Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1923-04-16
The open Shop Is Not a Political
Issue.


President Harding's reported inten-
| ton of having nothing to do with the
efforts in certain quarters to COM
nit the republican party to the prin-
ciple of the open shop generally seems
; to have the approval of editors. For
the most part they argue that the
! issue is entirely economic, and that
Endorsement of the plan, which has
the approval of the National Asso-
citation of Manufacturers and similar
| organizations, would antagonize or
ganized labor while at the same time
serving no useful purpose.
| "AlI this talk of trying to per-
suade President Harding to commit
! the republican party to the open
shop pertains to the political silly
! season." insists the Newark News Gin
| iependent), which suggests that open
! shop is, after ALL only euphemy for
anti-unionism. But from stand
point of practicality, just how could
one of the big major parties be COM
mitted to the open shop in such wise
as to have any powerful effect on
private industry? You cannot outlaw
l
| The constitutional rights of collective
/, bargaining have stood every test
known to American judicial pro-
| cedure, and, therefore, can be set
! down as fundamental. Since that Is
true, what could the republicans gain
by an empty gesture of hostility to
| the unions? Intelligent employers
would not be fooled into believing
they could benefit materially to any
great extent, and the only effect upon
! organized labor in private industry
| would be one OF intense irritation
| strong both against the deed as
Macbeth puts It." The concrete ques-
ton itself Is in no way the concern
| of the government, as the Reading
| Tribune Independent republican, sees
| it in holding that the agitation on
the subject Is Stirred up" by news
papers antagonistic to the President.
| Recognition OF the principles OF
trades unionism," 1t continues, does
not mean that the parties necessarily
recognize the closed shop. 1t means
| that they recognize the right OF
workmen to bargain collectively.
And for either political party to deny
| that right to the trades unions, when
| they recognize it for the employer
association, is equivalent to denial
| that the government exists for all
| the people. Both President Harding
and the republican leaders are cog
infant of that fact. And the news
| papers which are using it to dis
! credit the present administration are
| cognizant of it. But, rather than
| criticize the President for acts he
| already has committed, they ap-
| parently prefer to discredit his adj
ministration for acts that he is sup
posed to commit at some future
/ time
"PossibIy the question comes too
| near the life of the people-perhaps
! its relation to their future welfare is
| too vital-to admit of its advocacy in a
political platform" argues the Boston
| Transcript independent republican,,
but it is nevertheless a principle
which the great majority of the
American people believe in-the right
| Of a man to work where he will, for
whom he will, for a wage satisfac-
| tory to him, without being forbidden
to do SO, and without concerted press
ure upon him to coerce him into do
ing whas-he does not wish to do.