Evening star., 1922-06-29
SUGGESTS GOVERNMENT
STEP ASIDE FOR UNIONS
Herrin Incident Said to Prove
Labor Chiefs Superior to
Civil Officials.

f; To the Editor Of The Star.
! 1t Is quite reassuring to note that
| when carerakers Of mines in Herrin,
ILL.,, began to leave because Of threats
and lack of protection, Mr.. Willis.
union official. arranged to station
guards of miners at threatened points
and persuaded the caretakers to re-
turn. Similar consideration of the
public interest by union officials has
been often manifest in times past.
Thus. it appears that there Is no
need for governmental action in Her
ron and no troops or police are
needed.
I suggest that the few govern
mental agencies remaining at Herrin
such as the sheriff and deputies.
district attorney. and courts-may
also be dispensed with. and the eff
cient union organizations allowed, to
attend fully to governing functions
without molestation. Reports indi-
cate, however, that the sheriff and at
hand" while the recent trouble was
going on, and perhaps this accounts
for the fact that the union has not in
sisted on entire replacement of such
instrumentalities at this time.
However, 1 do not think that this
| condition should be long permitted
by the unions generally. And they
should not be satisfied with merely
! sporadic or local assumption of su-
! perior prerogatives. 1t seems to me
an economic waste to have govern
Z; mental agencies duplicated so gen.
orally as is now the case, especially
| when the union control of the citizen
ry is SO far superior that large bodies
of the people remain law abiding at
the casual word Of one like Mr.. Lewis.
status of those violating the union
rules. move spontaneously to annihi-
! late the offenders efficiently.
| Society Is SO we'll served in this
manner that it seems desirable to ar
range for the unions to take over
ly. They might begin. say. with
states where the organizations are
best perfected first. and then, as other
sections see the success OF the new
order, the control could be extended
state by state, SO that friction would
be reduced to a minimum. For it is
possible that some irritation would
be developed in few sections. even
| by such gradual progress, especially
where the unions have not been no
tabIy assertive previously. But this
would be quickly stilled by the great
moral force Of the movement.
AS the unions do not require so
much time as other agencies for the
adequate development of epochai
notifications of social and economic
and governmental orders. it would
probably be only month or so be-
fore they would be ready to take over
the functions Of the present so-called
federal government. This would re-
lieve the House and Senate from their
Improbable labors. with consequent
great saving of the peoples money.
Then the union members could have
their dues abolished. and the revenues
of the nation devoted to the recon-
pense Of the union officials, as would
be eminently proper.
OF course, It is not necessary for
me, or even any one specially COM
petent. to 60 into explicit details as
to how the necessary changes might
be carried into effect fully, as the
union officials are never non-plussed.
and would need only a moments con-
sideration for most Of the problems to
others seemingly deeply involved. Be
sides. II a few things should not work
out right, why worry? Just forget
those parts-leave them out entirely
as there is too much complication
in governmental machinery, any
way. HORACE S. WOODWARD.