Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-08-03
To Get to Work on Question
When Railroad and Coal
Strikes Are Settled-Pres-
ident'S Viewpoint
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
(Leased Wire Service to The Journal.)
DOWNRIGHT 1927

Copyright. 1927
WASHINGTON, Aug. when
the two big strikes now pending are
settled, the entire question of in
dustrial relations will be tackled by
President Harding and Senator Bo-
rah, chairman of the senate commit
tee on labor, in an effort to draw UP
a code Of principles that can be en-
forced.
The president outlined such a
code in his message to congress last
December, and Senator Kenyon OF
Iowa, who then was chairman OF
the committee on labor, introduced
a bill which still is before the com.
resigned to go on the federal bench.
Other proposals have been made
along the same line, and Senator
Borah visited President Harding the
other day to get his views on tho
kind of legislation that would meet
his approval. Mr.. Harding prom
ised to go into the question thor
oughly with Senator Borah just as
soon as the present strike situation
is cleared up.
The truth of the matter is that al
though the rail and coal strikes can
not be cured by legislation att the
moment, several issues have been
raised which will again cause en-
barrassment to the public welfare
unless settled. Both the president
and Senator Borah feel, of course.
that much more can be accomplishe ed
in the calm moments after the in,
dustrial storm of this summer than
if proposals were to affect the par
ticular controversies Of the hour.
Presidents Viewpoint
The presidents viewpoint on the
necessity of a regulated industrial
community is expressed in his own
words thus:
"As we have great bodies Of law
carefully regulating the organiZa-
ton and operations of industrial and
financial corporations, as we have
treaties and conpacts among ma
tons which look to the settlement
of differences without the necessity
of conflict in arms, so we might
well have plans Of conference of
common counsel, of mediation, arbi-
tration and judicial determination in
controversies between labor and
capital. To accomplish this would
involve the necessity to develop e
thorough-going code of practice in
dealing with such affairs. It might
superior interest of the community
as a whole to either the labor group
or the capital group. With rights.
privileges, immunities, and modes
of organization thus carefully de-
fined, it should be possible to set UP
judicial or quasi-judicial tribunals
for the consideration and determina-
ton of all disputes which menace the
public welfare.
"The right of labor to organize is
just as fundamental and necessary
as the right OF capital to organize.
The right Of labor to negotiate, to
deal with and solve its particular
problem in an organized way through
it's chosen agents is just as. essential
as is the right of capital to- organizes
to maintain corporations, to limit the
liabilities of stockholders. Indeed,
we have come to recognize that the
limited liability of the citizen as a
member of labor organization
closely parallels the limitation of
liability of citizens as stockhold-
err in a corporation for profit. Along
this line of reasoning we shall make
the greatest progress toward solu-
ton Of our problem of capital and
labor.
Difficulty Thus Far
SIN the case of the corporation
which enjoys the privilege of lin.-
tied liability of stockholders, partic-
ularly when engaged in the public
service, it is recognized that the
outside public has large concern,
which must be protected; and so we
provide regulations, restrictions, and
in some cases detailed supervision.
Likewise in the case OF labor organ
iZations, we might well apply sim
liar and equally well-defined princi-
pies of regulation and supervision
in order to conserve the public in
terests as affected by their opera
tions. Just as it is not desirable
that corporation shall be allowed
to impose undue exactions upon the
public, so it is not desirable that a
labor organization shall he permit
ted to exact unfair terms of EN-
ployment or subject the public to
actual distresses in order to enforce
its terms"
The difficulty thus far in indus
trial relations has been that some of
the principles which Mr.. Harding
avcws as fundamental have not been
accepted. The capital and labor con-
ference held in Washington under
the last administration was wrecked.
at the very start by men like l.. r
Loree-a factor, by the way, in the