The Washington herald., 1920-01-24
TAFTCENSURES
LABOR UNIONS
FOR STRIKES
Tells Geographic Society
Methods Are Injury to
Third Party.
TAKES RAP AT GOMPERS
illustrates His Points by
References to Recent
Conflicts.
TAKES RAP AT GOMPERS

masonic Temple here
Mr.. Taft. while endorsing collec-
tive bargaining. and the right of
labor to bring in outside represent
atives to settle a dispute between
employer ard employe. pointed out
that where methods were used as
TO seriously affect a third party.
notably the public. then was tine
for the government to take a hand.
as then the antitrust laws were
infringed.
When. by a union of many" he
said, "a power of control Is con-
centrated to such an extent as to
be welded to the detriment of So
ciety, the legislature may denounce
1t as a criminal offense."
Takes Issue with Gompers.
He illustrated his various points
by references to the Boston po-
licemen's strike. the coal and steel
strikes. and took issue with Samuel
timpers for his attitude in leaving
the recent Industrial conferences here
because other members would net
agree to his stand on collective bar
gaining. In part. he said:
1T seems to me very important to
point out that organizations of labor,
though sincerely opposed to Bolshev-
ism, are by their proposed plans in
danger of embracing Soviet methods.
THE hope of the country is in the
bringing as near together as possible.
for common action, the liberal en-
ployers and the conservative labor
leaders. Nothing will promote this
so much as a sincere effort at col
lective bargaining.
Il believe in trades uDionism, be-
cause only by trades unions can
justice be secured to workingmen,
and our economic system justified.
But trades unions. like corpora
tons. must be kept within the law.
I'VE hear it said by some who
conceive that they have discovered
a panacea for labor troubles, that
the interests of the employers and
employees are really the same, and
that il employers and employees can
be made to see this. the solution is
at hand.
Against Closed shop.
THE question is how this divi-
sion can be reached peaceably and
fairly so that each side shall not
feel it necessary to protest or re-
sort to violence and lawless action,
or be discomfort with the result
My experience satisfied me that the
most powerful aid to the peaceful
adjustment of these adverse inter-
ests on a proper and just basis is
the bringing together of employer
and employe into the closest and
most direct interchange OF their
counter claims.
"A labor union representative
fnfn a
every occasion imperils his position
among them in the long run much
more than the one who saves them
from strikes.
THE use of the injunction by a
court is necessary in extreme cases
to protect the business and prop
erty of the employer. But the in
junction is last resort. 1t is
utterly unserviceable for the regu-
lation of the practical relations be-
tween employer and employe.
..'The employer who maintains
closed non-union shop by contracts
with his men that they shall not
ioin unions is not helping the reia-
lions between labor and capital in
the community in which he lives. So
those unions which use the closed
shop to force men to join are en-
gagged in a similarly unjust, selfish
and injurious system
Labor as n Trust.
"Of course, collective bargaining is
mt going to rid US of strikes or OF
labor disputes. Combinations be-
tween people in the exercise OF rights
that belong to them under the Con-
stitutton are not secured by the
same provision that secures the right
in the single person, but when by a
union of many, a power of control
is concentrated to such an extent
as to be welded to the detriment of
society, the legislature may denounce
il as a criminal offence. This is the
ANTITRUST law. The sar'- thing Is
true of the right Of labor.
with these principles fairly in
mind. we come now to consider the
present situation. and the Industrial
result of the war.
The Soviet destroyed all trace OF
democracy. Up to the time of the
armistice. the conservative leaders
of labor at the head of their re-
spective trades unions were able to
exercise such discipline among their
followers that contracts of unions
and tho terms of settlement of con-
troyersies were. on the whole, well
observed and performed.
But the minute that the armis-
tice came, Decentralization came, and
this newly acquired sense of power
destroyed the discipline that had
been maintained and led to a disre-
gard of honorable obligations fairly
entered into by the members of
many unions.
steel strike by Aliens.
Policemen and firemen and other
public employees united for their
common benefit into unions.
Then came the steel strike. sus-
tanned only by cooperation of the
alien workingmen who were un-
familiar with our institutions, and
who regarded the strike as a revo-
luton and entered into it with all
the fever of fanaticism.
Then came the coal strike. The
strikers broke their contract in de-
manding an increase in wages be-
fore the end of the war or April
next
"On the whole the coal strike fail
ed. though the failure was not as
clear and distinct as the steel
strike. Still the indignation of the
whole country was made manifest.
the strikers were shown that they
were not all powerful and that the
public could be reused after long
suffering to measures of self-de-
Tense"
HaIf-and-HaH Bills Are Tonic