The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-11-20
Truths Pondered While
Riding At Anchor
MIR. MODESTUS
. THE DRAMA OF LABOR
. NOW IN SECOND ACT
. WITH ENLARGED CAST
. AND BROADENED PLOT
Now opens Act IL

. AND BROADENED PLOT
Now opens Act IL
Of the Drama of Labor
Change of theme was noted at
Seattle
Shifting of scenes took place in
past eight years
Enlarged cast has entered upon the
stage, with broadened plot
Complications emerge, intensifying
interest and pressures-
Labor's goals are now recognized
world goals
Ideas of Labor are cornerstones of
world policy
Leaders Of Labor take responsible
ties of statemen.
international Labor Office furnishes
keynote
In theme for overture of new
melody of Humanity
x X X
Act I opened
In twilight of democracy
Dusk of Middle Ages deepened into
serfdom-
Then new tools, new lands, led to-
ward dawn Of free labor
Free lands, free governments, wild
ened areas of labor's struggles
Free men, working together, with
minds associated for production
Inevitably extend that association
to wider purposes
Seeing multiplied increase of labor's
products
They envisioned new levels of life
enlarged approaching
Conceived new place for labor in
national economy.
X X X
But, "rights Of labor
That was a word of rebellion
Labor, organized, was branded as
outlaw
Blind masters, who could not see
the climbing trail
Mistook the challenge in the rising
paean of hope
For a threat against "established
order," "vested rights
Used laws, police, courts, military
force
TO crush, enslave, destroy the rising
power of labor
It's leaders were sent to exile
jailed, and fined
Union cards became certificates of
crime
But labor's producing power they
needs must have
And out of labor's ranks sprang
again it's leaders, hopes and plans
There were guerilla skirmishes at
first, with scattered bands
Then free speech and assembly
again had their way
And economic battles followed
spattered at times with open war
Law spoke in terms of domestic
relations" of masters and men
But still the unions grew, under pa
tient leadership
Until necessity of economic produc-
ton, for profits sake
With dim acknowledgement OF
labor's purchasing power
Brought better order, with collec-
tive bargaining
And new industrial relati OF
emerged
Still battles went on
Barons of industry refused to com,
promise
Demanded privilege to rule the lives
of men and nations
Using their dollar dominion, to reap
their harvests of profit
Until their heaped-up wealth re,
coiled upon their heads
In breaking tidal waves of piled-ur
labor products
Wrecking their schemes in panics
bankruptcies, crises
Plus unemployment, surplus labor
matching surplus capital
Until the vast catastrophe of the
great depression.
At last, the very judges
Driven by logic of the economic
! process
Declared that for efficient, peace
able production
Complete organization of labor's
ranks was desirable
First in railroad areas, the fright
came clear
The right to bargain collectively
choosing its own agents
Which entering wedge set patterns
for the legal structure
Later built up under blueprints OF
the Wagner Act
Defining labor's place in modern
economic terms
Setting the scene for closing pas
sages of the "Wars of Labor
x X X
Domestic Relations" of Master
and Servant
Now give way to another epoch
and the play goes on
The new theme being now, "Labor's
Relations With It's Government
That government, of which it is, by
virtue of free citizenship