The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1921-09-16
SAM'L GOMPERS
STRIKES BACK
AT DAUGHERTY
Handmaidcns of AutOcracy and
Guardians of Greed Want to
Make Protest By Workers
Against Injustice Impossible.
By SAMUEL GOMPERS,
President American Federation
of Labor.

of Labor.
United States Attorney General
Daugherty, addressing the American
Bar Association, in which the law
yers are 100 per cent organized,
said:
at is an undisputed fact that
the public have a right to know
what the quarrel is about in every
actual or threatened strike or lock-
out and similar controversies"
He said further that "there should
be some definite agencies in gov
ernment" for finding these facts
and for making an Impartial find
ing" and went on to conclude that
Compulsory jurisdiction over these
two factors to compel them to sub
NIT to an inquiry Of this sort is
not only desirable but just"
Mr.. Daugherty apparently sought
to forecast enactment of legisla-
tion for the United States patterned
after the discredited LemieuX act of
Canada and the industrial disputes
act of Colorado.
Mr.. Daugherty suggests that at
first the investigation should be
compulsory and acceptance Of the
findings voluntary, because he
thinks our present study does not
quite warrant compulsory awards.
His intention is, however, that after
further study and experience there
should be binding awards.
United States cabinet members
do not go about the country offer
ing their mere personal opinions
They are understood as voicing the
viewpoint and policy of the admin
istration of which they are part:
Attorney General Daugherty's
Bar Association speech fore
casts legislation intended to
compel workers to submit their
aspirations and their demands
for justice to compulsory inves-
tigation and award. Compul
sion always is followed by pun
ishment for violation of the
compulsory order.
In principle compulsion is wrong
In practice it will not work.
In principle compulsion is auto
cratic. In practice it will not be
accepted by free people.
|
vicious proposal, so frequently eX
posed by the American Federation
of Labor, so repeatedly denounced
by the great lovers of freedom, Sc
consistently dscredited in practice
| again threatens our people.
The men and women of labor
| must be on guard.
Mr.. Daugherty says that "the
experience Of the past shows that
! in most cases full, accurate, relia-
BILE publicity of the facts has been
sufficient to compel an adjustment
of these cases." meaning industrial
disputes. Mr.. Daugherty evidently
thinks facts are absolute. Most
facts are relative and not obso-
lutte.
In addition to having committed
himself to an un-democratic prin-
ciple which is repugnant to the
whole American concept of social
organization and conduct, the at
torney general fails to find the
Truth in history.
The experience of the past" does
not show that industrial adjustment
has been brought about by full and
reliable publicity. In the first
place, it does not show that there
has even been full and reliable
publicity in our great industrial
disputes. In the second place it
does not show that the forces of
greed have cared much for the
barbs of truth, even when those
barbs have been accurately hurled,
Even the United States govern
ment, of which Mr.. Daugherty is an
important part, having in it's pos
session full information about West
Virginia, gathered by costly inves-
tigation, is unable to act with eff
fectiveness. And it has not even
seen fit to publish the facts brought
out by the most recent investiga-
ton.
Finally, Mr.. Daugherty wants
laws making such controversies
impossible" when public sentiment
shall have been sufficiently crys-
tallized.
Finally, then, what it all comes
down to is compulsion for the
workers, involuntary servitude, slave
labor.
Always the advocates of COM
pulsion, the hand maidens of
autOcracy. the guardians of
greed, come to that. They want
il made impossible for work
ers to protest against injustice.
They want it impossible for
workers to withhold service un-
der conditions which they find
unjust and intolerable.
But the American labor move
ment says to Mr.. Daugherty
and to all who come preach
ing compulsion, I'VE will not
have it. We will maintain free
dom at all costs. America
must and will remain demo-
cratic"
Be on guard, be alert, be pre-
pared to resist in every proper
manner such encroachments upon
your freedom and your democracy.
And always proclaim the great,
fundamental truth that voluntary
agreements, as practiced in organ
lied American industry, are the only
means to industrial peace and pro-
gress and the only means by which
American freedom can be main
tanned.
The American way is to achieve
willingly through cooperation as
the result of agreement; not un-
willingly in protest against auto
cratic edict and compulsion.
Labor wants facts and has made
long and difficult fight for what
ox-a,, laoiftp, ata1x- will facilitate rt1k