The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1921-09-02
LABOR DAY 1921
BY FRANK MORRISON
Secretary American Federation of
Labor


Secretary American Federation of
Labor
Labor Day, 1921, sees the most gil
gantic and widespread lockout of
wage earners in the history of this
country. Approximately 100000
men and women, anxious to labor, are
without employment, and at least
20,000,000 persons, or about one-ffth
of our population, are directly affect
ed by tragedy that we hope may
not be intensified the coming winter.
The failure of a large element of
our citizenship to awaken to this grim
situation is in contrast to their atti-
tude whenever a considerable group
of wage earners voluntarily suspend
work to enforce better living condi-
tions. Then stern demand is made
that industry function" All other
questions are subordinated to that of
breaking the strike, regardless of
method or cost.
The causes for present conditions
are associated with every great war,
and are as inevitable as the laws of
mathematics. Wage earners must ac-
cept this fact and reject the prop
aganda of those who profit by war
and whose excuses for present condi-
tions take every conceivable form.
Back of the world war were imper-
ialistic and monarchical forces that
are disappointed with the outcome,
but their principles still exist among
a comparatively small but powerful
group in every land, including our
own. To make this group powerless
should be the purpose of every pa
triot.
have no illusions on the end of
war, but wars can be minimized if
there were no profit in these upheav-
ais that pauperize the many and en-
rich the few
There is no moral reason why the
government should conscript its SOL
diers and not apply this theory to dol
lars and machinery. If the soldier is
| injured he is given dole If he is
killed, his dependents are given a
small pension.
The dollar, however, is assured full
return, with every resource of the ma
tion behind that pledge Machinery
and all the processes of production are
used with the guarantee that the own
ers will be given return equal to
their highest profits and the plants
returned in as good condition as when
commandeered
Agitation to end war or even min
imize war will be fruitless while we
conscript soldiers and permit profit
eers to set their own price on the
governments. need in its hour of dis
| tress: 1t should be national char
acteristic that the men who stay at
home shall make no more profit than
do the men who risk their lives on
the battle front. If we conscript the
flower of our youth to fill our armies,
nothing should be considered too sa-
cred to support these armies.
Another after effect of war is the
control of credit by private financiers.
The American Federation of Labor
has declared that credit is inherently
social" and that it should be gov
ernment function, operated for the
benefit of the people. AS now ad
ministered it permits financial agen-
cies to levy toll upon the people "as
high as the traffic will bear"
With profit taken out of war, with
dollars and machinery conscripted,
and with the credit of the people
taken from private fnanciers and ad-
ministered by the government, future
wars would be less attractive to those
who increase their power at the cost