The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-01-13
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

By DAVID LAWRENCE.
(Snccial Despatch to The Reformerl
Copyright 1921.
WASHINGTON, Jan. I3.-Ncws of the
fight behind the scenes between capital
and labor over the type of man who shall
be the next secretary of labor, is begin
ming to tricklc out, and explains to some
extent, the upset in the cabinet slate
which had been tentatively made up by
President-elect Harding.
Both sides are demanding the impossible.
Some representatives of manufacturing in
terests want a man who favors the open
shop or rather one who will recognize the
right to close a shop to union workers
Labor. on the other hand, wants man
who Is not fundamentally prejudiced
against unionism and who will not be
harmful to the unionization of plants and
tactor'es that are not organized by the
unions
brIeuy. it's the whole struggle between
capital and labor over again, with this
change: As prices are coming down there
are certain manufacturers who believe
| the time is ripe 10 strike a body blow
at unions by refusing to employ union
men or workmen who insist that their
fellow employees shall be unioniZed This
extremist attitude Is defended in some
cases, because when prices We're high and
the demand for labor was urgent, the
unions arc alleged to have insisted upOn
union rights and the transformation of
non-unIon plants into union membership.
rather significantly, the other dav the
New York Herald. owned by Frank A
Munsey and an influential organ of the
| Republican party, limited at the fight over
| the secretaryshiD OF labor by telling both
sides that the appointment of all eXtTem-
/ list should not be expected. 1t Is said that
thC editorial IN question was inspired by
a desire on the part Of Mr.. Harding ;
| friends to make his task easier by telling
employers IN the citadel OF manufacturing
| interests that they could not hope for ed
| itOrial support IN their campaign for Il
| partisan on the labor question
| The fortunes OF Herbert Hoover are to
some extent bound M in the controversy.
/ Nh. Hoover was practically selected by
| Mr.. Harding for the Secretarvship of la
! bor, because liberal employers who
wanted a fair man rather than a partisan
| thought the former food administrator 5
attitude toward the labor question was
sound and that he enjoyed the confidence
of both sides The American federation
| of labor itself recently invited Mr.. Hoover
| 10 appear before 1t and give advice and 1t
| is suspected that labor would accept the
| appointment OF Mr.. Hoover with signs
| of signs Of relief not because he repre-
scnts their viewpoint but because they
! have been in fears that Il neutral would
not be appointed and that the next four
years at least would be a constant battle
| with an aTch-foe of unIOnism IN the de
nartment Of labor. The trouble Is that
| both sides are DIMINISHING their rights
when each side should be announcing their
| concessions, Tor compromise may be
worked out. That's why Mr.. Harding
| himself is eager TO appoint a man who
shall have the Imagination, initiative and
| force to work out a real solution of the
differences between employed and en-
plOye.
/ The Importance of the appointment too
/ lies in the fact that the department OF
| labor Investigators must be impartial and
! lust whenever a big strike arises and that
| their conciliatOTs must be skillful enough
| to retain the confidence of the parties to a
strike. The fear of the conservative labor
| leaders Is that if a foe of unionism is APP
pointed, there never will be any recourse
| to government boards of mediation and
| Cancellation and that the progress which
| has been made toward the friendly settle
/ ment of labor disputes will be lost.
| The presidents industrial conference
| failed because both sides refused to com
| promise. The second conference, differ
emily constituted, got somewhat further
along but never attempted to deal with
| fundamentals. 1t set about to devise
means of settling industrial disputes only
after they had arisen. The open and
closed shop question is still unsolved.
The real fight that is coming is not over
reductions in wages, but the open shop
| issue Employers organizations here ad-
NIT that the struggle is on in earnest and
! that the first step is the appointment Of
| a secretary of labor. There are two kinds
| of open shop. one that is omen to union
and non-union workers with the two
classes on an equal footing and in which
| the management deals with the workers
| through local communities without ref
erence to their national organizations.
| The other kind is the shop closed to I'M
| ion workers altogether.
Unfortunately some emnloYers' leaders