The Connecticut labor news., 1922-09-29
I. R. R. ASSAILS
 UNION SMASHERS
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Warns Against Those Who
 Engender Anarchy.

| IS almost as Ddu% u IS the InOVeInen
 which has as it's aim the smashing O
 advocate the destruction of the labor
 unions, advocate a condition which
 idly than anything except anarchy 1t. self"
 1 These are the sentiments of Theo- dore Roosevelt Assistant tSecretary
 of the Navy, as reported by Cornelius l Vanderbilt, Jr., in an interview copy 7, righted by the C-V Newspaper Serv- ice, which has permitted the Interna- l tional Labor News Service to use the | interview. It follows, in part: America is on the brink of a f rising tide of disorder There are doctrines abroad in this land which, 1 if not controverted and overcome, may lead to the fall of this country as countries in the past have fallen, ; said young "Teddy," referring to the movement to smash labor unions. Among other destructive tend | encies, in Colonel Roosevelt's opinion, are the tendency toward lawbreaking an dthe tendency of some industrial slackers to do as little work as is necessary to hold job.
 "This lawbreaking and desire to would bring about anarchy more rap unduly curtail work" he says, Spring in my opinion from certain underlying causes. These causes are that the working man does not con- slider his position in industry as per fectly recognized. No amount of law enforcement or exhortation to indus try will permanently clear the situa ton unless we recognize this fact and strive to remedy 1t.
 Those who advocate the destruc- ton of the labor unions advocate a condition which would engender an archy more rapidly than anything but anarchy itself.
 Workers Need Unions.,
 "The unions are essentially right and a necessary part of our scheme of relationship. < The working people need unions to protect and express themselves. They have done a great good in the country. Those who ad vocate their destruction are doing an un-American, short-sighted and mis- chievous work, These opponents of the unions urge that wrong actions have been committed by them and that they have been at times repre- scented by crooked men. l admit it.
 Have not, however, business in terests at times done wrong? And have not they also, been at times rep resented by crooked men? They most certainly have.
 Human nature is the same what ever the days job may be. There will be a percentage of bad and fool lsh men 1n every group of humans, from a company of soldiers to con- vention of ministers
 We have fought and are fighting Bolshevism. We must fight with an equally determined effort any move to smash the uno1ns. Bolshevism is an archistic, and destruction of labor unions is archaic and the latter would lead to the former inevitably.
 "I want no mistake made in my meaning, however, I do not condone with law-breaking and disorder Law lessness Is lawlessness and riot Is riot and should be handled accordingly.
 With the development of business, the accumulation of wealth and the existence of credit, there has been a great increase in what may be termed absentee landlordism in business.' In other words, those who put up the capital which runs the business do not live with the business. The large concerns in Youngstown and Gary, and like places, are owned by stock holders in large cities. Where this is the case you immediately lose the per sonal touch. The resident head of the company is not the owner, but simply hired like the rest of the workers. The unformulated personal adjustment aof early days and simple conditions then becomes practically impossible and the only solution open is a definite adjustment
 Want Rights, Not Charitys
 "There IS furthermore in this con- nection, strong feeling among the average Americans engaged in indus try that they want their rights and not bounties and charity I have seen this often when bonuses were award ed arbitrarily by members of a firm They want their rights adjusted in such way that their earnings come to them in connection with the agree ment under which they work, not par tially dependent upon the good will of their employer.
 '"I have spent 10 years in business, working in positions ranging from factory hand to executive. The prin ciples l advocate I have always ad vocated ,and often put into practice. We had profit sharing installed in the concern of which I was a member. I have helped install it in other con cerns.
 That appalling manifestation of past misru1e, Bolshevism, is primarily an unsolved economic struggle. We have seen Bolshevism destroy Russia. We have seen 1t threaten the other countries We have foughtit and are fighting 1t today"