The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-18
To Settle Wage Disputes

To the Editor of Tho Age-Herald;
 According to Aesop, as l remember it, in substance, an old man, having five sons. and not expecting to live much longer, called them about him ana requested that each bring him small short stick. The sons compiled, Where- upon Aesop tied the sticks together in a bundle, and then requested each of his sons to endeavor to break the bundle. This they each failed 10 do' whereupon Aesop united the punaie' and broke each of the sticks Tn two Moral: Tn union there is strength This fact is as true today as it was III the days of Aesop and applies to ev-
 cry trade, calling and profession. Those who fail to organize have no power and, like the sticks or Aesop, are easily broken. Labor,
 not organized. is absolutely at the mercy of th6se to whom it must look for employment and subsistence
 There are only two classes of mo- tives which actuate human beings, the selfish motive and the unselfish mo-
 tive. Organization of labor is. of course, in a measure selfish, but in the case of labor it is matter or self preservation, and self -preserVa- tion is the first law of nature ana as such is excusable. Organized labor may easily over-reach itself and in- firing ef upon the rights of cap'tal, e,'- pecially if unwisely led. On the other hand capital in refusing to recognize organized labor or to treat with it.
 is evidently actuated, in part, at least
 from a selfish motive--it realizes that labor unorganzed, is at the mercy of capital, and must accept such wages and conditions as capital shall dictate Either the one, or the other, or both being swayed by selfSh mo- tives and purposes, labor and capital fail to agree--fail to treat each other fairly, justly and equitably, as they should do-and disagreements and strikes result, with the accompanying discord. violence and suffering. In the meantime the public" as has been so often said, is caught between the up- per and the neither millstones and ground to a powder. Being dependent upon both capital and labor, and hav- ing no control over either, it can only, under present conditions, stand by and take what comes to it.
 But discord between capital and la- Dor has become so frequent that the public is not willing to stand these quarrels, and bear the burdens of them much longer. As in other discord be-
 tween men. the public is looking to, and must have a reign of law to rectify
 these oft occurring evils, whether capital and labor want such or not.
 It is suggested, that when the legis-
 lature of Alabama again meets,
 whether soon or late, that a law be enacted, authorizing the judges of the
 supreme court of Alabama, who are
 elected by the people. to appoint a | h<,.,v 1f r,V 41 t1 fa1 to represent capital, three organized
 labor and three from the public, giv- ing to this board the full power of a court. and incidentally the power to summon witnesses and compel the production of documents; also giving to it the equitable power to deter mine serious disputes and disagree ments between capital and organized labor in Alabama; and providing that it's finding and recommendation shall be final and conclusive on both capi- tai and labor; also providing that a failure to comply with the decree and recommendation of the board shall subject all parties to fine and inn rrisonment, and if necessary. to a forfeiture of property, or a forfeiture of rights within the state of Alabama It is not contended that this is any thing new, but. in the other relations of life, the public realized from sad experience that men actuated by selfish l motives. wuold not treat each ther with fairness and justness, and laws were enacted for their protection. Why l should not labor and capital, aggrega- tions and societies of men. in justice to themselves and the public, be com pelled by law to come within the same rule, and do what they should do, by /, the determination of an impartial board. and thus relieve the state from oft recurring discord, the people from l privation and suffering, and capita l from useless loss? Is not this the com
 mon sense of the matter? Respect fully. R. l.. WILLIAMS l Birmingham, February IF, 1921.