The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-05-22
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC J. HAsKIN. Director.
washington, ID. G.
FEAR BEGETs LABoR TROUBLES

II
| Washington. May 19.-Fear is a po-
tent factor in fomenting controversies
between employer and employed. Elk
perts on industrial relations are GO
ing in for psycho-analysis at least to
the extent of agreeing on this. In.
deed. some of them are ready to state
it more vigorously and say that fear
! breeds labor troubles.
1t is recognized that fear is one OF
| the great springs of human action, and
history shows that intimidation which
supcrinduces fear, has always been
| the favorite weapon of autocracy. That
autocracy may be czarism or bolshe7
vism in Russia, or a self-centered and
un-enlightened industrial policy, either
of capital or labor, in America.
Thus to illustrate in a general way,
the open shop movement among a
considerable element of influential
| employers has instilled in the minds
of workers thruout the country fear
that the strength of their unions is to
be broken down or destroyed. They
| believe with all the fervor of fanau
cism that their economic wel1-being
depends upon the maintenance of their
unions. In the open shop drive they
see a purpose to take away from them
all the benefits and advantages they
! have gained thru es-unioniSm.
1 They visualize a return to low wages
and long hours and undesirable con-
/ ditions of labor They believe that the
worker has been exploited by capital
! ever since the days of the sons of
Mary and the sons of Martha, and in
their minds only eternal vigilance and
consta IT struggle can guarantee them
industrial and economic freedom
| On the other hand, many well-in-
formed and well-meaning employers
| see a menace to established institu-
/ tons and property rights in the labor
/ movement. Radicals and radicalism
| within the ranks of labor, which are
: a nj danoTnPad hxy
/ labor leaders such as Samuel Gompers,
| arouses a fear that chills the hearts
/ of these employers. Bolshevism, to
| them, is a specter that will not down.
In the spread of trades-unionism they
read a plan of the workers to domi-
/ nate all industry and conduct it for the
| benefit of the workers alone. Con-
/ fiscation of capital is the real goal of
! extremists in the labor group, accord
/ ing to these employers, and some of
them go so far as to say that ''if
you scratch any trades-unionist he
will bleed radicalism-''
| No matter which side is right, or
| whether each is partly right and partly
| wrong, the important fact from the
viewpoint of the industrial relations
| expert is that fear turks in the minds
and hearts of every individual on both
sides When men are dominated or
/ actuated by fear their very faculty is
/ impaired Their vision is distorted
| Their judgments are unsound. Their
| EEdSOn gives way 10 Impulse. ana their
strength, alertness and skill are
| sapped.
a Case in Point
A specific illustration that is very
much case in point is to be found in
the West Virginia coal controversy
which has been featured by a little
bit of everything from strikes to civil
war, with a climax of murder and
treason trials now on the stage in old
Charles Town. West virginia indie
1 nanden Cna1
their employees should not be union
/ lied and that the United Mines Work
ers of American should be barred from
the counties in which their mines are
located. Certain of the employees, on
the other hand. decided that they had
a right to belong to union and that
they would exercise that right. The
union, as an organization. decided
that it had a right to send organizers
into those counties to assist the miners
in perfecting their locals, and that
it would exercise that right. Thus an
impasse was established.
The first recourse of the operators
was to intimidation The operators do
not call it intimidation; they say that
they merely exercised their constitu-
tlonal right to refuse to employ any
body who belonged to a union. Where
upon, according to the operators, the
miners and their organizers instituted
campaign of coercion and reprisal
against which the operators were COM
PEELED to take measures to protect
themselves and their properties.
However, whatever it is to be
named, the results of the operators
policy are unquestioned. The miners
had instilled in their minds the fear
of losing their jobs, of being evicted
from their homes without notice, of
being thrown into Jail, of being beaten
or shot by mine guards and deputy
sheriffs, and of being driven from the
communities in which they had lived
for years. There is no nightmare so
horrible to a working man as the pros
pect of losing his job, and of being un-
able to provide for those dependent
upon him.
Driven desperate by such fear, men
will do things that they would never
tions. for fear begets hatred and re-
venge. Therein lies at least partial
explanation of much of the lawless-
ness rampant in West Virginia
Turning to the other side. it is clear
that many of the things done by the
operators which contributed to mis-
understanding and led to trouble
were directly or indirectly the result
of fear none the less real. One of the
operators told the senate investigat-
ing committee that the impelling mo-
tive back of the position he took in
the controversy was fear that the
radicals in the miners union in con-
junction with other radicals turnout
the country might BRING ABOUT rev.
luton as q result of which industry
would be taken over by the workers
His testimony showed him to be essen
TALLY lust and fair, a man OF broad
vision. and sincerely DESTROYS Of estao-
fishing and maintaining good relations
with his employees. If such man
can be actuated by such a fear II
can be readily understood now otner
GENERATORS NAV have been led into
hasty decisions and made to take dras-
tic measures by the fear that their
properties might be damaged or de-
stroyed.
None Has Escaped 1t.