The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-03-23
NO UN|ON|zAT|ON
OF INDUSTRY
Industrial Commission Fa-
vors Shop Organization
Instead
GOOD POLITICAL
PLATFORM MATERIAL
Report So Carefully Balanced That
Either Party Can Adopt It - Mr..
Gompers's Opposition Is Natural
Supremacy of A. T. of L. Involved.
By DAVID LAWRENCE
Copyright by The Reformer J

Il NAHii1NGlON, March 23-Capital-|
meaning thereby employers generalIv-has
won a victory in principle in the report
Just issued by President Wilson'S second
industrial commission. But the victory is
not one of class against class but rec
ognition of the unwisdom of the policy
advocated by Samuel Gompers at the first
industrial conference, a policy of unioni-
cation of industry to the exclusion of
shop organization unless unonized.
This was the rock on which the first
conference was wrecked. The decision Of
the second commission is supported not
only by VIM. F. Wilson, secretary of la
Dor and formerly an official in the Amer
lean federation of labor but by Herbert
| Hoover, vice chairman, as well as Demo-
Gratis like Martin H. Glynn, former gov
ernor of New York; former ATTORNEY
General Gregory, former Governor Henry
c. Stuart of Virginia, and Republicans
| like George W. Wickersham. Oscar s
Straus, formerly secretary of commerce
and labor in the Roosevelt cabinet: former
| Governor Samuel W. Mccall. of NIassacbu-
Sets. Julius Rosenwald of Chicago. and
independents like Richard Hooker, ed
tor of the Springfield Republican, and
others IN a unanimous report
Leaders OF the two political parties who
have been wondering what blanks they
would write into their respective plat
forms at San Francisco, and Chicago will
viii be able to take their stand souarely
on the industrial commissions report 1t
is by no means too friendly to labor and
therefore cannot be logically condemned
by the Republicans who usually have to
reckon on the support of business men
generally, nor is it likely to be disap-
proved by the Democrats when men like
| William b. Wilson and President Wilson
support the decision.
! In campaign year when most candidates
are straddling and trying hard not to Of
lend either capital or labor. the indus
trial report furnishes the ideal way out
1t is not partisan in origin or purpose.
Perhaps the most significant paragraph
IN the whole report which tells what a
group of disinterested men thought about
the principle which wrought so much
havoc with the first industrial conference
is the following:
The guiding thought Of the confer
ence has been that the right relationship
between employer and employee can best
he promoted BY the deliberate organiza.
ton OF that relationship. That organiza
ton should begin within the plant itself
Its object should be TO organize unity 81
| interest and thus to diminish the area oil
conflict and supply by organized co-opera
| ION between employers and employees
the advantages Of that human relationship
that existed between them when indus
| tries were smaller Such organization
should provide for the Joint action q
managers and employees in dealing witt
their common interests. 1t should empha
size the responsibility of managers t
know men at least as intimately as they
know materials, and the right and duty
1f employees to have a knowledge of the
industry, its processes and policies. Em
nloyees need to understand their relation
to the Joint endeavor so that thew ma,
once more have a creative interest in the
work
The foregoing together with the dc
tails Of the plan proposed not only per
mits shop committees and company I'm
ions, but leaves open the question O
an open or closed shop to be settled il
each factory or plant as circumstances de
veIop Small wonder that Samuel Com
pers denounces the whole thing for tn
| American federation of labor is on recor
in resolution adopted at its Atlanti
City convention condemning shop union
and all other organizations not affiliate
with or a part of the American fedora
ton of labor
But while Mr. Gompers must natural
take such an attitude in order to hold t
gether the American federation of labo
and to keep his own hold on it, the trut
is that the plan proposed by the secon
industrial conference does not proven
every shop committee or organization
Iany plant from becoming affiliated wit
every other plant organization and TIN
maintain an industrial or crafts organic;
ton All the ADVANTAGES of union labc
are retained though the operations an
mower of the walking delegates are I
some extent limited by the insistenC
chat the troubles be settled at the bottol
lin the individual plant itself before on
side assistance or counsel is brought il
Put there is a recognition of the princip
that workmen can be represented by pc
sous of their own choosing princin
(which the employer was unwilling in tt
first conference to recognize.
But unfortunately there is nowhere
the report any moral punishment outline
or practical means of compelling emplo'
ers to recognize the spokesman of ii
men even though elaborate methods
hoos;ro these spokesman are indeed Of,
vided for in the secret ballot and impa
tial election machinery. There is notl
mo to nrevpnt another judge Gary froi
saying he will not deal with the smoke
men OF the workmen. There i ONLY
course the force of public opinion whe
onoa the facts are published Tho din
"'iltv is partly met bv the establishment