The Connecticut labor news. (New Haven, Conn.) 1921-1925, 1921-04-15
MORRISON FLAYS
OPEN SHOP CROWD
IN HARTFORD TALK
Federation Secretary Defends
Position of Unions-Other
Speakers Caustic Also.

A large and enthusiastic mass meet
ing of workers was held in the Capito1
thcater, Hartford. on Sunday under the
auspices OF the Central Labor Union.
when speakers discussed the open and
closed shop. A crowd of | 500 filled the
lower floor and several rows of the bal
cOny and in it were scores of women
mostly of middle years and apparentlv
voters. The crowd remained to the end
OF nearly three hours of speaking.
ames T. Nance, leader in the Cen
trail Labor Union, was chairman. He
was the first to speak, greeting the gath
er1ng as workers, when you can get
work. He recalled the police slogan
OF the last year of the war, "work or
Tight, and paraphrased it into give us
work or we will fight" He gave as the
OBJECT OF the meeting an exposition of
the So-called American plan in op-
position to union labor in shops, and
asked whether American workers should
be denied the right to organize.
Secretary Frank Morrison of the
American Federation of Labor said la
Dor unrest was not due to the trade
unions. He argued that labor trouble
would exist anyway. The unions were
benehcent to laborers and there were
4,OOO,OOO members, he said. He added
that in 1886 law gave the right to
organize INTO national BODY, and that
right had not been actively fought until
a conspiracy was begun-a1most as soon
as it was sure that America was to en-
ter the World War-to destroy trade
unlonism. Mr.. Morrison said that at the
front of the attack was the National
Manufacturers Association, representing
a capital of $15OOO 100000 and employ
ing 5000 600 workers. Assisting were
the National Iron Directors League, the
Associated Industries and l other organ
lzat1Ons. The coalition wanted to elect
congressman opposed to tradesAnions, he
said, and its first effort was to try to
prevent strikes. But we will never sur
render the strike right" Mr.. Morrison
shouted.
John E. Fitzgerald, first vice-president
of the international Po1ishers' Union,
referred to a declaration of the United.
States Chamber of Commerce in favor
Of the open shop and to a lecturer on
industrial efficiency who sWOre that he
did not know what collective bargaining
was, but was against it because he heard
it was something that labor wanted
I'VE are going to see that he knows
what it is!'' Mr.. Fitzgerald exclaimed
Mr.. Fitzgerald declared the Individual
contract was born OF hell and should
be sent to hell He said it bound the
signer after his present employment, yet
it had been declared valid by the supreme
court of the United States Mr.. Ftz-
gerald told about factory foremen who
were sincere when they said they would
never forget the boys who went to war
Alter the boys returned orders had been
cancelled and the ''sWollen profteers"
would not take back the fighters, except
at cheap jobs What had become of the
proiteers and the capitalists and the
bankers who were never to forget the
boys?
Think of the treatment those lads are
getting" Mr.. Fitzgerald CALCULATED
"They went across to fight for democracy
in France and autocracy and p1utocracy
here. We have capitalists as monarchs
here -