The Washington times., 1921-06-14

and that the Federation oppose pro-
posals for new taxes and leave moth
ing undone to defeat the Introduction
OF turnover consumption or sales
tax
That the convention approve recent
recomme ndstions by the Federal
Trade Commission to President Hard
ing that the commi ssion be authorized
TO obtain and publish information
concerning ownership, cost, sales and
profts in the basic industries as
means OF reducing the cost OF living
by compelling those who sell the ne
cessaries OF life to accept smaller
prorts-
THAT the convention call upon the
American Government Ito take the in
itiatiye or to cooperate with any
other nation or nations for the pur-
pose OF general agreement for dis
armament. both of the army and naval
affairs OF the world"
That In view OF "an apparently
well ll-organized and. systematic cam
paign by the National Association OF
Manufacturers to conduct propa-
gands in the schools of the country in
furtherance OF the so-called open
shop the Federation have prepared
pamphlets and literature bearing upon
the questions involved for distribu-
ton TO the colleges, universities and
sch ools-
The report give. the present
strength OF the Federation OF Labor
It 3,eo6,52S. as against i,O7S,740 in
1920, and says that the slight de-
crease in members is naturally due
TO the large number OF workers un-
employed" 1t points to the member
ship enrolment as proof that the
campaign against organized labor
has failed.
URGES COOPERATION.
Under the heading of Constructive
Demands" the councils report reiter-
ates and reaffirms that those con-
tributing to production should have
a part in its control" and to this end
it urges "the setting up OF conference
boards OF organized workers and en-
ployers. thoroughly voluptary in
character and in thorough accord
with our trade union organizations,
as means of promoting the democracy
Of industry through cooperative ef-
fort"
Cooperation should be encouraged
as effective means Of curbing
profiteering,' the report continues.
ITO stimulate rapid development OF
co-operatives. the Federal Farm Loan
act should be extended so as to give
credit to all properly organized CO.
operatives, just as credit now is given
to individual farmers. Cooperation
is no less vital and worthy OF support
than are the railroads, which were
given hundreds OF millions of dollars
and an area of land equal to New
England to facilitate their establish
ment There should be legal enact
mcnt to protect CO. operatives against
discrimination by manufacturers and
wholesalers.
Control of credit capital by those
whose chief interest is the accum-
ulation of profits results inevitably in
the open door for prohtecrinC. We
repeat and emphasize the demands OF
organized labor that control OF capital
be taken from the hands of private
fnanciers and placed in the hands OF a
public agency to be administered by
voluntary and cooperative methods"
Turning to the railroad situation,
the Council says: THE operation OF
the Esch -Cumnins measure (thc
Transportation ac) has created sit
uation by virtue Of which even its
promoters and advocates now freely
acknowledge that absolute failure and
collapse predicted by labor in the
very beginning"
The report says that the decisions
Of the Railroad Labor Board in wage
cases have betokened no progressive
thOught." and il charecterizcs as "a
deliberate backward ston" no 'Nr~~7-
on by the board Of the national wage
az =, U,.tcuts.
QUESTION or WAGE FIXING.
Regarding wages and the cost OF
living, the Council says the practice
OF fixing wages solely on the basis
Of cost OF living is violation OF the
whole philosophy in progress and
civilization, and, furthermore, is a
violation of sound economic theory
and utterly without logic or scientific
support"
The Council declares that pronteer-
ing in food continues, and says thai
"of all the remedies proposed none
is more to be recommended than those
submitted to President Harding by
the Federal Trade Commission that
there was no Justification for a reduc-
tion OF wages. The Com mission held
that the 'nrst object should be to in
crease rather than lessen the pur-
chasing power OF the ordinary con-
sumner"
Explaining its ations that