New-York tribune., 1920-10-14

the strike problem as it concerns the
millions of unskilled or semi-skilled
labor in the great mass of industry as
whole.
In the coal industry, for instance
there are hundreds Of different en-
ployers. Labor, on the other hand, is
closely organized and controlled as
unit. In the recent coal strike the labor
leaders openly boasted that they did not
need to consider seriously the operators
that public opinion and the govern
ment were their only real opponents.
abuse Of Strike Weapon
In the building trades there are
thousands of employers on one side
and a comparatively few immense or
ganized unions on the other. In the
railroad field, while the employers are
limited and powerful, the absolute
necessity that railroad service be main
tanned constantly gives railroad labor
organizations a power which only pub
lie opinion or the government is ade-
quate to cope with.
AS result Of the fragrant abuse of
the strike weapon and the tremendous
losses which that abuse has inflicted on
the whole public the city of Los An
geles has, by amendment to its charter,
which cannot be changed except by a
two-thirds vote of the whole people,
established the open shop principle.
Under the leadership of Governor
Allen the State Of Kansas has estab-
llshed a system of industrial courts
having complete jurisdiction over in
dustrial disputes that involve public
interest. The decision of such courts
IS final, and strikes in such cases are
punishable as crimes
An industrial commission appointed
by President Wilson has during the
past year drawn up an elaborate plan
for the establishment of Federal in
dustrial courts, which, if adopted. would
mean that labor disputes throughout
the country would be tried and ad
Judlcated on much the same basis as
any other business dispute.
The trusts twenty years ago were
strongly intrenched in politics. and it
took the united efforts of the whole
people twenty years to get adequate
protection against the more unjust
forms of trust practice
The industrial Court
But strikes of the last few wears
have been tremendously more costly
to the whole people than ANYTHING
trusts ever did, and the strike weapon
as it is being used at present is a far
greater menace to the whole people
than the trusts ever were 1t is cor
respondingly important, therefore. that
both the loss and the menace shall be
ended as soon as possible, and this
can be done only on a basis that is alb
solutely fair to labor and protects
labor's legitimate interest.
The industrial court, therefore. which
would settle controversies between
capital and labor, and whose Judgment
would be final, while it would undoubt
cdly eliminate strikes, would by that
very fact practically eliminate the
very basis of competition between CAPT
tai and labor and substitute paternal
istic regulation for this free competi-
ton.
Up to certain point and under GER
tain conditions this is entirely in keep
ing with modern economic DEVELOPMENT.
FOR years great corporations which
have controlled important necessaries
of life have been specially classified as
public service corporations, and be-
cause of the special degree of public
injury which would result through any
mismanagement have been largely
taken out of the field of ordinary busi
ness competition and surrounded by
both special privileges and special re-
strictions. The man to-day who goes
INTO or puts his money into such an en-
terprise does with full knowledge
of these conditions.
There is no reason why in the same
way, because of the special injury to
the public through strikes in such
fields, that the labor in such industries
should not be granted special privi-
leges and also be specially restricted as
regards strikes
Carada's Plan
Canada has gone a considerable dis
tance along these lines, but has care
fully avoided going to extremes, in the
so-called MacKenzie-King plan for ad-
Justing labor disputes. Under this
plan strikes sand lockouts are prohib- /
tied until the matter under dispute has
been passed upon by an official tri- !
bunal. The official tribunal consists of
three judges-one chosen by the en-
ployer. one by the employees and one