Evening star., 1943-05-09
New Liberal Trend of Business
Augurs Future National Unity
Chamber of Commerce Under Reelected Head
Turns From Conservatism to Spirit of
Cooperation With Labor
By Charles G. Ross.

make progress" He described the pro-
gress that he felt had been made in the
field of capital-labor relations.
Your president, Eric Johnston" he
said, has done more to remove the bar
riers of suspicion and hostility which
used to exist between labor and industry
than any one would have believed pos
sible a few years ago. I want to pay
sincere tribute to his hard-headed,
Warm-hearted, open minded eagerness
to create real understanding and co-op-
Grafton. He has come to the house Of
labor with frankness and commonsense
which have evoked similar response from
the leaders of labor. He has made pos
sble an understanding which has
brought to nation at wa strong core
of unity and good will between groups
tradtionally hostile"
Sees Social Awareness."
Johnson himself believes there has been
wholesome growth Of social aWareness'
on the part of the Chamber of Com
| merce and of business generally.
| There is a growing realization,' he
! stated, that only as the whole country
| prospers can business prosper; that the
welfare of business is tied in with the
welfare of labor and of agriculture.
There is a growing realization by busi-
ness that the day of unbrided capitalism
is past; that as our civilization becomes
more complex, greater controls become
essential. 1t is important that we should
not allow our conflicts over methods of
control to keep us from the unity we
must have, among all segments of our
economic life, if we are to gain the full
measure of benefits which the capital
istic system can yield
I'VE must all work together I don't
mean that labor should sell out to the
employer, or the employer to labor. We
are bound to have our differences over
the right ways Of reaching our goals, but
| We must learn to settle these differences
by sitting down together. They can't
be settled by name calling in the press
or over the radio
IF we can get unity Of purpose, if we
can clear the atmosphere of hate and
suspicion, we shall reach solutions that
will give us such degree of we'll being
do lew nave QIedllleU Vi. LIE SKY Is lie
limit if we will but work together and
think daringly.
Changes Are Inevitable.
1--WE know that our capitahstic system
is the best that has been devised. We
must work together-labor, business,
agriculture-to preserve it. We must,
each group of us, ask ourselves whether
any given proposal is in the national
interest. To do this is only enlightened
self-interest We know that changes in
our system are inevitable; that capitalism
is dynamic, evolving structure. That
is one Of the reasons for its superiority.
Let us see to it that our changes are
made in friendly atmosphere
That is the burden of Johnston's mes
sage to business, and of the message
he has been carrying assiduously to labor
and agriculture during the past year.
He has gone out of his way to confer
with the leaders of organized labor and
the principal agricultural groups. Our
goal is the same, he says; we all want
to keep and develop the free enterprise
system; let's get together. To business
men he says that unionism and collective
bargaining are here to stay; to the
unionists, that it is up to them to accept
responsibility commensurate with their
increased powers.
He has not always had easy sailing
with his board of directors. This is
body of A members-2O representing the
10 grand divisions of business, 1S repre-
senting nine geographical districts, six
elected at large. 1t has been in the
past highly conservative group. 1t still
doesn't like the New Deal Johnston's S
activities have caused murmurings. Last
summer he was photographed on the
White House steps in the company of
William Green and Philip Murray, head
of the CIO; they had all just come from
delivering unity message to the Presi-
Gent. After the picture appeared in the
newspapers several important contribu-
tors to the chamber wrote angrily that
they were through with it. Johnston
had gone too far in his trucking" to
the unions
Opinions Are Changed.
He continued on his way, and presently
they concluded that he hadn't sold out
to the unions but was only trying to get
business and labor together on a basis
of mutual understanding and respect.
All those who pulled out have since re-
joined the chamber. With more than
1900 business groups and trade associa-
tions on its rolls, it now has the largest
membership in it's history
There is far from complete acceptance
OF JohnSton'S iberal-or, from another
point of view, middle ground-tenets in
the chamber. There are still conserv-
ative die-hards who have not yet recon-
ciled themselves to collective bargaining.
Hurdles are yet to be surmounted, but,
says Johnston, definite progress" has
been made, and he can point in proof to
the tone of the New York meeting and to
the specific Endorsement of his get
together policies. The makeup of the
speakers list, with its unprecedented
recognition of labor and agriculture, Is
itself significant of a new attitude. 1t
won't be surprising now if Johnston, in
return of compliments, is invited to
address one of the great labor organiza-
tions.
How deep is the chambers trans
formation remains to be seen. There
are those, like the publication, Labor,
who say that it is only skin-deep. The
fact remains that the reactionary ele-
ments in the chamber are keeping