The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-05-17
THURSDAY. MAY. II. 1884.
REAL SILK

Gan HOI, ana Will not, tolerate ldWIeSSneSS Dy
either side in an industrial dispute.
Real Silks management has offered $500
reward for the apprehension of the criminal
That is an excellent gesture, but if the bust
ness men of Indianapolis really are serious
about catching that bomber they should swell
this reward fund to a sum substantial enough
to induce witnesses to talk.
Meanwhile the authorities still have failed
to clear up another bit Of apparent lawless-
ness in connection with this strike. couple
Of weeks ago private guards" appeared on
the streets of the city in protected automo-
biles. They brandished weapons and showed
warrants appointing them peace officers Of
Warren township.
Later, evidence appeared to show that these
warrants were spurious and that these guards
we're impersonating offcers-a serious crime
under the Indiana statutes The Times then
asked, and it asks now, that the grand jury
make thorough investigation Of the hiring
and commissioning of these guards to discover
whether a criminal conspiracy existed to fiout
the law.
Surely these private police" who came
from out of town, did not have the contacts
~S@~0NN--NN
of residents of Indianapolis
Indianapolis wants neither bombers nor
spurious policemen at large in the community.
All this is a matter of law enforcement. 1t
has nothing whatever to do with the merits
or demerts-of the strike itself.
What has been going on at the Real Silk
mills Is merely miniature of conditions else
where in the country. The new deal has
passed the stage of academic discussion. Labor
is organizing. 1t has been guaranteed that
right by congress and the President. The
statutes of the state Of Indiana even go
farther in recognizing this right.
AS membership in trade unions continues to
increase. Real Silk will be attempting to sell
its products more and more to organized labor.
It's market will shrink in proportion as the
corporation continues to have trouble with
organized labor That will be bad for the
community worse for its stockholders
Whether the company wins or loses this
particular skirmish it is bound to lose in the
end Antagonizng a host of future customers
is not precisely a far-sghted business policy
Real silk has called attention to the size
of its weekly pay roll to justify its position
OF course, Indianapolis wants industries with
big pay rolls but the amount of money any
individual or corporation has does not change
right from wrong.
1t is conceivable that a huge gambling
house and brothel might be opened in this
city. Would it be tolerated because of the size
of its weekly pay roll? Or the amount OF
money it brought into the city?
The hosiery mill also has said that 1t can
have its orders filled in out-of-town plants for
less than its own manufacturing costs. That
statement may be taken with more than
grain of salt because If it is entirely true then
the management is indicting its own efficiency
and competency by admitting costs that are
higher than those of the rest of the industry.
In using the device of the company union
to stave of organization of an outside
union Real Silk merely is following the ex-
ample of some of our other industrial
troglodytes
Why can some of our tory business men
not realize that the mechanics of company
union are identical with the industrial Soviet
of communistic Russian Why do they not
understand that the two differ only in the
matter of CONTROL?
There has been a good deal of dust rather
cleverly kicked up in this strike. First there
was the election at Real Silk in which 5000
employees were asked to vote on whether the
outside union or the company union should
represent them. The American Federation OF
Labor union lost by approximately 1000 votes.
The catch in this was that the Full FASH
toned Hosiery Workers-the A. F. of L. union
under its bylaws could not possibly have rep
resented the two thousand. Office workers,
cafeteria walters, firemen and every one else
voted in the election.
The Hosiery Workers Union could accept
for membership only those who actually make
the stockings and most of these voted for it.
Then came the decision of the National
Labor Board making the election binding on
the knitters until next october. That ap-
peared to settle it. but in the next breath men,
bers of the labor board told the strikers the
decision had not considered the merits Of
their case and was not to be regarded as
lettering" on the strike.
This was a distinct piece of pussyfooting
on the part Of the administration in Wash
ington. Perhaps it was good politics but it
left Indianapolis which has very definite
stake in this strike sitting squarely in the
middle.
Next came juriSdictional dispute between
the department of labor and the national labor
board over who should attempt to arbitrate the
Real Silk strike. Finally both sent represen-
tatives and both failed. Now, we understand,
the national labor board is going to pass
definitely upon the strike itself. 1t is high
time.
OF course. the main issue in this perplexing
v,rok,Ieu, IN hircer than Real Silk bicCer even