The New York herald., 1922-04-23
GOMPERS CONFESSES
union EVILS, BREADS
PURIFYING IN COURTS
Tells Samuel Untermyer
Patience Is Best to
Remedy Abuses.
SAM PARKS rs BLAMED
He Is Accused of Building
Up. System OH Which
Brindell PrOfited.
CONTRACTS INTERPRETED
A. f. of L. Head Thinks They
Are Not Mutual Nor Bind
ing on Employees.
CONTRACTS INTERPRETED

uncovered by the Lockwood Legislative
committee In the last eighteen months
was read to Samuel Gompers, presi-
dent of the American Federation ol
Labor. yesterday at the committees
hearing in City Hall he admitted many
were decidedly wrong" quite unwar-
ranted," or 'far fetched"
| But for nearly four hours the labor
leader chung tenaciously to his insist
ence that the State should not step in
and remedy conditions. Bad as they
are" he told the committee. lit Is
better to endure them than to give
jurisdiction to the courts" The one
remedy he had to suggest was pa
tience.
Mr.. Gompers. who on Friday had
told the committee he had very little
faith in the courts of the country
where labor interests were concerned
did not change his opinion over night.
At the outset of the latest session
Samuel Untermyer almost urged Mr.
Gompers to withdraw his criticism Of
courts and lawyers. Mr.. Gompers re-
fused.
Sam Parks Blamed.
A new theory offered by Mr. Gompers
was that the origin of all Of New York
labor troubles lay with the Chicago
contractors. who had corrupted Sam
I Parks. When he was an honest iron
worker, making s.. 50 or 81 a day, SAID
MIR. Gompers. they made him business
| agent and laid hundred dollar bills be-
fore hm-.'a poor devil who never saw
a ten dollar bill In all his life."
"Is that a Justification for these
abuses?" Mr.. Untermyer asked.
mo, but IL Is their origin" the wit
ness replied with emphasis.
MIR. Gompers drew a short parallel
between the case of Parks and Brindell
and suggested that the latter was the
victim OF system and not the inventor
of one.
Mr.. Untermyer announced that the
labor situation In the building trades
was becoming so serious in New York
city, with the opening OF the building
season. that he would devote his entire
time to effecting permanent settle
ment OF the wage controversy between
the Building Trades Employers and the
Building Trades Council. Accordingly.
further public hearings by the commit
tee weer postponed until May 8. Mean
time Mr.. Gompers and Mr.. Untermyer
will confer.
Gompers's stand Constituent.
NJ co,nnare throurhout his examina
ton was 100 per cent. consistent. AS
one abuse after another. proved by tho
committee and frequently admitted oy
the unions. were detailed and he was
asked II they should not be remedied.
his reply would be- Yes. but not by
the courts"
! by what them" Mr. Untermyer
would demand
"By the labor unions themselves" Mr..
Gompers would reply.
At times members of the committee
| were unable to follow Mr.. Gompers's 8
logic For instance. II Is Mr.. Gompcrs's
doctrine that while a contract is .
contract II Is not mutual. Where a
wage agreement exists and a labor
shortage develops labor should not be
blamed or the unions penalize their
members for accepting a wage In excess
OF the agreement. But on the other
hand. with q surplus of labor, union
members must not work for less than
the specified wage
In one case Mr.. Gompers explained
| II IL the achievement OF A human aspi-
ration for man 10 get all he can.
down of that aspiration even II ne
should go 20 work for the best wage
available In order to support his wife
and family.
"Bi-LateraI Contracts Impossible.' -
Similarly. while II Is quite proper that
an individual or corporation should DE
sued and made TO perform contractural
obligations, such an individual or COR
poration should have no redress for
damages from the failure OF organized
labor to perform Its obligations. he con-
tended Pressed for reason. Mr.. COM
pers said II couldn't be done. II is an
extremely easy thing for voluntary
organization to dissolve, ho explained
He would vigorously oppose any iegls-
Iation that would confer on contractors
or employers right OF action against
individual members OF union.
Mr.. Untermycr referred Mr. Gompe-s
to q situation In Queens as shown by
Assemblyman Peter Leininger. a mem
ber OF the Lockwood committee. II was
lob on which bricklayers and plas-
;erers. getting $40 day by agreement.
struck at noon last Thursday and re-
fused TO return to work until ti2 day
was promised They were building six
family homes for working men.
Don't YOU think that the unions
should put n stop to practices like
that?" demanded Mr.. Untermyer
The unions can't gtop II. nor the
State. nor any other agency" said Mr..
Gompers
Where did you get that idea?''
ut Is not an idea" snapped the wit
ness. ''ft Is a historic fact"
The committee also found II diff
cult 70 follow Mr.. Gompers's reasoning
when he said that he could not see
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na Eax