The Washington times., 1921-09-06

next few SS
weeks.
his mind more on symptoms than
on permanent conditions. Hence his
futility in the face OF such evils as
unemployment and Industrial civil
war.
The approaching conference in
Washington on unemployment Is all
well enough in its way. just as
charity to the poor is we'll enough.
But Il il called to deal with an acute
condition by temporary expedients.
II In not called to see how such
things can be prevented from getting
q start. ~ %
? Quotes Dean Swift.
I am going to- change one word
I'm an impromptu by Dean Swift, and
may change more unwittingly, as i
have not seen II in many years. The
satirist had gone back to his coun'
try at a time when the greatest dis.
tress prevailed. IN the midst OF
the desolation he observed a new
arsenal. and growled out this:
Behold q proof OF human sense
Here human wit is seen,
When nothing's left that's worth
defense
w'd build a magazine"
The tragic fiasco in West Virginia
would teach us the meaningless OF
surface treatment, II we were capable
of learning. We act to put down the
final violent symptom. after years or
inaction in face Of the mounting
causes.
or course labor gets fhe worst OF
II. Labor always eets the worst ot
a conflict when IL reaches the law
and order stage. And 1t always does
reach that stage IL the despotism OF
capital is continued long enough,
with a sleepy public aquisescent.
Now and then one still finds a vir'
tuous old crank who looks on small
pox or typhoid or yellow feaver as one
OF the Lords mysterious intensione'
Some people object to swatting the
fiy on the ground that IL the ny car
ries disease Almighty Providence
must have its reasons.
But those people. In the realm OF
physical SCIENCE, are now negigloie'
once they floufished, even as the peo-
pie who take q similar view or inous'
trial evils flourish now.
Men who work in coal mines, men
and women who make garments may
be without employment hundred
working days in the year. What OF
Il? God wills II so.
Usual Alibi Absent.
If we object to irregularity Of en-
ployment to an uncertain, anxious LIE
for the moor. in the real sense that we
object to smallpox, II would disappear
just as SMALLPOX has practically dis
appeared. But we don't. smallpox
was serious. The suff,r!ngs OF the
poor ara something to talk about Oh
Sundays.
The usual alfbis are absent in the
West Virginia case. In the cf'se OF
labor troubles we usually fell Rack
on cursing the foreigners or curslng
labor unions. The miners of west
Virginia belong to the Oldest Ameri-
can stock and the mine-owners have
successfully prevented them from
becoming unionized.
So some new alibi is needed, or
would have Been II the whole aues.
ton were not smothered in law and
order. .,
n the mine owners Of West Vir-
sinja. existing themselves in the
combinations of protected capital
known as corporations. have success
fully prevented their employees from
combining into unions for orderly
promotion of their rights. who - to
blame for the fact that the slaves
ultimately rebel7 1t Is the only thing
the owners have left them to do.
Imported gunmen will not uiti-
nately stop them. United States
troops will not in the end make
any difference. The ability of capi.
tai to take advantage Of depressed
times to increase it's powers will not
save Industrial despotism forever.
Some time the scientific spirit will
spill over into industry. Some time
the despotism Of capital will follow
and William Of Hohenzollern. Then
we shall seek not victories but solu.
tions.
And to find the solutions we shall
need conferences about regularity OF
employment, not suddenly in distress
but in steady times Of peace.