Evening star., 1922-10-19

TOPEKA. Kan, october 1S.-kan-
sas has proceeded far enough with
her experiment in state Adjudication
OF labor disputes to make the loea
worthy of examination Tor nation
wide use. The American Bar -aSSo-
citation has Il committee at WoiN
which will recommend to the various
states of the nation Il model law pat
termed after the Kansas formula.
Labor and capital have had their
say about the Kansas court ana there
has been 4 noticeable mlSconceptloh
OF some "a the purposes OF the court.
First of all, let it be said that hoth-
ing so fs.r-reaChing can be Workeu
out in a year. But Kansas has iron
ed out many of the defects and mas
by actual experience developed code
of morals which. taken with the
phraseology of the law itself, IS
gradually getting results.
The Kansas law does not attempt 10
prevent all strikes. Nor is ii in
yOked in all cases where employers
may shut down their plants and cause
lockoutS. The law received black
eye in many parts of the country De
cause OF the auti-picketing feature.
which was literally enforced AGAINST
William Allen White. But that is.
after all. a collateral issue and the
courts decisions will set forth the
limitations OF the future.
Allen Gives Interpretation.
To understand the Kansas law and
its application one should study care
fully the set of principles which Gov.
Allen, father of the measure, has
written as his Interpretation Of the
Industrial act:
THE right to abandon u job indi-
vidually or collectively is unques-
toned. 1t can never he abridged.
The right to quit work lndl-
vidually for the purpose of securing
higher wages or better working con-
ditions is unquestiOned.
The right TO agree with others to
quit work for the purpose of demand
ing better wages or working condi-
tions may be admitted as long as the
public welfare is not threatened.
The right to agree with a large
body of others to quit work and to
hinder or stop the production of
essentials in time of need is subject
to very serious question and calls for
the intervention of government, be-
cause
The right to agree with all others
to quit work until any and all de-
mands, economic or political. are met,
regardless of the suffering or deaths
of the population. is a thing that is
always in the realm of possibility as
a logical sequence. and in such a case
the existing government would be in
effect overthroWn in favor of an eco
nomic oligarchy.'
The foregoing principles are ap-
parent because they are directly in
volved in the federal government
effort to deal with strikes on trans
portation systems and in the produc-
ton of fuel. There is little doubt
that the discussion just begun by
Secretary of Labor Davis to amend
the transportation act and to abolish
the labor board will revive the anti
strike clauses which We're first pro-
posed for the Esch-C -Cummins law.
Whatever evolution the debate may
develop IN the next several months
it is probable that the basic Ideas
applied by Gov. Allen will play a
vital part in the pro and con of the
congressional discussion.
Gov. Allen argues. for instance,
that the right to quit work is en-
tirely different from the right to
strike" and that. even if the Kan
sas law were primarily an anti-strike
law. which is not the case, it would
still be untruthful to say the law
would deprive a man of the right to
quit work.
The Kansas governor differs to
some extent with the view recently
adopted by the railroad executives
and some members of the United
States Railroad Labor Board who