, 1921-09-13
DICTATORSHIP UNDESIRABLE.

The necessity of Graduating radical and dangerouf
labor leaders from employment in industrial concerns
and from places of power in labor organizations has
long been felt By employers and by the public. Pub
Lie opinion is against these disturbers. They are un
American and out of harmony with the spirit and in
situations of the country. Mr.. Gompers contribute
nothing to the Improvement of things in peddling mis-
leading statements couched in high-sounding phrases
such as embellished his recent Atlantic City address
when he said: at is not fair, it is not wise. to at
tempt to crush the labor movement, so thoroughly hi
manitarian, SO thoroughly patriotic, so willing to Civ
service-to attempt to crush that movement between
the upper milestone of employers antagonism and mis-
representation and the hether milestone of revolution
and sovietism."
Admittedly with plausible sound, but like most of
Mr.. Gompers' announcements will bear analysis.
No such thing as an effort to crush labor exists nor
any movement of labor that is humanitarian, pa
triotic or willing to give service. The laborers of the
country taken as a whole are humanitarian, patriotic
and willing to give service. So far as we know, or
anyone else knows, no one ever asserted the contrary.
Mr.. Gompers, is therefore setting up a boeev man
in order to assume a heroic role in knocking him down.
His effort is to create the inference that the purpose
to check the influence of certain radical leaders is an
attack upon the humanitarian, patriotic and faithful
workers of the country. The aims and objects of the
public and the employers are too well understood and
widely known, for anyone to be deceived by such sub
~terfuge.
There are certain facts, of which the people of this
country are well aware. Among them are these
Many labor leaders foment trouble and make unjust
claims in behalf of labor in order to strengthen them
selves with their organizations. During the war many
labor leaders encouraged woriumen to shirk on sheir
jobs, particularly in ~shipyards and on government
work. Those leaders are today striving to secure the
perpetuation of working rules which iequire the rest
of the country to pay for service not rendered or to
pay e~xorbitant rates for services rendered outside of
regular working hours. The leaders who do these
things are not actuated by humanitarian or patriotic
motives. They are not giving service in any true
sense.
Whatever contest is being waged in the country is
not against the labor Inconvenience against humans
tartan purposes-not antagonistic to patriotism. II is
aimed solely at those radical labor leaders who would
to gain that dictatorship, would threaten to tie up the
transportation system regardless of the suffering or
loss of property and life that would ensue.
Mr.. Gompers seems to assume that what he calls
the labor movement is the only humanitarian, patriotic
and serving movement in the United States. He over
looks the farmers who were unable to get help to care
for their crops for a period Of about three years. He
overlooks the hundreds of thousands of small house
holders who were unable to get a repair job done at
a reasonable price if radical labor is allowed to fix
the wage scale and rules of work. He overlooks the
producers and consumers who pay the cost of trans
portation. All of these are Just as humanitarian. ma
triotic and willing to serve as are the four millions for
whom Mr.. Gompers assumes to speak. If there is any
crushing done, it will be done by the hundred million,
and it is safe to assert that they will not use their ul-
innate power TO impose unjust terms upon the four
million.
All the hundred million ask is a square deal. and
they will not be diverted from their purpose by talk
about crushing humanitarian and patriotic move
ments. Every just demand of labor will be upheld,
Gals, who happen to be in positions of power.