Evening star., 1923-10-21
FIRST ARTICLE.

labor movement on this continent. the
organized labor movement as typitied
and expressed in the American Fed
Grafton of Labor and the several great
unions not yet in afflliation with that
! federation. but working in a sympa-
| thetic alliance with it,
! II is the conviction of the author
| that there is today vast misunder-
| standing and misconception of organ
| lied labor and its aims and aspira-
| tions and that this attitude of mind
| on the part of the great public IS
| known to the enemies of labor organ
| lied, who deliberately and designedly
cater to the continuance of that mem
tai condition.
| The articles will also be written in
the belief that an understanding of
| the facts will contribute materially
| to the Industrial peace and the pros
perity Of the United States and Can
ada. The labor movement on this con-
| tinent is international. and the same
| causes produce in effect the same
| conditions In Mexico, the United
| States and the Dominion OF Canada.
/
policies and methods go the line be-
tween the states and Canada is purely
| geographical. Men and women in
both countries hold cards in the same
union and give fealty to identical
union laws and union customs. They
also contribute to the same union
treasures and read the same official
| journals.
In order to understand the labor
| movement, as the activities Of organ
| ized labor have come 10 be known,
| we must have some knowledge of the
American Federation of Labor and of
the international unions that make
up that federation and of those that
| work in sympathy with it.
| With the facts before us we will be
! able more nearly to understand an
industrial development that has be-
come great economic and political
| force and that in the years before
US may be a deciding factor In ma
tional policies and government. We
| will also be able to reach conclusions
| on the right and the wrong of labor
| events that will be uninfluenced by
propaganda, paid for and most highly
colored and widely and industriously
| circulated.
| With this knowledge on the part
| of the public and the certainty of
both parties to a possible Industrial
dispute of magnitude that the public
may not be deceived, there will be
| greater likelihood that an amicable
and satisfactory understanding will
be arrived at and that public rights
| will be safeguarded.
What about the violence so often a
part of great strike? Yes, that will
also have its place and it's analysis
as to cause and effect Where the
uuions are censurable they will not
escape criticism.
1t may be that the author is too am
bilious and too sanguine. It may be
that the public does not care except
/ when it's comfort and it's security are
1 threatened. But the writer is hopeful
/ that the contribution he will make to
| public knowledge and understanding
| will lead to other and surer efforts,
and that in the end there will be
aroused an interest that will be pro-
ductive of results. Somebody, will
read and somebody will be enlight-
ened. There are on this continent
some 100000 organized men and
| women who may be benefited.
II X
! 1t is also the hope that one result
may be the more accurate and con-
servative reporting for the daily press
of labor meetings and conventions.
Today the resolution or the incident
that has the most dramatic and there
fore the most immediate news value
is the basis of the newspaper story Of
the moment
| Yet that incident or that resolution
may have no value at all In it's effect
on the public or on union labor. Let
me explain: The dramatic incident
may be a war Of words between two
prominent labor men uttered in de-
bate on a pending motion, and may
not have-and very often does not
have-the slightest influence on the
final disposition of that motion.
| But for the moment the scene is
tense, is exciting. There has been a
labor quarrel. The general public
will be intrigued. Therefore, the
press dispatch Ia made up entirely of
the sensational debate.
| Again, some radical scatterbrain in
troduces a resolution, the intent and
purpose of which is to reform the
t., Io1y 10
ton is put on the wire, together with
( the Interpretation placed on 1t by the
vivid imagination of the correspond
ent.
| The public is mildly excited. more
often amused. But there are en-
'ployers who will believe that the reso-
| luton was an actual expression of
| the convention, and whose opposition
to organized labor will be strength
ened and made manifest in some hos
tile act Union men will also be de-
ceived, and radicalism of the more
violent kind will be buttressed.
Then a few days later the conven-
ton committee will report unfavor-
ably on the offending resolution.
which never did have a chance for
approval; the report will be adopted
by the gathering. usually by unani-
nous vote. and there will be no men,
ton of this negative action by the
correspondents. Why? Because the
news value of the resolution has been
exhausted. There Will remain, of
course. the harm that has been done
In adding to the rancor and the mis-
understanding and the gulf between
capital on tho one side and labor on
the other.
X ~ Ax
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