The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1920-06-12
NEARLY MILLION
NEW|.MEMbERS.IN
YEARS. RECORD
American Federation Of Labor in
Session at Montreal -0ttefs ..
Strong Report.
lContinued From Page -

&continned From Page 1.1
to go in suppressing the aspirations
of the workers and in making effect
i've. their lawful and constructive
traAAz union orsanizatiogltlt n gsnstes
of4seEress. :s: :. :a,,, s s B,
ffThe f."Open shop Sc: ~ ssFs''
There was immediate evidence OF
the same trend in the purely eco.
rcmic life Of the land. The position
assumed by the United States Steel
Corporation typified spirit too prev
alent-a. spirit Of bludgeoning wrath
and enraged opposition to all prog;
ress for the. working people, a spirit
OF intolerance Of the rights Of mar
and OF arrogance in the face Of a
struggle for elemental justice.
In a score of communities EN-.
ployers' associations have reopened
the struggle Of a decade ago for wha
they term the open shop-in reality
the shop which is. closed agains
union men and women. At a tim@
when %HsYision and craftsmanship
shouldskuide the employers and the
political authorities of the country
there has been a resurgence Of thu
ccncept" brutality and oppression
During the whole period since tn.
armistice price imitation has contin'
ued. Profiteering, for which con
structlVe remedies are recommended
elsewhere in this report, has ruiz
wild. It has scourged the land lik,
a plague. It has burned through ou
arteries Of trade like fever and raw
aged our people like a pestilence
Proflteers have been Unsuitable 'de
vourers OF men, women and child
ren," intent upon heaping up hoard
of gold without precedent. at the ex
pense OF human life and happiness.
Palmer Is Joke.
Imitation in staple commoditie
has reached a point of all but unbe
ltevable extremes. Efforts of the De
partment OF Justice to restrict profit
eering have merely constituted conf
tnterludes in one Of the great TRACE
dies Of the postwar period.
THE written and spoken propa
gand&* OF unreason and extremisn
can be- met and defeated by truth
But legitimate unrest, growing out o
conditions Of injustice can be me
and overcome only by intelligen
dealing with conditions. Those VIII
drink from a poisoned we'll will b
poisoned until the well itself i
cleansed.
"Your executive council has givel
| constant attention to the whole mat
ter in contemplation here. 1t ha
caused constant attention to be give
to the work 6H exposing the fallaeie
Of false and' misleading propagand:
Rut these who by means more effect
i've. than my propaganda hav
brought disturbance upon our coun
try and suffering to our people mus
be dealt with directly by forces whic
they can understand and from whic
they cannot escape. They are al
flicted with madness, and reaso
has ceased to affect them.
The powerful economic organize
ton Of the American wage-earne1
offers to the workers their most pt
tent agency Of relief, but not in ever
case can relief be had before despel
alton begins to make itself felt. TT
opposing forces are strongly il
trenched and seem to know no sobe
ing sense of responsibility or col
science.
Hope Is In Union Labor.
During the year the officers
the labor movement have issued r
peated warnings to the people ar
have put forth definite suggestion
for remedial action. Congress, whie
might have done much, has dor
nothing. Great industrial leade
have laughed at warning words ar
Fave gone back to their countir
rooms E..
keeping pace with the .extremi
Propaganda and with the forces gel
StwSzpf unrest there has been VIII
f&rs to have been a studied a
tmpk to discredit the organized lab
yAyAlnent and to throw upon it IL
qI and burden Of most Of our n
k1At ills. Employers and their pu
lHStions have sought: steadily
spread: the belief that the lab
movement is responsible for hit
prices, responsible for unrest and {
antagonist Of the public welfare