The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-05-06
COULD A GENERAL STRIKE
OCCUR IN AMERICA?


England occur in the United States?
The possibility is remote The present genera
ton Of Americans are living in land whose nat
ural resources make prosperity-n some degree, at
least--the normal condition. The same should be
true for another generation or two If through intel
ligent leadership and legislation we conserve our re-
sources rather than allow their unchecked exploita
tion 1t IS difficult to conceive now situation in
America comparable to that in England, where the
great mass Of the workers have been living for
years the verge of hunger, if not starvation
We cannot conceive OF our Government lending
itself to an Industrial settlement whereby several
hundred thousand men, engaged in labor as arduous
as coal mining, would be asked to accept reduction
OF wages when Ahose wages were only SIS a week
That has been the maximum in the English mines
for the most skilled men, The minimum has been
less than $12 week. We cannot conceive of our
Government doing this because we cannot conceive
of conditions that would permit it.
1t is this conception of American life as know
IL that removes from our minds any thought that
what England is experiencing may some day befail
our own country.
There are other factors however, that lend them
selves to this assurance One is the philosophy, or
at any rate, the practice of organized labor in
America. The general strike-the simultaneous
strike OF organized workers in all nes-has threat
ened England many times in recent years, before the
war as we'll as since. The general strike is almost
outside the realm Of American labor's thought So
far is this true that there is present machinery for
calling such strike or for conducting il if it were
called.
The American Federation of Labor could not call
general strike under its present constitution 1t
cannot call any strike whatsoever. The American
Federation IS composed Of the various trades unions
which have affiliated themselves with it. A few
nafO Ofob11 tha
never have done So All the American Federation
do in this connection is to vote its support
moral and financial to any trade union that may
engage in strike In this way the great of
organized labor may indirectly, though often very
effectively, aid the workers in given craft through
contest with their employers.
This limitation of the authority Of the American
Federation suited the philosophy of Samuel Com
pers founder and for forty years president of the
federation. He was averse to the idea of general
strike under any circumstances met in his long
experience He did, however, consistently refrain
from saying that under no circumstances would the
general strike be employed And the organiza-
ten of the federation merely makes such strike
difficult, not impossible If the labor executives COM
posing the council of the federation we're to deter
mine that general strike had become necessary it
could be called-after vote Of the membership of
all the affiliated unions
AS for extraordinary situations that might bring
This to pass the only that has arisen in recent
years to suggest 1t the movement among certain
unenifghtened employers just after the war to bring
about reduction of wages in all lines of work Had
this movement progressed to the point of an actual
attempt the part of employers to cut all wages the
resistance OF organized labor doubtless would have
been fairly unanimous. Under one name or another
America probably would have witnessed a general
strike certain effect would have been a vast in.
crease In the number Of organized workers II is in
times of trouble that trades unions grow
The movement to reduce wages-misnamed the
American plan-dd not get far, partly because Of
increasing prosperity which caused even the most
shortsighted employers to forget it, and partly for
better reason This is the reason:
Organized labor in America has for a long t;n,o
been building itself the foundation of unbreakab,a
contracts By that is meant contracts which the
workers Will not break permit EMPLOYERS 70
break. One railroad brotherhood brides itself on &c
ability to say that in fifty years it never has broken
contract
lhat means that sympathetic strikes are nrac
ucaly out of the question. An agreement IN work
d certain number of years at certain terms nra
ciudes quitting work during that period II the terro
are not Violated by the employer Workers who tbu.
pind themselves, through their organizations o nuo