OCR Text |
Show American Federation of Labor's Report I Denunciation of Bolshevism, Profiteering, Federal Action Against Miners' Strike and Failure of Congress to Act on ; Cost of Living Are Features Heard at Montreal. i MONTREAL, Que, June 7. Denunciation De-nunciation of Bolshovlsm profiteering, profiteer-ing, the action of the United Slatos Government in invoking the food control con-trol law againDt the late miners' Ktrlke, and the falluro of the American Amer-ican congress to lake action to coh-J coh-J trol the coat of living are among the "outstanding features of the annual report re-port of flic executive council of the American Federation of Labor presented pre-sented todoy to the annual convention conven-tion here. With the council's review of organized or-ganized labor's .position and activities activi-ties lor the last year, was also presented pre-sented "a specific program for remedy." rem-edy." The Cummings railroad, law was denounced, as was tho Kansas law establishing the court of industrial relations. The high cost of living was laid largely at the door of "big profiteers," while the report declared Uio United Stales government, principally prin-cipally through tho department of justice, "has conducted a campaign of stupidity." 'Congress was assaileh for Cutting appropriations designed to carry on the work of the collateral branches of tho department of labor and for various proposals, suuh as the sedition sedi-tion bill, which tho report 3ay3, tho labor movement was Instrumental Jn defeating. Ambitious in Mexico. In Its references to tho foreign field, the report denounced what it characterized as propaganda for American Am-erican Intervention in Mexico and declared that the executive council sees "no justification for Interfere euce," which it argues would be In the interest "of the exploitation of its workers, and Its boundless wealth of oil and minerals." The United States Steel corporation corpora-tion was assailed for its refusal to deal with labor organizations in the recent unsuccessful strike, and tho authorities of Boston also were denounced de-nounced for their attitude in the celebrated cel-ebrated strike of policemen in that city. The workmen of Canada were congratulated con-gratulated for defeating "the one big union" idea and their stand was characterized as "a magnificent triumph tri-umph for trade unionism, and a vindication vin-dication of the purposes, policies and achievements of the American Federation Fed-eration of Labor." The industrial conferences called by President Wilson were characterized character-ized as unsuccessful because "the employers stubbornly resisted every attempt at conciliation" and would not accept any resolution on collective collec-tive bargaining" unless it was so worded as to be anti-trade union in spirit and to provide encouragement and support for company unions." The machinery proposed by the second sec-ond conference, the report attacks, as in many respects "actually pernicious" per-nicious" and It declares that "the machinery designed by the president's presi-dent's commission is entirely out of contact with the life for which it was designed and entirely unfitted for tho needs of that life." Existing machinery, the report declares, de-clares, "is superior in every respect." Remedies Suggested. As a program of "specific remedy" for existing conditions the council's report proposes the following: "We demand that the government be authorized to buy standard commodities com-modities dire.ct from producers and thai these commodities be distributed distribut-ed through regular retail channels at a retail price lo bo fixed by tho government. "We demand that this power bo made uso of as a corrective for profiteering pro-fiteering and we call attention to the fact that tho, government has established estab-lished a precedent for such action in its sales of surplus war supplies, i "We demand that the federal government gov-ernment through the internal revenue reve-nue department ascertain the amount of excessive war profits extorted from the American people during tho years 191 G, 1917, 191&. 3019 and 1920, and that these excessive war ! profits he taken through its taxing power by the federal government and appilod lo the cxtingulBhment cf the floating dobt of the government and to the partial retirement of liberty bonds at par in order that the existing ex-isting Inflated structure of currency and credit may be reduced and that the government may carry out its sacred obligation to the people to maintain its llbOrty and victory bonds at par. Aid to Co-operatives. "Co-operation should be encouraged encourag-ed as an effectlvo means of curbing profiteering. TO stimulate rapid development de-velopment of co-opcratIve3 the federal fed-eral farm loan atet should be extended extend-ed so as to give credit to All properly prop-erly organized co-operatives, Just as credit is now given to individual farmers. Co-operation Is no less vital vi-tal and worthy of support than aro the railroads, which were given hundreds hun-dreds of millions of dollars and an area of land equal to New England to facilitate their establishment. There should be legal enactment to protect co-operatlveH against dls-I dls-I elimination by manufacturers and wholesalers. "Control of credit capital by thoac whose chief Interest Is the accumulation accumu-lation of prorits results Inevitably In the open shop for profiteering. We ropeat and emphasize the demand of organized labor that control of credit bo taken from the hands of .private financiers and placed in tho hands of a public agency to bo administered ad-ministered by voluntary and co-op-eratlvo methods. "We urge that tho U. S. department depart-ment of labor compile and Issue monthly statements of tho cost of manufacture of those staple articles which form the basis of calculation Reports On Profits. "As a means of aiding these and other anti-profiteering measures the federal government should be authorized auth-orized to establish pormanent boards for the prompt investigation of profits. All income and other tax returns should be available for inspection. in-spection. "We do not demand, nor do we desire, a precipitate collapse in prices generally, for in such a collapse col-lapse there would bo the greatest danger of national calamity. Tho program we have hero laid before the nation is constructive and is practical. Because it is constructive and practical, becauso It contains measures native to American life and American thought, we urge and demand de-mand for it tho immediate and ef-fectivo ef-fectivo consideration of the people and of the authorities of our country. coun-try. j "The cost t of living must go no (higher. Wages must be advanced lit every caso to a point at which tho American standard of living- is secure. Th(J life and the prodUctlvo capacltv I of the groat farming community, now stricken sorely, must be brought back to the richness that has marked It above the agriculture of all other na-t na-t ons. This will be possible only when the vicious forces that load the values val-ues of the farm with fictitious and fabuloun profits hsve been curbed and made powerless. Work With DalloL "Finally we call attontion to the vital fact that the prcsont non-partisan political campaign of the A. F. of L. offers to the peoplo everywhere an opportunity to enforce remedial measures meas-ures with their ballots. The enemies of the workers aro upon the platform of the nation seeking political preferment. prefer-ment. Defeat them. Defeat enemies everywhere. Let righteous wrat and Indignation find its expression In constructive con-structive efforts and in the intelligent use of that greatest of democracy's weapons, the ballot. Press upon every candidate everywhere the wisdom oC Iabor's constructive program. Defeat De-feat enemies. Elect friends. The national na-tional future is in tho dovotod keeping of tho working people." In summary of "tho essentlaf fa.cts of the present industrial situation." the report refers to the momentous loss of life and productive power and the rapid consumption of many basic materials, It assertB that these aro responsible for much of the shortage of commodities now experienced. "Evidence In poesoaeion of the trade union movement U that workers icciay are as wiiungr to work as ever and that their productive capacity is as great if not grea-ter than ever." tho report states. It declares that the In- 1 fluencee which have oporated since the war to check production "are under un-der the control of employers and not of the workers" and it adds: Autocratic ConLrol of Labor "Insofar as possible, employers hostile hos-tile to labor have sought to reintroduce reintro-duce autocratic control Into Industry, making- necessary a resistance on the part of the workers. Labor has enunciated en-unciated the principle that the workers work-ers are entitled to an effective voice In the management and control of industry. in-dustry. To a larger degree than ever before, this principle was agreed to by employers during the war. It was found that it produced results of great value in tho winning of the war. It made industry more productive. Industry today requires theee' remedial reme-dial measures: Measures Needed -"It requires groater democracv In order to glvo to thi workers full voice lp asalstingr In its direction. "It requires more intelligent man agernent and acceptance of tho principles prin-ciples that production is for use and not for profit alone. "It requires full and free acceptance and uee of the best that invention has to offer. "It requires bold and audacious reconstruction re-construction of method and process in the conduct of basic Induseries, "Labor doe3 not oppose introduction of improved methods in industry. It courts and encourages improvements in procession and in machinery. What . It will always reeist is the introduction of theBe processes and this machinery at the expense of the workers. "There is a knowledge of industry among the workers in Industry of which society has not begun to' avail itself. The effort has boon to suppress sup-press use of that knowledge and to demean those who possess It, The workers know their work as none but the workers can know it. The shoemaker shoe-maker knows his last and the engineer engi-neer understands the capacity of his I engine. j "The workers are appalled at the waste and ignorance- of management, but they aro too' frequently denied the chance to offer their knowledge for Use, "They decline to be enslaved by tho uso of their own knowledge and they can not give of It freely or effectively except as oquals Irv industry, with all of the rights and privileges and with all of tho stature and standing of employers. em-ployers. "Adoption of the prlncipieH of voluntary volun-tary effort, of full cooperation in Industry, In-dustry, will bring to ihe industrial Hfo 6f the nation such an impetus that production will ccocc forever to be a problem in Ajnerieah life. Decrease 6f Non-Proilncerfi "Adoption of the principles we here urge will inevitably result In a rapid decrease of the number of non-producers who at present jive by fastening fasten-ing themselves in one useless capacity or another upon the Industrial life of tho country. Proper absorption of non-producers into useful channels would be a simple problom. "Wo urge tho setting up of conference confer-ence boards of organized workers and employers, thoroughly voluntary In character and In thorough accord with our trade union organisations, as inanH of promoting tho democracy of Industry through development of cooperative co-operative effort. Wf point out to cm-ployern cm-ployern tho fact that Industry, which Is the life blood of our civilization, can not be mado the plaything and the pawn of a few who by cha.nco today hold control. Industry is the thing by which all must live and It must be given the opportunity to function at Its best, "Labor turn -over is but one of tho evils Which will disappear In proportion propor-tion as the workers are given voice in management. This Is proven by statistics sta-tistics which show tho lowest turnover turn-over in those industries where the workers exercise the most effectlvo voice by reason Of the highest degree of organization. "We propose the salvation of Industry. Indus-try. We propose ihe means whereby the world may be fed and clothed and housed and given happiness. We havf service to give and If permitted to and equality we will give In abundance. abund-ance. We can not be driven as slavos. but wo can give mighty service in a common effort of jumankind." On BoJJicvlsm On the subject of bolshevlsm and other extremiot propaganda, the report re-port has this to Bay: "During the year Ju.St passed the labor la-bor movement has stood Its ground solidly and maintained the progressive contsructivc policy which has marked It apart from most of the labor movements move-ments of tho world throughout the whole period of the world war. "But ihe nation has witnessed sporadic spor-adic outbreaks of extremist sentiment and has been compelled to deal with extremist propaganda in a number of cases since the war period came to an end. This tendency toward unreasoned un-reasoned conduct and unreasoned thought has been most unfortunate for the nation and still more unfortunate unfortu-nate for those who have been the participants. "Bolshevism has been a luro for some of our peopK- and Us doctrines have beon propagated with great vigor. vig-or. This hideous doctrine has found converts among two classes of people principally those intellectuals, so-ealied. so-ealied. who have no occupation save that of following one fad after another, an-other, and those so beaten in the game of life that they find no appoal In anything except the most desperate and illogical schemes. The rank and file of the organized labor movoment, as was to have been expected, has given no countenance to the propaganda propa-ganda of Bolshevism, but has, on the contraryi been its most effective opponent op-ponent in America. Causes of Unrest "The propaganda of revolutionary thought has not been limited to' the propaganda of Bolshevism. It has taken othor forms. The 'one big union' un-ion' idea has had its adherents, despite de-spite the disastrous results of the experiment ex-periment in Canada, with its treacherous treacher-ous machinery during the year preceding pre-ceding our 1919A convention. It is gratifying to note that everywhere the ostensible strength of this propaganda has been lost and that its fallacies are becoming clearer to its former victims. "Of more Importance than the results re-sults of studied propaganda of revolution revolu-tion and extreme is tho feeding of unrest un-rest among our poople which Is due to abuses In our political and industrial life and which seeks relief and freedom free-dom and not revolution and catastrophe. catast-rophe. "The written and spoken propaganda propagan-da of unreason and extremism can be met and defeated by truth. But legitimate legi-timate unrest growing out of conditions condi-tions of injustice can be met and ovor- come only by Intelligent dealing with conditions. Those who think from a poisoned well will bo poisoned until the well Itself is cleansed." Covering nearly 260 closely printed pages the report wakes reference to almost every phaso of the organized labor movement. |