Evening star., 1936-02-26
BUILDERS THEME
IS MUTUAL HELP
Annual Cooperative Dinner
Is Held by Employees
and Labor.


standing" was the keynote Of the
second annual employer and employe
cooperative dinner last night at the
Willard Hotel under auspices Of the
Washington Building Trades Council
Members of the House District
Committee, labor leaders, headed by
President William Green of the
American Federation Of Labor, and
a distinguished list Of civic leaders
joined in the occasion, where the
labor movement In this city was wide
ly praised for its success in ironing
out differences across the table,"
The question Of "self-government'
for Washington and the disenfran-
chised District of Columbia bobbed
up several times, with the chairman
of the evening. John B. Colpoys
editor of the Trades Unionist. who Is
United States marshal here. con-
sistently championing national rep
resentation. Members Of the District
Committee divided on the question
in their short speeches.
LABOR TO Commune WORK.
AS much as the District appre-
ciates the work of the District Com
nittee in the Senate and House
Colpoys said, labor has been working
for 80 years to get representatives
from the District in Congress, and will
continue to work for it.
President Green predicted the
country was face to face with q
real building BOOM" After six years
of much idleness, he said, decay Of
old buildings, and increased popula.
ton, with new demand, the building
trades could look forward to "a better
day for industry
In stressing the need for pursuing
the paths of peace" and develop.
ment of cooperative spirit Of under.
standing" Green said he had begun
to put new meaning on the word Co
operation"
II wish could get more of it thar
I'm getting" he said, without men.
tioning disaffections in the ranks ol
organized labor.
Hopes For Peace Plan.
He hoped also that organized la.
Dor would be able to work out a plar
to settle jurisdictional differences
without resort to strikes. and elimi.
nate interruption Of construction" BY
such disputes.
Representative William r. Schultz
of Indiana, member OF the House Dis.
trict Committee. charged the ma.
chine age" with throwing men out
Of work. We've got to muzzle the
machine" he declared. Even with
indices pointing to a return to thu
1929 peak, he declared 1900, ,00t
still mere unemployed. The dia
telephone alone, he charged with
throwing $4,000 girls out of work.
IT'S time we start to think ir
terms of human rights and not prop.
erty rights" he declared.
Referring half in Jest to the move.
ment for votes for Washington
Schultz said: You folks here wan
self-government-you think you do
never saw so many seif-appointes
dictators in any one place in m,
life"
Government Help Cited.
Representative Jennings Randolph
OF West Virginia said the labo,
movement was favored by a "sympa.
thetic Government.
Representative Reuben T. Wood o.
Missouri characterized the local la.
Dor group as "the best and most har.
monious building trades council O!
any in the United States"
He put in a good word for votes
for Washington. Although you are
without the franchise and are gov
erned by a foreign power, as I call it
I want to congratulate you on having
good city government under such
extraordinary circumstances. You are
thoroughly capable of governing the
city and District in a manner OF
which other cities could well be
proud"
Il hope the day will soon come, "
said Schultz, when we will be in a
position to enact legislation to give
Washington and the District of Co.
lumbia a government of its own" Ap-
plause greeted this expression.
Colpoys Reviews d. C. Situation.
Chairman Colpoys opened the eve
ming with review of the labor sit
uation here in Washington. He de-
clared that most troubles come
through misunderstanding" and re-
ferred to the permanent. plan in
operation here for settling labor dis
putes, by which he said I'VE iron out
our differences around the table"
E. j. Murphy. speaking for the en-
ployers, praised both the contractors
and subcontractors on the one hand,
the Washington Building Trades
Council on the other. Reporting
success of the Arbitration Board he
said mo question has come up that
has not been adjusted"
District Commissioner Dan I. Sui
tan emphasized the District govern
ment as "a most sympathetic under
standing Of your problems"
secretary FRANK Morrison OF the
American Federation of Labor hailed
the new era" which he said was
banishing fears Of unemployment and
old age with new social security leg
islation.
Hackett Praises Organized Labor.
Col. H. B. Hackett, deputy admin
tstrator Of the Public Works Admin
istration. praised organized labor for
its cooperation in making the p.
w. A. success in more than 10000
projects in two years.
Among other personages from OIL
cial ranks and civic leadership who
spoke briefly. or were introduced by
the chairman, were: John Locher,
executive secretary of the Washington
Building Trades Council; John A.
Mo orc1o1I and non ~en~A>- -,