Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-08-01

washington. Aug. There nre signs
that tho average citizen OF the Unten
states has grown more than bl'
weary OF the continual conflict be-
tween capital and labor and wants
something done about IT. Like the
fctionnl colonel from the far West, 'he
average citizen "can be pushed Just
40 far" and II would seem that hR
limit has been reached.
Here are few of the high spots IN
Industrial Developments of the
liaet 1--WE or six months that are arous-
ing him To the necessity for action;
A coal strike that jeopordizes the
/ interests and welfare OF every man,
woman and child In the country;
railroad strife that threatens 10 tie
up or cripple the transportation In
dustry that is az vital TO the nation
as tho circulatory system is to the hu-
man body: in New England, almost to-
tai paralysis of the textile Industry; in
West Virginia. scores OF men have
been on trial or under Indictment for
tresson and murder as n result OF the
civil war that was the fruition OF n
conflict between union miners ana
lanti-uuion operators--a conflict no
nearer settlement now than II was
when IL was begun. In Chicago, hun
dreds OF union officials and other labor
LEADERS have been arrested for incit-
Ing or completely In riotous and
lnnarchistic demonstrations growing
lout Of n controversy In the building
trades: IN various states and Federal
circuits the courts are cluttered VI
with injunction suits and actions for
damages growing out OF labor contro-
verses Of one kind or another; In
Washington, the Supreme Court has
said for second time that law OF
the Congress aimed at the evil OF
. Ichlld labor is unconstitutional and The
President and his advisers have had
. fully two thirds Of their time taken NJ
! with various phases Of the problem %
. how to restore industrial peace; and
{ throughout the country, wherevel
workers come together. there arr
heard caustlc complaints and criti
cisms, omnous mutterings am
: sinister threats.
Evidently there is something funda
mentally wrong in the relations he
ID tween capital and labor Just wha
that something is may he debatable
but there is substantial unanirnit,
Of opinion 20 the effect that the onl.
remedy lies In the assertion Of gov
ernmental authority in the public in
terest This means regulation. whicl
will be resisted both by labor leader
f.~r tot a.
capital in the employing relation.
r Anti.strIke Law Proposed.
There are those who urge that IN
:. initial step in this direction shoul
t be an anti-strike 1aw--one with teet
Q in IT," The objection to such a la
is that II cannot be enforced. As Ion
y as labor is free. men cannot be CON
PEELED 10 work against their viii.
Y they arc determined. Jail holds n
~ terrors for them. If they are suff
cient In numbers there would not
" enough jails in tho country to hol
. them and an army of World War sis
=, - would be required to round them u
- and herd them in stockades or deter
ton camps. An anti-strike law.
te effective, must be enforceable
the improbable but possible siutatic
where all the workers in every con
munity and in all Industries had gor
on strike.
In any event. what kind Of servi
J is to he expected from men compell
to work against their will, II the
could be such compulsion? Labor
be efficient and productive must
free OF coercion In any form. and {
wise employer recognizes this a
'e would not have workers in his <pla
who were not there OF their own vo
tion.
~ TO the suggestion that the an
strike law be made applicable only
public utilities and basic industr
and to employees in the public serv
the reply is made that such legis
ton would be class legislation of
especially Objectionable kind.
evitably 1t would tend to cres
either a favored class or an oppress
class OF workers, and would drive wor
." ers either toward or away from sy
employments. Executives who gr
grey over the problem Of labor tui
49,, over and workers who are always lo'
ing for a better job viii get
force of this objection
But If strikes and lockouts are
to be made unlawful can they be ms
unnecessary and undesirable?
dustriaI experts answer this quest
in the affirmative. They say that
is only essential TO create conditit
under which both factors in the
,ar dustrial equation are assured Of
. square deal and fair deal. and
% adjustment upon that basis of
differences which they cannot Sc
by and for themselves.
These experts advocate the est
.tb lishment Of an Industrial code VIII
defines the fundamental princlI
governing all relations in all indust
Every community. every indus
osa and every plant, presents problems
80 employment that are peculiar TO
n self, but there are certain phases
nd relations between employer and {
lployed that are universal and bs
and with respect to which there sho
be rules or principles that are bs
and universally accepted and appl
Workers either should or should
have the right TO organize IN ira
unions. the right OF collective /