OCR Text |
Show The Needed Arbitration Code. While Congress was in session President Roosevelt asked for increased power in the Fed-eral Fed-eral Government, or rather In the President. Wo H do not believe that the President needs any more power, but we do believe that there should be a Hl closer concert between the National and State Governments. The reason is that the Constitu-PH Constitu-PH tion was originally made for Americans, and the Bfl State Constitutions and statutes were fashioned on the same idea. The underlying thought was that the American people, having so benign a government, would guard it as never was govern-ment govern-ment guarded before. Again, the country was very poor. Every one knew how many millionaires there were in the Republic, and men worth as much as $200,000 wore very rare and esteemed to be very rich. Now it is not infrequent for a rich man's per-sonal per-sonal and family expenses tot run up to $200,000 per annum, and when a dozen of the multl-millionaires multl-millionaires combine their capital, organize a mo-nopoly mo-nopoly and, in effect, bid the public stand and deliver, it makes heartburnings at least. And when such a combine needs ten thou-sand thou-sand working men and go to where the ships from over the sea sometimes land 16,000 foreign-erss foreign-erss on our shores in a day, and recruit their forces there, a double wrong is perpetuated they cut wages, which makes discontent; and they place these foreigners in a position where Hj they never will learn to appreciate this country or become real Americans. This land rests on labor, but when we canvas the ranks of labor we find the great mass are foreign-born. As a rule we find they are organ-lH organ-lH ized apparently on the theory that unless they make a steady fight for their rights, they will surely be overborne. And not all of them are good men; many of them like contention and up-heavak; up-heavak; they manifest precisely the instincts of the mustang which, the moment his belly is filled with alfalfa, is never satisfied until he bucks the man who fed him off into a pile of rocks. Many thousands of these never have acquired Hj any love for this country. The old thought that warmed the hearts of the farmers "who fired the JMj shot heard 'round the world" they have not the Efl slightest comprehension of. The only rock that threatens to split the country is this growing bit-terness bit-terness between capital and labor. And it is on this point that there should be a closer walk be-tween be-tween the States and the Federal Government. The Federal Government should pass an arbitra- tion code to apply to all Federal workers. ' Hj Congress should appoint a commission of the very ablest i. en In the land to prepare it. This commission should call to its aid the ablest cap-itallsts cap-itallsts ; then also the foremost heads of labor organizations, and work until a code could be perfected to meet the difficulty fully and f rly. It is weakness to say that such a code catn - be HH prepared, a code that will be just and effective. Then with the Federal Government lending the way every State should pass a similar code with only such modifications as the local situation In each State might require. Just now the labor unions are naturally struggling strug-gling to keep their wages advancing as rapidly as the expenses of living are advancing, which Is altogether right. But by and by, through unwise un-wise legislation, or a failure of crops, or over-speculation, over-speculation, there will be a slowing down, which will be followed by a fall of prices. Then there will follow demands for reductions of wages; then there will bo clashings and lockouts and more bitterness. Before that time comes a code should be provided to meet that and every other emergency that may make differences between capital and labor, to moot and settle them in justice to employers and employees alike. |