New-York tribune., 1920-02-23
Wood Asserts
Nations Must
Produce More
Unless Workers Speed Up
Germany Will Flood Mar
kets as She Did Before
the War, General Says
Men Are Found LOYAL
Economic Question, Affect.
ing Capital and Labor,
Held the Most Vital

In an interview with Evan ]. David,
OF the Leonard Wood campaign staff,
General Wood in this weeks issue Of
"The Outlook" discusses labor prob
lens. He says what the countries of
the world need to-day is increased pro-
duction. He calls attention to the fact
that in Germany laborers are working
twelve hours a day, two of which are
for the government, and he says that
unless this country gets into adequate
production Germany will soon be flood
ing the markets of the world with her
products as she did before the war.
The general advocates the Golden
Rule as between employer and em-
ployee. He asserts he has found
American labor wants to run straight.
He advocates drastic treat atment of the
Reds" and says labor organizations
have no right to coerce a man who does
Wood in the interview said:
ut seems to me that the most vital
question at the present time is the
economic question as it is affected by
both capital and labor.
Production Is Needed
"The great war showed that if
capital and labor were actuated by the
same motive to get quantity production
for a common end and upon the most
amicable relations. What the coun-
tries of the world want to-day above
everything else is production.
"A great deal of strife can be
avoided if the capitalists take human
interest in their employees. 1t seems
to me it would be wise for them to
take as much interest in their work
ers as they do in their customers. If
they applied the Golden Rule l am
sure there would be very few strikes
They should pay their employees a
living wage. This wage ought to be
sufficient to enable the worker to build
himself home, to educate his family,
way and to put something aside for
his old age.
There ought also to be some sort of
a profit-sharing plan devised, so that
the employee might enjoy some of the
benefits to be derived from the profits
Of his company
Workers Should Do Their Part
"On the other hand, it seems to me
that the workingmen should also do
their part in increasing production and
in improving their efficiency. First of
all, the workingmen should seek to do
all that would increase their skill in
turning out more work at the present
time, so as to supply the needs of the
world.
"They must realize that wages are
paid from profits, and that profits can
not be made unless the material pro-
duced is of the very best and that it is
produced in quantities sufficient to be
able to compete with the production of
other factories, mills, shops which are
working in the same field, and with the
production Of foreign countries.
They should not resort to strikes
until every other expedient has been
exhausted. When they do strike they
should be led by leaders who are Amer
leans and who have the welfare of
America at heart. They should dis
courage-and ninety-nine per cent of
them do-all kinds of violence or dis
order.
American Labor Loyal
Il have found in my experience that
nlnety-nlne per cent Of American labor
wants to run straight. The element that
advocates destruction of our govern
ment, our institutions and our homes is
generally the alien, which ought, after
due process of law, to be deported, or I
native dealt with by the processes of
law. There is no room in this country
for the Red flag. There is no room
in this country for the l. w. w. There
is no room in this country for anyone
who breaches anarchy.
cat Gary, Ind, found that the small
percentage who claimed that our form
OF representative government was not
good were almost without exception
foreigners who mad come to our coun-
try and did not understand our in
We want more publicity. We must
nave 1t before we can have intelligent
pubic opinion, and without such pub
llc opinion we cannot hope to build
up the sentiment which will go long
way toward bettering conditions. The
public has suffered greatly in the coal
strike in loss of life, and there has
been great suffering in hospitals and
institutions, and great suffering among
the poor. The great inarticulate pub
TIC was the principal sufferer. The
strikers themselves suffered.
Public Must Have Facts
II believe that public opinion will
stand for square deal both to capital
and labor. We must establish ma
chlnery for giving facts to the public.
Due to our lax immigration laws in
the past, 1T was too easy for the for
eigner to make America the dumping
ground of Europe. We do not want
to restrict immigration so that all
foreigners who desire to come to our
shores and abide by our laws, respect
our institutions and live according to
our Constitution and become good
American citizens, cannot do so.
I'VE want to give labor a square
deal and establish industrial justice.
American labor is essentially loyal.
The vicious element is the unassimi-
lated alien. The "Reds" augmented
the trouble at Omaha by supplying
booze to some radicals They led in