The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1921-01-27
Organized Fight of Capital on the
Closed Shop Becomes
More Imminent.
ACTION BY MANUFACTURERS
Machinists Accuse the Railroad Com
panies-PIan to Stop immigration
Probably Killed = Harding In
auguration to Be Simple
Affairs in Europe.
BY EDWARD w. PIckARD.

American industries and American
business generally are beginning to
speed up" and the more optimistic,
like Ebert Fl. Gary, chairman of the
board Of the United States Steel cor
poration, declares there is nothing I'M
favorable to prosperity on the horizon.
Prices of many commodities, including
some lines of building materials, are
coming down steadily, and in many
plants wages are being reduced. in
some instances the reduction being
made by the employers and accepted
by the men and in others being Sug-
geSted by the workers themselves in
order that the plants may be enabled
to continue in operation.
All this is quite satisfactory to the
ordinary citizen, but there is one dark
cloud, despite the assertions of the OPP
timistS. This is the coming fight be-
tween organized labor and capital over
the open shop. There are many signs
that the issue will be joined soon- Last
Wednesday the representatives of
twenty-five state manufacturers asso-
Citations, in conference in Chicago.
adopted resolutions pledging support
for the open shop movement. In the
discussion many speakers declared
they would not employ union labor in
their factories and mills, but when the
vote was taken it was made clear that
the resolution did not propose any dis
elimination against the holder Of a
union card. In substance the resolu-
ton was:
1T is recognized as fundamental in
this country that all law-abiding citi-
zens or residents have the right to
work when they please, for whom they
please, and on whatever terms are mu-
tually agreed upon between employee
and employer and without interference
or discrimination upon the part of
others.
Eve hereby express our purpose to
support these fundamental principles
of American plan of employment by
the maintenance of the open shop.
"We urge upon our members 20 Sc
cure by discussion and education the
active support of workers, merchants,
bankers and professional men and all
other elements Of their prospective
communities in favor of American
ideals and the open shop
Only a few days previously an at
torney for the international Associa-
ton of Machinists presented to the in
terstate commerce commission petit
ton charging that the larger railroad
companies have united in an open
shop movement designed to disrupt
unionism, and that they are this year
milking the United States treasury to
the tune Of $75O,OO0,000 through their
car repair manipulation" The compa-
MES, it is asserted, are closing their
repair shops and giving the work to
outside concerns which charge exorbi-
tant rates, and in this way more than
10000 workers have been thrown out
of employment. According to the ma
chinists, this drive on railroad shop
workers is only one phase of a capi-
talistic "open shop" movement devel-
oping throughout the country, which
has for ''its real object" disruption Of
''all legitimate labor organizations and
trade union agreements"
Closely connected with the question
of labor is that of immigration and its
restriction. The forces of organized
labor We been in favor OF the John
son bill, which would stop all immigra-
ton for one year, and SO have many