Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-09-24
Workers Are Misled in Rep.
rcscntation and Power,
He Believes.


Everything rests upon that principle
| IT. and wherever that principle Is
dehcd. industry must suffer loss
and eventually there must be either
! condition of servitude or n con-
dition OF chaos. II. and wherever
that principle is accepted. there need
be no fiar for the future. and there
need be no grave concern over the
exact methods to be employed in ar
ranging the method and machinery of
| the relationship between employers
and workers. Those who arc willing
to meet together and TO take counsel
! together and to reach voluntary
agreement will be able. as they have
proven themselves able. to erect the
machinery best calculated to serve
their purposes.
HIVE Many Disputes.
mere is no one so well uualifed
as those who are engaged in the
industry to determine upon the in
stitutons and agencies which will
pest meet the needs OF those engaged
In the industry. The wisdom that
exists outside of any industry CON
cernins that industry Is seldom worth
| taking into account.
We have been having Industrial
! disputes of considerable magnitude.
/ These have resulted from n defiance
| OF the principle of Joint negotiation
| and agreement and from no other
| cause. No matter how perfect may
| have been the machinery within the
| Industries involved for carrying on
| relationships between employer and
workers. all OF that machinery be-
comes useless and purposclcss tho
moment the employers violate tho
major principle. No matter how
| pleasing and satisfactory the super
| structure may he Il depends for Its
! continued existence upon what lies
underneath. and our movement LAYS
| tho emphasis upon what lies under
meath. There is yet much room In
our Industrial life for tho laying
| OF foundations.
National Cost OF Autocrncy.
Consider the condition existing in
the steel industry. 1t Is tho purpose
! OF tho great employers in the steel
| Industry to operate that Industry as
| long as poSshl. on an autocratic
basis 1t is their purpose to allow
| the workers no voice In determining
terms and conditions of employment.
! The whole industry suffers from this
autocracy, and consequently the ma
| ton suffers. Men cannot lie driven
into giving good will and good will
is Indispensable to the best most
| efficient conduct OF industry.
OF course. unfortunately, most
people do not consider this aspect
OF the situation at all. When II be-
comes generally known that auto
cratic control OF industry takes a
toll from tho life and work and
prosperity OF our entire citizenship,
there Will he Il different national
viewpoint towards such outraEes as
that practiccd by MIR. Gary and his
associates.
Plan IL LudIcrous.
This autocratlc stce! industry has
inflicted upon the workers in thar
Industry what 1t is pleased to call
n profit sharing system. 1t is lu-
dtcrous to say that the steel trust
has shared any OF its profits with
1t workers and II is also untrue. The
steel trust merely pays 10 the work
ers under the gu.se OF profits n por-
ton OF the money which It sets
aside for wages. and which acts as a
substitute for wages. The stecltrust
believes 1t Is deceiving the workers
and perhaps it is deceiving some OF
them. 1t is not doing justice to any
of them with the exception OF those
shat arc organized and are in n posi-
ton TO secure Justice for them
selves.
think the steel trust Is an ex-
ceilcnt answer to those who como
Offering various theories under
various more or less fancy designa-
lions. the object OF which Is to
create machinery which Is supposed
10 be better than the machinery
which the workers and the en-
ployers have been ablo to fashion
out OF their experience. There can
be no machinery OF any kind for
the Improvement of relations or for
IN" promotion OF Industrial we'll
being and efficiency In the Steel In
dustry until there Is in that indus
Try recognition OF the basic prin
clnle which have already de-
| scrihed
Until there can be n voluntary com
Ing together OF organized workers
| IN their organized capacity. and Of
emp!oyers In their capacity rs en-
| p!oyers. there can DO nothing beyond
| have no fear as to the proEres-
slVeness OF tho American workers
they are the intellectual equals OF
| any. Their institutions will DO as
| nigh IN characters IN the institutions
! to he FOUND anywhere. But no one
can erect institutions good or bad
until certain fundamentals have been
| cared for We DO not ask our chill
drcn TO take up geometry until aft
! ter they have learned arithmetic
! There Is SIN much arithmetic TO be
| learned by American employers, and
as rapidly as they shall have learned
| their arithmetic We will, guarantee
to provide for them the lessons In
| geometry.