange" he says, but it is a
TACT that people complain about the
price OF necessities and we are squan-
dering our money on nonessentials.
we have made our nation safe for
democracy, and now every agency or
industry and onomics should aim to
alleviate the existing discomfort.
Everybody is responsible tor that Of
which everybody is complaining and
only those who are absolutely in no
way responsible are really suffering.
The higher the wage and the great
er the .underproduction is going to
hurt the worker more and more, and
the worker only. What is going to
become Of the people who must de-
pend upon the gentle mercy of the
employer, Of the great mass Of people
who earn their living in semi-genteel
occupationsGAWhat worker can afford
to build a. house today with prices of
labor and material as they are? What
is the renter paying and what will he
pay?"
'"Democractes OF which we have
heard so much and over which so
much blood was spilled are now on
trial. Is there one sane person on this
continent. were he autocratic enough
to dictate, who would not issue man
datory orders that reason must pre-
vail?
And that there must be no gradual
recession or: that no one class should
take the initiative, but normal must
be established by each class stimuli
taneously and at once?"
In speaking Of soviet Russia he de-
clared that the same people now in
power who proclaimed against pro-
duction, order and authority have
come back to those principles.
Nov they (the rulers of soviet
Russia) have established industrial
servitude," says Mr.. Donlin, "they
found they could not run govern
ment on ideals or economic fallacies,
that industries could not be national
lied and conducted by workers, that
there must be those who do not work
for remuneration, that capitalism
which is responsible for all unhappi-
peace and prosperity is to prevail it
must be by production and recognition
Of authority.
Common sense frankly denied that
government, industry or institution,
can be run on theory that presup-
poses equality among men and that
Industrial democracy, under the actual
manag CEMENT and direction Of the peo-
pie and for the people engaged in the
industry, can succeed. That same pro-
paganda and that same fallacious logic
that circulated through Russia bring
ing about the present soviet republic
and found IN. practice impossible to-
day is voiced in our land:
- From present Indications the gov
eminent Of human beings bids fair
to continue, for in Russia today there
exists an absolute dictatorship. Men
and women aye told what they must
do and what they ::.ust refrain from
doing.
1.-THE soviet central executive COM
mittee thinks what the people should
do and the people do it-of course not
voluntarily. When these idealists,
these Utopianists, preach against our
established government, our indus
trial system, ask them to look at
soviet Russia, and when they talk Of
working class. emancipations ask them
to carry that: to it's logical conclusion.