Evening journal., 1920-11-08
Chapter XIII
BY MARSHALL OLDS

they offer no hope OF an effective
present solution OF the strike prob
lem, as 10 concerns the millions OF
unskilled or semi-skilled labor IN the
great mass Of industry as a whole.
In the coal Industry, for instance,
there are hundreds OF different en-
pl0yers. Labor. on the other hand. Is
closely organized and controlled as q
unit. In the recent coal strike the
labor leaders openly boasted that
they did not need TO consider seri-
ously the operatOrs-th public opin-
ion and the government were their
only real opponents.
In the building trades there are
thousands OF employers on one side
and a comparatively few immense or
ganlzed unions on the other. In the
railroad field, while the employers
are limt ted and powerful, the absolute
necessity that railroad service be
maintained constantly gives railroad
labor organizations a power which
only public opinion or the govern
ment Is adequate TO cope with. And
what is true OF the coal industry, the
building industry and the railroads is
] true to a greater or less degree in
| the bulk OF industries in which strikes
have proved so costly TO the whole
country namely, not only does the
public suffer most from strikes, buI
| the public alone, from the very ma
/ ture OF the situation, can protect IL
self from the consequences OF these
strikes
That strikes can no longer be re-
lgarded merely in the light Of conflicts
| between capital and labor, but be
cause Of the tremendous costs they
are imposing on the public are OF
vital public cOpcern-that from the
very nature of the situation the pub
lie alone is able adequately to protect
/ itself AGAINST these losses and thdt
! lhe public has a right so 10 protect
| ltself-is today becoming more ana
more widely recognized.
As a result of the ilagrant abuse or
| the strike weapon and the tremen-
dous losses which that abuse has in
nicied on the whole public, the city
of Los Angeles has. by amendment
Of its charter, which cannot De-
changed except by a two-thirds vote
of the whole people. established tlle
/ 0pen-shOp principle.
Under the leadership OF Governor
Allen. the state Of Kansas has estaD
lished a system OF Industrial courts
having complete jurisdiction oVtr n
dustrial disputes that involve puDlic
l.
is final. and strikes in such cases ar
punishable as crimes.
An industrial commission appointed
by Pres dent Wilson has. during his
past year, drawn up an elaborate plan
for the establishment OF Federal in
dustrial courts, which, il adopted
would mean that labor disputes
throughout the country would bl
tried and adiudicated on much tn
same basis as any other business dis
pute.
OF course. organized labor is fight
ing such movements as these viii
: every energy and every weapon 1t cal
b command. Because Of the numerical
voting power of labor this hostlIl,
Will make the widespread adoption o
: such revolutionary plans as these ex
= tremely difllcuit and particularly dii
{ ncult in the great labor. section
, where some remedy Is most ne2ued.
= The trusts twenty years ago wer
] strongly inlcenched in politics, and
T took the united efforts Of the Whol
d people twenty years to get adeQuat
| projection against the more UNI a,
n ferns Of trust practice.
h But strikes Of the last few year
n have been tremendously more cOstl
n 20 the whole people than anythin
r trusts ever did, and the strike wedp0
n as 10 is being used at present Is a IA
o greater menace to the whole peOpl
S than the trusts ever were. II is col
b respondingly important, iheiefor
e. hat both the loss and the menac
a shall be ended as soon as possible
+ and this can be done only on basi
r. that is absolutely fair TO labor on
n protects labOr's legitimate interest
e on the face Of it an industrial cOur
y which shall adjudicate controversial
& between employer and employees jus
- as an ordinary court adiudicates cor
- lrOversics between other. individua
a or business interests, seems absC
= iulely logical and fair and in keepin
a with all lhe developments OF progres
y and civilization.
y Labor, however. al once points on
IS and Is right in pointing out, that cor
s trOversies between it and It's employ
j. ers are essentially different from O
d'nary controversies at law. Conn.
y iiti0n is the basis not only of a
e modern industrial progress, hut TO
n large extent of all progress. m
q law may prevent unfair competltiC
e. and the courts perform a legtima
10 function in adjudicating cases whel
4. unfair competition is claimed; bu
e far from being agencies for stOppr
D. competition In general the courts
"a recent years have been one Of O.
Is chief agencies in enforcing compel
10 tiOn.
'- Now, labor unqueslionably has
r. exaggerated Idea as 10 the extent
Ig which il is inherently a competit
r. OF capital 10 has bee none OF d
s. greatest lessons that business as
of whole has learned in the last gener
X tlon that IL is entirely Improbable
Up both sides 10 carry competition 0
e- far, and modern business has gain
o. tremendously since it has realiz
n that by cooperation with It's COZ
or petitOrs mp 10 a certain pol
es through chambers OF commerce, ira
nd associations and other such cooper
tive organizations. II can often so &
ds large markets and increase buslns
n as a whole that the individual co..
10 petiiOr Is better or with his shS
M OF the new larger market than
mi would have been even with a mono
ce oily Of the old market. In other wOr
the most successful modern busin,
Is practice is that OF cooperating wi
I'm competitors In improving busni
ID. conditions and enlarging markets a
M then competing with them for
81 share OF the profits In those bet
mi conditions and larger markets.
ne In the same way, employer and e
M plOye have a very big common int
nut est IN Increasing their mutual prodl
ed tlon. and labor both can, and mt
on realize that there Is every incent
nv for cooperation In thus lncreas
'as the amount OF profits that can be-
az vided up. But II Is equally true q
,at there is, and must be. an inher
1m competition between employer
~ emniove over the division OF In