Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1923-04-27

centage OF the waste IN INDUSTRY
Z Losses from strikes are partly ticti
I tious. The recent coal strike, for in
stance, can be used as an Illustration
Anti=labOr pr0pagandists have bee
1 freely quoted in the news papers a
/ saying that the miners lost huge sum
IN wages, figuring this loss on IN
/ basis Of the men in the industry an
| the time the strike lasted. As a mat
ter Of fact, nothing, generally speak
ing, was lost by the men. The
merely fixed the time for taking a va
cation, instead of leaving it to tn
| discretion of their employers. Tn
previous year the average worhni
time was ITO working days, eavini
200 days for idleness. The me
earned as much, and more. during tn
course of the year 1922 Is if they ha
not gone out on strike. They mine
the same amount of coal for wage
that had not been reduced.
4. There Is less need for anti
strike legislation now than ever be
fore. Ii is not anti-strke Legislation
that is needed 1t is fact-findinl
egencies to determine the basis 70
settlement of industrial disputes. TIL
American wofkmen have neither tn
intention, nor the desire, 10 kill tn
goose that lays the golden egg. JUS
tice, fair dealing, education an
knowledge, are the best means of OBJ
tanning industrial peace in a demo
cracy such as the United States.
To quote the following extract
from an address by the president o
the American Federation of Labo
before the New jersey Legislature il
1920, in opposing the anti-strike legis
lation then pending:
You and | are made uncom-
Portable and caused inconven-
fence by reason of any cessation
of work. Just so are we incon-
venienced and made uncomfor-
table during the process of chang
ing from one condition to anoth-
en- There has never yet occurred
In the history of the whole world
any great change for a righteous
cause without Inconvenience and
discomfort.
The labor movement of our coun-
try is the expression, the intelli-
gent expression, the rational ex-
preston, the natural expression
of discomfort of the people to es-
tabish through orderly and regu-
lar means and methods, right and
greater opportunity for the up
lift of the people of our country.
Mistakes are made. Who is there
in all our country and our time
who has not made a mistake?
Which group of the citizenship of
our country can truthfully claim
that they have not made a mis-
take? The organized labor move
ment of America is no exception,
but | invite your careful study
and scrutiny of the methods EN-
ployed and the work and history
of the American labor movement.
| challenge anyone to say that its
record is not clean, that its meth
DDS are not just, or that its work
has been unproductive of true
Americanism and patriotism.
That we may have made mis-
take is but human, but thank
the mistakes of the American
labor movement as they are over
Swallowed by the great deeds it
has performed and the great work
it will yet do in the common in
terest and welfare of the Ameri-
can people.
1t was the coal strike-call it
what you will, stigmatize it as
you Wilt was the strike of the
coal miners in the anthracite re-
gions that regenerated these peo-
Pile from a condition of servitude
and slavery. In the bituminous
regions it was the same. For
twenty-five years while the coal
miners in the btuminous regions
were working, they sent delega-
tons north and east to labor or
CARNATIONS with credentials from
the mayor of the locality, or the
governor of the state, confding
that these people were entitled to
the sympathy and consideration
and help of the people every
where, and particularly the work
ing people, in order that they
might exc out an existence. The
conditions of the men working at
| their trade as bituminous coal
miners in the strike of '97, were
| changed and these men, too, be-
came regenerated and now oc-
| cupy positions in life and work
equal to the standards established
by American judgment and
American conscience.
say to you gentlemen that
there is no agency in all cur
country so potent to avert and
avoid strikes as the much disrep-
resented and misunderstood
American labor movement, but
there are some things which are
worse than strikes--a degraded,
demoralized and servile manhood.
A republic built upon such a
foundation would be like the
house built upon the sands. Ii
would decay and fall as even did
the once mighty Roman Empire.
Your attention is called to this
fact, not simply to proclaim La
boris loyalty-no necessity for
such an assertion-the record
has been made and is clear. |
made reference to it for this rea-
son, that the discomfort of the
masses of the American people
and American workers will find
its expression somehow and If the
Legislature of Kansas shall be
initiated by the legislatures of
other states, making it unlawful
for the men of labor of America
to exercise their right to stop
work when it is to their interest
and welfare, and contributing to
the welfare Of the masses of our
people, it will destroy every OPP