The Connecticut labor news., 1923-06-08
WARDS OF THE STATE?---
 OR FREE CITIZENS?
By JOHN P. FREY, Editor Molders Journal (n American Federationist


 power of the state to improve indus
 trial conditions, If their program met
 with success, would most assuredly, though perhaps unwittlngly, place the
 Wage-earnerS more and more in the position of wards of the state, subject to the three departments of govern ment, and the constant changes due to the ebb and flow of partisan poli tics. Instead of looking to trade
 un1onism as a means ot solving the workers problems as employees, they endeavor to accomplish their purpose through legislation.
 1t Is evident that those who look to the state, and would give 1t a de- gree of wardship over the wage-earn- CTS, would, of necessity, be com pelled to depend more and more up on the political methods, rather than the trade union one. They would be compelled to secure the conditions in industry which the wage-earners re- quire, through the enactment of legis- lation, and the administration of the law by the executive and judicial de- partments. Here lies the clean-cut distinction between the policies and principles which influence the Amer ican trade union movement, and those of the men and women who look for the state to do something for them
 which they would well be able to ac complish for themselves through trade union organization.
 pendence upon the state for the cor recting of any injustice arising
 through the relationship of empEg-
 CTS or employees, their dependence
 upon the men who for the time being hold administrative and judicial posi- tions; men, the most of whom are
 politicians, and owe their position to
 partisan political influences.
 New York Bakery Law An Example.
 The distinction between the two
 methods under consideration and the philosophy upon which they are based
 are clearly indicated in the now classi-
 cal illustration of the New York bak-
 cry law. The bakers in New York City, placing their confidence in the
 legislative method, and believing that the state should assume certain
 wardship over them, contributed
 money for legislative purposes, and finally secured the enactment of the Io-hour law for bakers. The appar-
 ent success was soon turned to dis
 maj defeat, for this law was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme
 Court of the United States, which left the bakers exactly where they were
 before the law had been enacted.
 Realizing by this time the unwis- dom of the method they had adopted, they formed strong trade union or
 ganization, and then as trade unionists ployers, and as one immediate result ,ac foh 1tcha 1nhf a~,I
 many other conditions greatly to their The experience of wage-earners from the beginning of modern indus try has ben that political parties come
 and go, that the political success ot
 today is followed by the political de- feat of tomorrow; that legislation
 placed upon the statute books can be and in other ways nullifed,
 or so construed by the courts, that it's original intent has been destroyed, if perchance the courts do not declare
 the legislation unconstitutional. Fur thermore that the enactment of satis- factory legislation may be followed by
 the coming into power of executives whose hostility towards the legisla- tion prevents 1t from operating. De- advantage Where the legislative method had proven a complete fail ure, the trade union method was
 complete success.
 If the American wage-earners are
 incapable of organizing successfully and of protecting their walfare
 through trade unionism, they will,
 whether they wish it or not, become wards of the state occupying a stage
 of degradation and inferiority which
 would compel them to- depend wholly
 upon the political method for what
 ever protection they receive. They
 would be compelled to admit their in
 feriority as citizens, and frankly, con-
 fess their dependence upon the fuc-
 tuation of partisan political sentiment, and the constant changes which take place among those occupying legisla-
 tive, executive and judicial positions.
 The policy of the American trade
 union aims to make the wage-earn-
 CTS more and more independent, and
 competent to protect themselves and
 their interests in the relationship
 which. exists between employers and employees. It aims to place the Amer ican wage-earners in position where,
 in addition to enjoying every right
 and privilege enjoyed by any. other
 citizen, they will be fully cornpetent to Drofao< +ha;r