The Washington times., 1921-07-24

|
ment, is dominated by labor influences.
A few days ago the machinists received
letter asking advice about the firms
from which it would be desirable to
purchase the fire engines needed in
Mexico.
In four OF the Mexican local gov
ernments labor Is so strong that laws
have been passed forbidding anybody
4 to take the place of another worker
who is on strike. Needless to say, no
strikes have been lost in those re-
gions since the laws took effect.
Other important aspects OF the
world labor movement have been
studied at close quarters by the presi-
dent OF the machinists on the Euro
pean trip from which he has just re-
| turned.
Labor Against Wars.
In consultation with the heads OF
| the metal trades in England and Ger
| many, IL was agreed that at the next
| international conference resolutions
would be presented from those coun'
| tries and the United States intended
to make war impossible.
This conference begins at Berne,
! Switzerland. August 8. The resolu-
! tions will pledge the metal workers TO
I
resolutions when passed by the confer
ence will have to be referred to the
home unions.
This is a step which was impossible
as long as Germany was under a des-
potic form of government. British
! labor repeatedly urged such move,
| but German labor always answered.
up TO 1914. that Il was helpless. as
the Kaiser's government knew every
| thing the unions were doing, ana II
anything OF this sort were undertaken
! the unions would be suppressed.
! Now all that is changed. Labor n
as strong in Germany today as IL is
| in England or Italy-many times
stronger than IL is In France. Indeed.
| IL the plan breaks down, IL Is most
| likely to be through French opposi-
| ton
| Conditions Different.
The French government recently
has passed legislation as intoieranr as
| our own laws against free speech,
with the resulting Imprisonment of
Debs and other gentle theorists.
| In Germany, on the other hand, the
| labor forces. which numbered three
! million in 1918 and sank to one mil
lion during the war, are now eight
million.
For a time there seemed to be some
danger that the extremists might OBJ
! tain too much influence, but that
crisis has passed, and German labor
Is now as free from reckless ieader.
| ship as IL is from stick-in- he mud
leadership of the Gompers type.
Mr.. Johnson reports that all Ger.
many has settled down to hard and
efficient work. The principal danger
to reconstruction that he sees lies in
French and Polish influences. As an
| illustration of the irritation kept up
by the Poles, he spoke Of the way the
railroad between Germany and East
Prussia is regulated.
One OF the most dangerous features
| OF the settlement at Versailles was
cutting two million Germans in East
| Prussia off from the rest OF the coun.
try by the Polish corridor TO Danzig
giving Poland control OF the great
River Vistula that ought to have
been internationaliZed.
To lessen that wrong the allies or.
| dered a railroad connecting Germany
with the province from which she
| had been separated. Instead of al.
lowing this road to serve its purpose
the Polish Government is inflicting
all possible anoyances through its
control of the trains.
! overcome Obstacles.
For instance, II stops even through
sleepers twice during the journey 10
examine all passports, and il does not
allow more than one sleeper on any
/ train.
In short, what was intended to com.
| pensate Germany for a wrong in
flicted on her is used TO Increase the
amount of Fostering to which she is
subjected.
In spite OF these things. however,
| the Germans are working more philo.
sophically than anybody else, and Mr..
Johnson was particularly struck by
the quality Of the cultivation of the
soil. II seemed as IL there were not
the smallest plot OF ground that is
not intensively cultivated
| The relations between Germany and
Russia were an interesting aspect of
the study of the head of the machin.
| lists, but / shall have to leave that