Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-03-27
INDUSTRIAL RESERVES
WOULD PUT AN END To
STRIKES SAYS HERRICK
His Is Known AS Rockford
Plan"-QuestiOned By Union
Head
DEFEND VITAL INDUSTRIES
Labor Says Plan Is Impractical,
Absurd, A Dream And A
Capitalistic Nightmare

CHICAGO, March Trained in
dustrial reserves as a coordinate
branch of the national defense, thus
providing a militia of industry to
preserve industrial peace as the mill
tia of arms preserves order, is the
cardinal principle of what has be-
come known as the Rockford Plan"
for curbing strikes, according to it's
author, Prof. Henry Martyr Herrick,
associate professor at Rockford col
lege.
The plan is described by Professor
Herrick as a challenge to union Ia
Dor to- mend it's ways" but Matthew
Woll, vice president of the American
Federation of Labor characterizes the
plan as ''impracticable, absurd, a
dream and perhaps a nightmare"
Our defense has been wholly mill
tary, says Prof, Herrick We have
defended our borders but not our VII
tai industries. We must supply this
lack by making trained industrial re-
serves a coordinate branch of the ma
tional defense, The militia of indus
try will preserve industrial peace as
the militia of arms preserves order.
1t will take but few trained reserves
to defend our vital industries such as
mining and transportation. Indus
trial unpreparedness is as inexcusa-
Bile as military.
The government, cooperating with
the entire educational system, will
offer a brief intensive course in one
or more of the vital industries under
the new plan, This will add purpose
and aim to education and put the
mint-stamp on citizenship. No draft.
ing will be required, for volunteers
will flock to the reserves in allegiance
to Uncle Sam, even many from the
unions to escape bad leadership.
Here is the safeguard against So
ciaHsm 1t has received attention at
the White House, and has boea plac-.
ed on file for reference in the De
partment of Labor, in the division Of
Cancellation, The plan strikes terror
to the heart Of the evil-doer, says
Prof. Herrick.
Mr.. Woll, in commenting on the
plan, said:
prof. Herrick would leave labor
free to organize and strike if il
wants to, but he would set up an eco
nomic reserve, founded on voluntary
CONSUMPTION, that could be drawn up
on wherever and whenever the organ
lied workers dared exercise their re-
fusal to give service to the employing
interests.
His idea is new only in that he
would have the state, instead of the
private employer, venture into the or
ganization of strikebreaking, by or
ganizing a state organization of
strike-breakers under the more elus,
i've term of economic reserves.
Why continue the uniustifed and
uneconomic assumption that the pos
SCISSORS Of wealth can do no wrong
and need not be restrained while tho
non-possessors of wealth are always
wrong and need always to be regu-
lated and restrained?
Does Prof. Herrick intend that
there should be maintained constant.
ly an army Of unemployed, but train
ed and paid for by the state? Or
does he intend that our princes Of
finance shall voluntarily contribute
and assign part of their working force
to this economic reserve? In either
event, Prof Herrick again assumes
that the workers are mere automa-
tons to be shifted at will. and that
they are unresponsive to the svmpa-
thetlc appeal Of their fellow work
ers."