The Mena weekly star., 1920-06-10
URGES DEMOCRACY
IN LABOR UNIONS
G. S. MacFarland Declares One Time
Widespread Sympathy With
Labor Unions Has Been
Dissinated.
eBy international News service. }

tBy International News Service
Manchester, N. H., June A great
er democracy in labor unions was
urged by Grenville S. MacFarland,
Boston attorney, who recently adj
dressed the Consolidated Labor Or
ganizations here. MacFarland gave
eight points for a labor platform, as
follows:
IL were in the organized labor
movement l should work for a pro-
gramme of policy somewhat as fol-
lows:
"First-To assure absolute faith in
the carrying out of all existing con-
tracts where moral obligation exists
to perform them.
"Second-To make the labor organ
izations more democratic In their form
of government TO the end that the
officers may be more responsive to the
viii OF the rank and file and more
careful of its interests.
Third To invite into the labor
movement all the intellectual liberals
who work at something useful
whether 1t be with the brain or hand,
or with both and adopt them as lead
ers without jeopardy or suspicion
whenever they prove their loyalty and
competence.
'Fourth-To establish, out OF the
alliance with these new intellectual
results, at any expense, an organiza-
ton of experts capable Of understand
ing the most profound and intricate
laws of economics; experts capable of
advising on questions of law. politics,
economics. sociology and publicity.
This would be an expensive and elab-
crate organization 1t would be the
great general staff of the general
movement. But witout 1t the labor
movement cannot succeed in this coun-
try. where the employing class is so
virile and where wealth is so concen-
trated, wealth is so great and SO capa-
Bile Of summoning together just such
a staff at any moment, as it frequent
Iy does. Indeed. organized wealth
has for years maintained such a staff.
r'Fifth--To come definitely to an
understanding which the wnrkmen
or Europe have already reached, that
there is no hope of making political
progress through the cid political par
ties.
"Sixth---To recognize once for all
that the progress of the workman Is
not to be measured always by tempo
rary wages but rather by such a So
cial, economic and political position
as will enable him to take his share
Of the great increments that now
come from the advance in the arts
rs,rr,
ductive power of labor. Thus the
rights of labor before the courts must
be definitely fixed. so that the public
will understand that an attempt to in
wade them is a revolutionary act and
Is as serious as a revolutionary act.
s'Seventil-@Organize a political par
ty of all classes who will stand COM
mitted to those policies. which from
time to time would be adjusted TO con-
ditions through the advice of experts
on the general staff, and fight with
the knowledge that you are right in
object and right In organization and
right in method, and that the right will
prevail In time.
Eighth Then patiently await the
results"
"The national labor organizations, =
Mr. MacFarland said have degener-
ated into political machines, quite in
capable of giving real political power
to the workmen, but quite iDvincible
in keeping some labor leaders in Of
flee without convincing reasons for
their continuance In power.
II believe that organized labor has
gone back in its power to help itself
to acquire and maintain its rights
twenty years in the last few years.
Almost generation before the
American Federation of Labor was
established workingmen had estab-
lished the right under the law to
strike. Two years ago in nearly every
State in the Union membership In a
militant labor organization was pro-
tected by law; collective bargaining
was recognized as proper method
of negotiating between workmen and
employers by all the intelligent ele-
ments of the country: freedom from
the use of the injunctive powers of
the courts in labor disputes had been
established by the courts themselves
and by Federal and State acts.
Labor organizations. in their strug-
giles over strikes, were assured OF the
general sympathy of the general class.
To-day these great assets. the
fruits OF at least generation Of strug-
gle, have been dissipated."