Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1920-03-21
COMP PERS OPENS
FIRE ON REPORT
Of CONFERENCE

-
WASHINGTON, March 20-Recom-
mendations by President Wilson's con-
ference for settlement of industrial un-
rest were attacked today by Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor. In a prepared
statement he said the machinery for
adjusting disputes between employees
and employers (which has for years
been in existence in practically every
organized industry in the United
States, is superior to the machinery
now suggested by the Industrial con-
ference both in point of simplicity and
in point of effectiveness"
'@The conference said Mr.. Gompers,
"haS devised q mass of machinery to
be made effective by law, composed of
a national industrial board and local
and regional conferences and boards of
inquiry. The whole situation in this
respect may be summed up as follows:
Tried and tested machinery for
conciliation and arbitration between
employers and employees exists wher-
ever employees are organized.
This machinery functions perfectly
wherever employers forsake the spirit
of dominance and the attitude of auto
cracy.
"Must Have Unions"
lnrOuSn use OF tniS IndC0lueIy IL
has been found possible to maintain
Industrial peace with no stoppage of
work of any kind for periods ranging
from ten to forty years. No machin-
cry devised by the government or any
of it's agencies could achieve results
superior to the results achieved by ma
chinery which has long been in opera
ton in our Industrial life.
In industries where the employees
are not organized the machinery or
any kind, whether supervised by gov
ernment agencies or otherwise, cannot
produce industrial justice. Organiza-
ton of the workers is the fact upon
which must be predicated the exist
ence Of any machinery for the settle
ment of disputes or the extension of
the principles of democracy in indus
try.
Surely no intelligent agency can
hope to achieve progress in American
industry without organization of the
workers. With organization of work
ers, no structure of machinery need be
thrust upon it from the outside. Or
ganiZation brings with it machinery
which is both adequate and practical.
the result of experience shorn of any of
the fantasies of pure theory.
Criticism of Report
1.-THE report of the Industrial con-
ference merits criticism of a very seri-
Gus nature in connection with the en-
phasis which it places on what It
terms 'employe representation, under
which generic term it groups those dis
tinctly local shop organizations known
as shop committees, shop councils,
works councils and representative gov
ernment in industry. 1t is to be feared
that the commission views INDUSTRY
from the viewpoint of the single shop
and builds it's machinery on the theory
trat disputes are to be settled shop by
shop. If such viewpoint is to be ac-
tually carried into operation it will be
most disastrous.
Unavoidable organization with in
dependent shop units of the employees
is a menace to the workers for the rea-
son that it organizes them away from
each other and puts them in a position
where shop may be played against
shop. Not only the welfare of the
workers. but the best economy for the
nation demands that industry insofar
as possible be viewed in national
light and that the workers be united
into organizations covering whole in-
dustries. as is now the case with the
120 national and international trade
unions