The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1921-02-25

ilS ACPdA tIiIGitt u S0GidI dCtlOH o.
the National Catholic Welfare Council
has forced the National Association Of
Manufacturers into corner ana
compelled it to admit that ii really
desires to cripple trade unions
Recently Industry" organ Of the
Manufacturers Association, attacked
the department Of social action be-
cause it had Denounced the open
shop" campaign Reprints Of the az
ticle were distributed to clergymen
IN such quantities as to create an inn
preston that the campaign was we'll
financed.
Reply is now made to this article by
the distinguished gentlemen who com
pose the department Of social action
and they say that the "spokesmen for
the National Association Of Manufac-
turers was informed that if that body
would make q public statement to the
effect that the open shop is consist
ent with proportional representation
by the union employees in a system Of
collective bargaining, the social action
department would withdraw its state
ment against the open shop.
Here was offered every opportunity
for open shop" advocates to prove
the sincerity of their protestatons, if
they are really sincere. What they
actually did, the statement continues,
was 70 refuse 10 make such state
ment Those who spoke for the Man
ufacturers Association were compelled
to admit that they were waging war
fare against labor organizations ANA
that their so-called "Americanism
was camouaage to hide their true pur-
pose.
The statement Of the department Of
social action follows:
Practically every priest IN the Unit
ed States has received a copy of an
article reprinted from Industry" !"
The article is entitled "The Great
Open Shop Conspiracy" 1t IS a crit
icism Of their statements on the
open shop" movement issued by the
social action department Of the Ma
tional Catholic Welfare Council and
the social service commission of the
Federal Council OF Churches Protest
anti
It was written by Henry Harrison
Lewis, the owner of the magazine,
but the cost Of sending copies of it to
the clergy of the country, Catholic
and Protestant, was, according to Mr..
Lewis, betrayed by other persons and
organizations. However, the import
ant matter is not who paid for distrib-
uting the article, but what the article
says
On the first page of the reprint VIC
find this sentence: 1T has been said
that the councils really represent the
policy and beliefs Of small groups in
stead Of the great body of churchmen.
No doubt, this "has been said" but un-
til we know who said it, we shall not
take the trouble to make formal reply
The principal criticisms made by
Mr. Lewis in the reprint are three:
First, an unwarranted charge OF
Widespread conspiracy is made
against the employers Of the coun-
try;" second, both the Catholic and
Protestant statements failed to sup
port this charge by Specific facts"
third, this action is ore of "the many
instances of failure on the part Of
ecclesiastical and other bodies actu-
ually to investigate conditions before
making their definite announcements
The first criticism can be disposed
Of very briefly The statement of the
social action department did not use
the word Conspiracy" The only ex.
preston in that statement which coulC
conceigably give rise to sucn an inter
probation is the phrase Certain groups
of American employers Surely il
is possible to point out that certain
groups of American employers arc
promoting the "open shop" withcu
representing their action as "conspir
acy."