Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1920-01-02
trial disturbances from which the.

country has been suffering because
| of innUmcrablc and unnecessary
strikes. Collective bargaining does
not necessarily mean the closed
! shop any more than il means the
| industries. The closed shop is col
lcc!ivc bargaining carried to the OK
trcmc-uniOn autOcracy.
Labor unions have come TO stay.
There is nothing to be gained by
! closing our eyes to that fact. They
are just as much Il part of our
! economic and industrial life as are
corporations and combinations of
/ capital. Nobody disputes the right
of men to put, their capital together.
much or little. in the shape of a
partnership or corporation, but
when they create q concern SO big
| that it constitutes monopoly and
! becomes Il menace to the public:
or when it begins to hamper or re-
strain commerce, the government,
! through the orderly processes of
the courts. steps in and calls halt.
1t has done that not only in dealing
with railway combinations. but
with industrial combinations as
we'll.
Labor conditions should and
must be dealt with in the same way
II is all right not TO regard or treat
labor as commodity in the ordi-
nary sense and under ordinary con-
ditionS. The rights Of workers to
organize for their mutual protcc-
hat,nfff Il Il
The right of a man, or of several
men. to quit work is inherent, but
when any combination of men,
whether investors or workers, is so
large and powerful as to become a
public menace; or when, by their
acts they threaten the public well
fare, the government is bound to
step in and deal with them. Not to
do so is for the government to adbi-
cate or surrender to 4 corporation
or a labor union. as the case NAV
be.
There can be no fixed standard
or measure to Judge when cor
pOration or labor union becomes Il
menace or evolves into a CON
spiracy. That can not be settled
by statute nor by any arbitrary
rule. The ''Rulc of Reason is the
only rule applicable and il is Just
as applicable in The one case as i'm
the other.
The members Of abor unions must
come 10 understand that no other
rule or policy can be tolerated. The
Tact is they never would have mis-
understood it had not their leaders
inundated Congress and State Leg
lslaiarcS into passing exemption
Statutes that have led some OF them
to believe they are above the laws
entirely; that their organizations
are supreme.
AS for the aliens among us: No
matter whether. they are numbered
by the hundreds or by the thous-
andS, if they don't like our form of
government they should be shipped
back in short order. 1t seems to
have been the practice to send them
down here to Ellis Island and turn
them out on bond, allowing them to
go on With their revolutionary
work while their cases were finally
determined. observe that men
under Indictment for criminal an
archy have been holding mass meet
ings here in your city.
That WonI do. If our laws are
not sufficient 10 deal with those
gentlemen, whether they be few or
many, we must enact others.
Then. with these enemies within
our gates. we must not only streng-
then our military forces, but we
must pay our soldiers and sailors
commensurate with the work they
DO. 1t must be made attractive for
high-class. nativc-born Americans
TO join our military and naval
forces. Despite the fact our mil
lions of American soldiers served
us III The great war at a mere pit
lance while slackers were striking
In safely, here at home, yet these
soldiers who made that great sacri-
lice are banding themselves together
INTO the American Legion as the
great bulwark Of protection of our
liberties and our freedom. The Of
ficers and men in our army and
navy are so grossly underpaid il is
wonder there is single recruit,
This country will have need of them
before the menace Of Bolshevism
mas been dispcllcd. Congre IS should
see to it that our military force is
made NOT the biggest. but the best
paid and best treated in all the
world
VINO are to do these things?
Your public officials, YOU say?
but they will do them only if YOU
and the other Americans put aside
craftsmanship and pick men of cour-
age and of patriotism. Then, hay-
ing done that il is still not cnougb
:. you must stand behind those pub
Lie nlitni L.. l.. IN.D