The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-07
BACK AT GOMPERS
Judge W. L. Higgins Takes Up
the Allen Argument.
In Current "ROtarian" He
Praises Industrial Court.
1T IS NEED OF THE NATION
Corresponding Federal LegisIa.
ton Is Advisable.
Denies GOmpers' Charge That
Kansas Law Failed.

Successful opera ton of the indus
trial court law in Kansas already has
been assured and the enactment needs
only corresponding federal legislation
to insure nationwide settlement of in
dustrial disputes. That is the answer
of Presiding Judge w. L. Higgins, of
the Kansas industrial court, who
answers in the October issue of The
Rotarian the attack on the Kansas
law by Samuel ompers. president of
the American Federation of Labor.
Replying to the Gompers assertions
to the effect that the Kansas labor
court law has broken down, Presiding
Judge Higgins offers concrete ex-
| amples in the recent packer and rail
road shop strikes. He also refers to
the coal strike, altho these features
were largely dealt with in former
| statements. Judge Higgins admits
that perhaps at times the court it
| self has not functioned properly. But
never for a minute does he admit that
| the law has failed.
Out of the industrial wars which fol-
| lowed the fighting overseas, Judge
curb disputes between labor and CAPT
| tai in which the public is always the
unwilling and helpless victim.
Must Carry Penalty Clause.
eff such a law should be enacted
| 1t should have penalty clause similar
| to the Kansas industrial act' says
| Judge Higgins in The Rotarian, land
| should place the radical labor leader
| who would call strike with the intent
| to stop the flow of commerce in the
same category as his miserable dupe
| who might dynamite a bridge for the
| same purpose. 1t should, as the Kan
| sas industrial act does, protect labor
| from the aggressions of employers by
| recognizing the right of collective bar
gaining and by guaranteeing a fair
wage and moral and healthful sur
| round1ngS. 1t should protect capital
| from sabotage in the way of unfair
| rules and regulations, the strike, the
| boycott and all other forms of eco
| nomic pressure and it should protect
the public by providing for admins
| tration of industrial justice by the or
Iderly processes of the law and thus
to insure industrial peace.
| ITO pirate about our love of democ-
racy and our loyalty to the govern
nlent or the constitution while we
deny to the humblest American citizen
iample and permanent protection of his
rfght~to labor at his chosen avocation
whenever and wherever he chooses is
to indulge in the most shameless
lhGpoericy.,'
When the recent packer strike came,
1.-THE question of protecting workers in
|
packing center-waS checked up to
llocal officials. They were asked if
protection would be insured by the city
and county. ~
Local Law Sufficient.
ITO this question was added the sug-
gestion that if there was any doubt
about the ability of the local officers
to thoroly enforce the law" says
| Judge Higgins, 1.-The governor would
L he he iSta ta1a
phone and asked to send national
guards Immediately. National guards
were not necessary. Local off1cia Is
| enforced the law. They dispersed all
crowds upon the streets in the vicinity
i-of the packing houses, they patro1ed
the streets. leading to and from the
| packing house district. In what re-
gard as a rather remarkable manner
they protected the humblest citizens
men and women, who desired to work
and receive wages as free men and
free women. The packing-house strike
in Kansas amounted to nothing. The
market for live stock was in no way
/ disturbed. In fact live stock was
shipped into the Kansas City market
from outside the district because OF
the ability of the Kansas City packing
houses to handle the product. For
| few DAYS the plants did not operate
to full efficiency, because 1t took a
! little time to train the new workers,
but within ten days full efficiency was
attained and has been continued ever
since. Some isolated attempts at
rough work occurred and the per-
petrators were promptly arrested.
This is the manner in which. as ex-
pressed by Mr.. Gompers, the court
Issued no decision at all, retiring from
the field
shortly after the packing house
strike it was reported in the newspa-
pers that the president of the Kansas
state Federation of Labor in a speech
iat Wichita. stated: I'VE have got to
secure the repeal of the industrial act.
we cannot win any strike if we cannot
Example of Topeka Shops.
Then few words about the railroad
strike.
shops in kansas are and have been in
continuous operation" he says-theh
ladds two examples:
s'rrhe great shops of the Atchison
Topeka & Santa Fe Halfway connpahs
at Topeka, Kan, employing thousands
of men, have been in continuous
: operation. 1t is true that the eff
cheney of the shops was reduced ma
, terially early in the strike, but withlh
a few DAYS the strikers places were
u taken bv new men, and within a few
weeks the shops were running with
practical efficiency. Other Santa Fe
: Shops in other parts of the state have
also been operating efficiently, and
: have it upon what 1 regard as the best
Of authority that since this strike be-
| gan the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe
Railway company has had an un-
precedented freight and passenger
traffic all the way between the Rocky
Mountains and Chicago, and the only
interruption to its service was caused
by that humiliating example OF. the
so-caIIed loyalty of organized labor
which stopped the trains and lef
women and children to suffer upon
the deserts of Arizona and eastern
California
THE second example, the NJ. K. 6
IT. Railway company. has big shops al
Parsons. Kan, and big shops at Sc
daIia Mo. The Parsons shops are
/. operating. I am told, to full capacity