Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-09-19
LABOR WANTS HOOVER TO CALL
INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY FARLEY
Political Action to Eliminate Ills of Workshops
Declared DangerOus-Woll Sees Solution In
Avoiding Autocratic Extremes.

meets every need. There are distinct
needs which it does not even touch,
The autocrat who can boss ) 900
employees who have no voice DESTROYS
freedom for those men; for them there
is little meaning in democracy.
European Trend Noted.
Labor in Europe has turned to the
state and to the machinery of politics
for the righting of almost all econom.
ic and social ills. The state does not
and cannot cure the ills of industry
which is outside of it's scope of action.
II political government is to control
and make the rules for industry. then
the state must become a towering.
bureaucratic institution. with it's
hand on every mans shoulder and its
nose In every mans doorway.
American labor flinches from that
and sets its face against it, Yet in
dustry uncurbed by some restraining
hand will go as far as possible iowa I'd
oppression
American labor turns toward more
democracy. instead of toward less. 1t
demands democracy. where the center
OF modern'life is found-in the work
places. 1t is just being discovered
generally that American labor has
t"nSi NllS pOSIllOH ana the IaCt is
creating something of a sensation
for which labor is thankful.
The American Federation of Labor
by unanimous official action. has
asked the Secretary of Commerce to
summon representative national
conference to consider the eIjmina
ton OF difficulties preventing con
structive orga MIA ton in the indus
try"
Need Of Organization.
Manifestly, there cannot be democ-
racy without organization. Every
group that renders service in indus.
try ought to be orga nized. as labor
Is largely organized, as employers
are In large part organized. as trade
associations are something's found. 1t
is labor's conviction thai organized
functional groups will find their way
to the raising Of structure of demo
cratic self-control and lf-govern-
ment. Mistakes will be made. but
that always happens. Much law for
industry has been made by industry
already. Democratic methods in in
dustry are not by any means entirely
in the realm of fancy. There has been
considerable development in that
direction.
What abor wants and deems nee.
essary now is a general recognition of
the soundness of the philosophy of
democracy in industry, a general con
sciousness Of the rightness Of the idea
and Of the necessity for it's purposed
development. In other words. the
time has come to stop letting human
freedom in industry be a matter of
blind cropping. with hit or miss luck
The time has come to understa nd
what is needed. what ought to be
done and why. and to set about the
doing of it.
Would Avoid Extremes.
The shadow of disaster that falls
over so much of Europe should hasten
us in our efforts. The extremes OF
reaction and Of communism plunge
madly forward in the same dicta.
torial direction. neither having any
use for democracy. 1t is the good
fortune of America that it's masses
believe in democracy. That is no
doubt because democracy still means
much in America.
But unless 1t is carried on into the
great field of industry it must newt.
ably mean less and less with a conse..
quent lessening of regard for its
sacredness on the part Of the people.
Freedom must go where the people
live their lives, or it is not freedom
The conference which the Secretary
Of Commerce has been asked tn call
may we'll he one of tho great. epoch
markers of our time. Labor believes
It will b - Politically made law