Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-04-26
u. S. and International !,
Labor Organization
By Frederic ]. Haskin.


World Court has been going on for a
generation, it sometimes seems difficult
to realize that, almost imperceptibly this
country did slip into sort of collateral
connection with the League.
The treaty of Versailles embodies the
Covenant of the League of Nations and
1t also embodieS the plan of the Inter-
national Labor Office. For Is years, any.
thing associated with the League of Ma
tons appeared to be distasteful to the
American people and therefore little prog
reSs was made toward an affliation. This
is looked upon by historians as the more
remarkable in view Of the fact that
three unusually distinguished Americans
were highly influential in setting up
three great international agencies.
Woodrow Wilson Is everywhere cred
tied with being the author of the cove
nant of the League Of Nations. Al
though the idea was an old one, it was
he who brought it to the fore, making
it one of his celebrated IA points and,
more or less, forcing it upon the Peace
Conference. Elihu Root. American Sec
rotary of State and Senator and one of
its leading lawyers, was one of the
chief influences for the establishment
of the World Court, the Permanent
Court of International Justice. Samuel
Gompers, for half century president
of the American Federation of Labor,
spent half lifetime in seeking interna-
tional labor cooperation and was
potent force in erecting the Interna-
tional Labor Office.
Yet with so deep an American stamp
upon these three institutions, American
public opinion held off, fearing too close
connection with European affairs. 1t
was President Franklin Roosevelt'S re-
gime long after the Peace Conference,
which saw authorization by Congress OF
full American membership in the In
ternational Labor Office. Samuel
Gompers had served as chairman of the
Committee on International Labor Co.
operation at the Versailles Peace Confer
ence, and this belated adherence of the
United States to the plan he did so
much to bring into action may be re-
garded as something of a monument to
him. Woodrow Wilson in this respect,
has not done so well as Samuel Gompers.
The covenant of the League of Nations
still is held at arms length.
The United States has had observers.
unofficial delegates and various types
Of hybrid Sideline coaches at all the
great international conferences since the
World War, but the atmosphere of alien
aloofneSS, of American isolation, was
sedulously cultivated. For the first time
full-fedged American delegates toe.
full part in the last annual meeting
of the International Labor Conference.
Walton Hale Hamilton, professor of law
at Yale University, and Miss Grace
Abbott, former chief of the Children
Bureau, presented themselves at Geneva
with full official credentials as repre-
sentatives of the Government of the
United States. With them went equally
official representatives of labor and of
employers. The usual numerous staff
accompanied.
Comparatively little attention was
paid to this stepping officially into the
international picture by the United
States. There were, however, some who
said that this was but an entering wedge
Of fact, nothing very much has hap
pened.
While it is true that the International
Labor ONCE is deeply concerned with
legislation and treaties in and between
all countries affecting labor, the chances
of the sort of diplomatic and military
entanglements which have been so much
feared in some quarters are remote
There are more than go countries now
having membership in the International
Labor Office, but of them all the United
States has the highest labor standards
An interesting spectacle at the first
meeting which American delegates Off
cially attended was the voting together
of representatives of both American
workers and employers. They stood
solidly. The reason for that was plain.
1t Is the effort of the International
Labor Conference to bring about legis-
lation and treaties calculated to raise
the standard of wages and of working
conditions. Well, the American stand
ard had, for years, been so far ahead
of the average foreign standards that
there could be no dispute.
**
For example, American employer dele
gates as well as worker delegates could
not hesitate to vote in favor of rule
against employment of women in under
ground mines. although there might be
spirited objection from some other coun-
tries. Efforts to shorten hours left the
Americans rather cold, because some
time ago hours in the United States
had been cut below what now was sought
Indeed, representatives Of capital have
discovered a certain eagerneSs to assist,
through the International Labor Office,
in raising standards of wages and short
ening hours of labor in other countries.
The American manufacturer for years
has had to rely on an often uncertain
tariff protection to keep low-coSt for
eign goods from competing with him
in his domestic market. If he can raise
the standard of wages and conditions
and thereby raise the costs of produce
ton in foreign competing countries. his
home market is so much the safer for
him. So not a few of the tory type of
capitalists who once SHE'D at anything
connected with the League of Nations
are beginning to think that the Inter-
national Labor Office, at least may be
pretty good thing for them and their
business.
One of the important functions OF the
International LABOR ONCE is the COM
pilation of world statistics. Students,
statesmen, merchants. salesmen-every
class of active person-has long had diff
Guilty in finding comparable statistics
for the various countries OF the world.
The International Labor Once, through
its wide international membership, is