The Connecticut labor news., 1922-09-01

The President DeSpcakS gOVeI government above all law.
 "I have abiding faith that the com mon sense of the people will save the situation. The Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, the things the Civil War sanctifed, are all against the Presidents propo- cal-against putting teeth in the law. The difference between slavery and freedom is that free men have right to stop work and the slave has no such right
 "The President would compel men to work against their will, which is the very essence of slavery
 President in Old Role.
 MT. Gompers took the position that the President was hostile to the inter ests of labor, which, he declared, was not new role for him. As a mem Der of the Senate, the President was paired in favor of the anti-strike pro- visions of the transportation act, MT. Gompers said.
 To make decisoins of boards com pulsory, as suggested by the Presi- dent, MT Gompers said, it will be necessary to impose fines or impris onment or both, or force men into LnC SHOpS uHuCl guns.
 "I am not willing to believe the President had in mind the full conse- quences of such recommendation. In deed, if there is to be compulsory la bor imposed upon the working peo- pie of the United States, it may well raise the question whether compul- sory labor may not be imposed on everyone and not on wage workers alone. 1a
 Compulsory Labor For All.
 People may decide, if the Presi- /dent's plan is adopted, that if this is good for the workers it may be good for all"
 Objection to the Presidents plan for coal commission was based up- on Mr. Gompers' belief that such a commission could not deal fairly with the rights of workers. He said that the Railroad Labor Board was a C. to-3 arrangement against the work CTS, because the so-called public mem bers had the employers viewpoint.
 "A board such as the President proposed would be II to 3 against the workers" he added "It does not commend itself to practical men"
 The President, declared MT. Com pers, criticized lawlessness, which he attributed solely to the workers. There is lacking in the massage" ]" continued the venerable labor leader, "any reference to the domination of big employers, greater menace to the country than any strike could pos sibly be-
 Congressman Burke was equally severe in criticising the message. He said:
 Strike Is Labor's Only Weapon.
 President Harding in his message to Congress said that he was re- solved to use aIf the power of the government to maintain transporta- work, and toI accomplish this he de- clared his purpose of invoking all criminal and civil laws.
 The only weapon the working men of America have to protect them and to use against unfair wages and unjust working conditions is their right to strike, and this weapon of defense IS only used by them as last resort and when all other means and methods of procuring justice fails
 "The President in his message calls attention to the fact that, unhappily, the railroads were the first to ignore number of decisions handed down by the Railroad Labor Board but there was no message and no threat of using all the power of the gov ernment to force them to accept the boards decisions. ...
 "The President also recommends legislation to protect aliens. The minimum wage established by the I an hour. American working men will not work for coolie wage. Is 1t the intention to substitute foreign labor for skilled American labor-have them all come in, work for and accept the To wstandard of wages under gov ernment protection?
 Seeks Return to Normalcy.
 "The President also recommended action to make the decisions of the Labor Board enforceable, stating that the law was inedaquate and with little or no power given the board to en- force its decisions. 1 believe there will never be a return to 'normalcy' in this country until freight and pas senger rates are reduced, and instead of putting teeth in the transportation act the best thing for the country and lHS pCOplC WOulu DC lO ICPCdl IllC Id" in its entirety-get rid of the one sided board and go back to the old system of mediation and conciliation.
 of the men responsible for the con- dition the country is in today-the men who determined to wreck or ganized labor-who wanted the show down and clamored that this was the opportune time, had been as forcibly spoken to and taken in hand by the President, the wheels of commerce would be moving instead of at standstill, and lockouts and strikes would not be in existence.
 "So far as President Harding's rec concentrations for the creation of commission to make a searching in yestigation into the whole coal indus try is concerned, am for an inves- tigation which will put and end tol