The Connecticut labor news., 1921-03-25
ANTI-LABOR COMBINE
Continued from First Page.)

| Unions SHOULD grow, IL IlltN dlt 10 en-
| ist, by service and not by force, he told
| declared that if the bill passed it would
| act as a deterrent and cause labor unions
to adopt the moral principles laid down.
BY whom laid down he neglected to say,
but the satisfied smrkS of the anti-union-
lists present showed that they were
nicely taking the credit and the glory to
| themselves. Connecticut would be a
vertable industrial Arcadia if the bill
becomes a law, Merritt pointed out, but
he didn't explain why it was necessary
for New York and the League for In
dustrial Rights to butt in and assist IN
making it SO by drafting and pushing
the laws for the Connecticut legislature
to pass and enslave its workers.
Attorney Goodhart followed briefly
and said the bill simply called for fair,
square and righteous dealing between
the employer and his worker without the
inter ference of any other worker and
was solely a policy of live and let live.
f the bill is passed the workingman will
"live' and that is about all, he failed to
say and then closed withholding the
right to use up the rest of his time after
| the opponents had finished if he desired
| to do so.
Former Senator F. L. Neebe, treas
| urer of the G. F. Of l., opened the argu-
! ments against the bill, briefly stating
| the unanimous position of the Federation
| in opposition He also said the unor-
| ganized WOrkere were opposed to 1t as
it hit them. even more hard than the
organized workers and right then and
there began the interfering by commit
tee members, designed apparently to
cmbarrass the workers. How to you
know the unorganized men are opposed
to it," asked Chairman Delaney, and
| Neebe answered he was told SO. Mr..
| Delaney wanted further proof and after
! a half dozen sharp questions pinned
Neebe down to the statement that he
based his statement on what men not
affiliated with unions told him.
Ira NJ. Ornburn, secretary of the
Federation, followed and explained in de-
tail what the workers believed the bill
| would do to them if it became a law.
| He showed up its origin in New York
and declared it to be the child of the
former Anti-Boycott League now mas
querading as the League for Industrial
Rights and said it was drafted for the
sole purpose of disrupting the labor
unions and to serve the selfish motives
of the United States Chamber of Com
1nerce and the Connecticut Manufacture
ers' Association. He emphatically de-
Clared that instead of stopping strikes, as
its proposers declared, it would only
agitate toward them and would disrupt
all harmony and agreement now exist
ing between employer and employee in
this or any other state. He pointed to
the turmoil in Kansas where an anti
strike law and court exists and asked
if Connecticut people desired any such
situation as developed there.
"Strikes are never called unless as a
last resort when every other means has
failed,' Mr.. Ornburn said, adding that
the worker didn't go on strike for pleas
urc as strike cost him even more hard
ship than it did the wealthy employer
who was better able financially to stand
it. The worker must reserve the right
of strike as a last resort" he declared,
'as in it is his only means of retaining
the benefits he has been able to secure.
Its time a spade is called a spade and
therefore | say that this bill would pre-
vent group of men from calling a strike
to assure their rights if a barre handful
Of men in the shop opposed the demands
1t would force union men to work with
non-union men which he now cannot do.
That doesn't mean that the non-union
man cannot work or that we try to stop
him from working. 1t simply means that
union man is simply called off the job
and let the non-union fellow do the work
He can work all he wants to but the
! union man won't work with him. If the
union men are plentiful enough and
skilled enough to do the work; why let
them go to it. That's not our business.
We simply say to our men what they
shall do, just as the manufacturers
! associations make rules to protect and
govern themselves. 1t certainly would
appear as if we had as much right to
organize as they have but if this bill be-
comes law that right would be taken
away from us and we would be at the
mercy of the whi1n of the employer and
pOWerless to resent it.
There is now pending before the
legislature another bill which would do
more to bring industrial peace, and that
is the measure proposing commission
with power to enter into industrial strife
| and settle it. This committee is to be
| headed by the state labor commissioner
and made up of equal numbers of en-
| ployers and employees"
Mr.. Delaney and House Chairman
Buckley again broke into assert that such
a commission, the commission on arbi-
| tratiOn and mediation, already existed,
| to which Mr.. Ornburn replied that such
| a board did exist but it was absolutely
| without power. The committeeman then
| doubted that the labor commissioner
could act because of the time required,
to which Mr. Ornburn answered with in
cidents of the War Labor Board, of
| which he was a member, acting during
| the war period and pointed out that
| through its efforts and the loyalty of the
| union men but one strike occurred in
Connecticut during the war and in that
one the strikers were suspended from
the organization and their organ izer dis
charged and expelled.
John FITZGERALD, representing the
molders; H. A. Wickham and E. c.
HotChkiss, the machinists; John J.
Eagan, F. A. Fitzgerald, the state build
ing trades unions. and other labor men
registered strenuous opposition to the
bill. Like Mr., Ornburn they were made
take it clause by clause and tell why they
objected, the attitude Of the committee
plainly being to catch them in some slip,
as Chairman Delaney let fall when after
closely questioning Mr.. HotChkiss he
calmly told him he was contradicting the
other arguments
F. A. Fitzgerald created the only
amusement of the hearing when he
blandly declared that he was surprised
to see Attorney Goodl1art appearing so
strenuousy in favor Of such measure.
why if that goes through and is passed,
it will kill his easy picking coming here
for manufacturers to fight organized la