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tiv W.w j"" If v:-:- V 1, '£i Ahf.^^. VOL. XXII. No. 22 The federal injunction against railroad shop men is another proof— if one were wanted—that the most deadly attack against the constitu tion always comes from professed friends. Representing the administration, the attorney general secretly journey ed to Chicago and with no previous announcement appeared before Fed eral Judge Wilkerson, who listened to his weird tale of law defiance and con spiracy. The judge did not question the statements, one of the most import ant of which has been proven a tissue of falsehoods by an eastern paper. No one of the 400,000 shop men was cited to appear. No one was permit ted to challenge the attorney gen eral's story. He even announced that he will use his office to protect the anti-union shop, and this injunction judge did not tell him to keep within his sworn duties and not publicly volunteer to act as a "capper" for union-sftiashing employers. To complete the picture the judge issued a general and all-inclusive "thou-shalt-not" edict that sweeps away every constitutional guarantee from half a million citizens and all others who would aid or sympathize with. them. This assault on constitution and law has never been equaled. A mob would be incapable of dealing such a blow to government. To say that 400,000 strikers can not communicate with each other or their friends that they cannot dis tribute money to feed their wives and babes, and that they can do no other thing that would tend to encourage and solidify their ranks is to bring the judiciary and the federal admin istration into a contempt that will be hard to efface from the memory of-a large section of the American people. Because they refuse to accept a wage reduction by the railroad labor board, the attorney general says the shop men are "attacking govern ment." The attorney general and his friends should read the platform of the political party that placed them in their present positions. That platform says the board should de pend on moral suasion to enforce its decisions. Recently the federal trade commis sion ruled that the proposed steel merger is contrary to law. Attorneys for the steel merger announce that the decision will not affect their plans. Has any one heard the at torney general denounce the steel men's "attack on government?" The reception the administration injunction is given by trade unionists Authoritative Styles Excellent Workmanship Absolutely You Can Always do Better at f^f uh-^3^ "'W ENEMY ON DEFENSIVE LABOR'S MAGNIFICENT PROTEST FORCES IN JUNCTION ADVOCATES TO REALIZE TIIEY HAVE MADE A MESS OF THINGS The Assault on Constitution and Law and the Blow Dealt to Government By the Judge's Edict Have Never Been Equaled ,rf»x*\'*%}W\r\' i 1 is judged by the fact that in not a single instance have workers urged that it be obeyed. Everywhere is heard the cry of de fiance. Tl^e storm has alarmed the injunction advocates, who realize they have made a mess of things. With the agitation for a general strike the injunctionites fear to en force their order. They see they have gone too far and are sending out in spired stories to their friendly press that "the government will permit the injunction to be modified." v Even though it be modified the in junction remains the same hated pro cess that destroys government by law and elevates a judge to the three-in one position of lawmaker, law en forcer and executioner. The trade union movement does not accept this anarchy. Workers insist on rights under the constitution and the law. They object to placing themselves, in the power of one indi vidual, to be subject to his prejudices and his moods, rather than to law. The workers protest against gov ernment by injunction. WHERE ARE THEY? Have the Detectives Jumped Their Job? Washington.—One of the adminis tration's pet publicity agents states in a local newspaper that the shop men's injunction "has had a stabiliz ing effect throughout the country. This means that the detectives and spies in the union ranks are not be ing used as vigorously to develop a public opinion with wild yarns of murder, conspiracy and riot. These stories were intended to be the back ground for the injunction, but the at torney general overreached himself. With labor's continuous challenge to the injunction, the attorney general and his political associates are now insisting that "it's all a mistake," and that there was never any intention of interfering with the rights of workers. But the injunction stands as mute evidence that an attempt was made to interfere with the workers' rights, and the one and only reason why the scheme failed was because of labor's quick reply to the agents of reaction If labor bowed its head when this injunction was issued, does any one believe the federal administration and its publicity agents would now be issuing alibis and excuses Who does your auto notary work free of charge"/ The 1*. (J. Auto Club. YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO ATTEND OUR Fall Display and Sale Wed. & Thur. Sept. 20th & 21st, 1922 Presenting in all their wealth of fashion Ladies' and Children's Ready-to-Wear and Millinery Beautiful Undergarments, Corsets and Hosiery The Newest Fall Fabrics of Silk, Wool, Wash Materials and Domestics also a complete line of Toilet Articles and Small Wear Mrs. Burdsall, special representative of the Frolaset Corsets, will be with us September 20-21-22-23, 1922, to explain the unexampled features, and discuss figure refinements. UM y ^^s,r"^,5V/-vv. ,3J1 ***f$*v* v^ ,- v*' (Copyright) A year ago the commission on the church and social service issued a La bor Sunday message on the responsi bility of the church in industry. That message explained the necessity for increasing exercise of the church's in fluence in industrial controversy and summarized the teaching of Chris tianity with reference to industrial problems. The church has a message applic able to human conduct in all its phases and to every variety of human relationships. Industrial relations are but one form of human relations, and industrial problems are very largely human problems. A gospel that does not embrace life in its entirety is not sufficient to save men or to express the full meaning of religion. Not only so, but the industrial and economic factors in the life of our people condition to a very great ex tent their religious, interests and ac tivities. Health and happiness are, generally speaking, necessary to the attainment of the higher life. The church can not be indifferent to the physical well-being of its people. Better Quality Merchandise! at Lower Prices Miles High Opp. From Prices Court House jv 1 ,M -,' 5"",' THE BUTLER COUNTY PRESS. From Producer to Consumer 1 I CHURCH'S LABOR DAY MESSAGE DECLARES RAILWAY SHOPMEN'S STRIKE HAS TAKEN FORM OF BATTLE FOR PREVENTION OF THE UNION AGAiNST HOSTILITY OF POWERFUL ROADS Gospel That Does Not Embrace Life in Its Entirety is Not Sufficient To Save Men or Express Full Meaning Says Federal Council The Federal Council of Church es represents 34 evangelical denominations, practically all Protestant communicants in the United States. It sent to every clergyman in the country a "La bor Sunday message," which was expected to be the basis of sermons preached on the eve of labor's annual celebration. This year's message reviews the in dustrial activities of the year and :alls upon all Christians to work for human brotherhood in in lustry. Christian teachings as applied to industry include three cardinal prin ciples: The worth of personality, brotherhood as between all those en gaged in industry, and the motive of service. The first principle requires that every person shall be treated as a spiritual end in himself. Christian ity aims at the progressive liberation of human life so that every individual may have a share in the life abund ant. Spiritual Content of Industry Brotherhood in industry expresses itself in co-operation between work ers and employers as between human beings who possess immeasurable spiritual worth. It is the spiritual content of democracy. The suprem acy of the service motive relegates competition for gain to an inferior place in human endeavor. From the Christian point of view industrial power and privilege are justified only on the basis of the service that they render to those who participate in the industry and to the entire com munity. We are still in the period where the dominant note in the industrial world is one of strife and controversy. There probably never was a time when there was more bitterness and conflict, some of it due to misunder standing between employers and workers, and some of it unfortunately due to a very clear understanding of hostile aims and purposes. Employ ers and workers have too commonly arrayed themselves in hostile camps and have been inclined to fight out their differences by sheer economic force. This has been manifest es pecially during the last twelve months. Local controversies for the most part relate themselves to a country wide struggle in which labor is seek ing to retain or advance its position of power and influence and employ ers are endeavoring, with equal de termination, effectually to limit the power of labor. The public in gen eral is more conscious of the un pleasant and often disastrous results of this conflict than of the moral quality of the issues involved, al though these issues inevitably tend to disrupt community life. Church is Moral Interpreter The church has a very patent op portunity to study and interpret the moral issues of industrial controversy to interpret each group to the other and to the public at large, and to teach the principles of sound human relationships in industry. Jt is prob- ,".,c* ?',. -k '-'^\i if '%*'4 V ', I of Religion HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15,1922 ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR 6ATH£RtD ably safe to say that the majority of our people have an ill-informed atti tude of hostility to one or the other, or to both, of the parties in any in dustrial conflict which interferes with the public's convenience. Much is made of the practice of la bor organizations, some of them rep rehensible, which seem to be dictated by class interest and by a disregard of the welfare of the entire commun ity. The labor movement itself i: but little understood. Likewise, there is a tendency on the part of many people to attribute, sometimes with reason and justice, predatory self-interest to the em ploying class. Not only is public opinion, which should be the most po tent factor in the settlement of in dustrial disputes, often ignorant of the major facts, but the judgment by considerations of self-interest rather than of justice and right. The large number of strikes which have occurred during the period of business depression have, of course, resulted from the tendency to "de flate" labor. It cannot be too often repeated that high wages during the war were by no means so general as believed, and that the demand for a reduction of wages in proportion to the reduction in living costs has been made without reference to the fact that wages prior to the war, were too low and can not fairly be taken as a basis of wage determination. Some em ployers freely recognize this. Great Strikes Are Justified The two outstanding industrial crimes of the year—the coal strike and the railway strike—have grown in the main out of inadequacy of earnings. The plight of the coal min ers, due to scant employment, is at last receiving public recognition. The reductions in the earnings of railway workers have placed many of them in almost a desperate situation. This is especially true of the maintenance of way workers. That the finances of certain of the roads may have made such reductions appear desir able only adds to the seriousness of the problem. One of the most significant develop ments of the year has been the publi cation of statistics by eminently com petent and impartial authority which show that our industries as at pres ent managed are not producing enough wealth to raise this income of the working people to the level of health and comfort. This is a chal lenge to our entire industrial regime It is most unfortunate that no more general effort has been made to ap proach a settlement of disputes in a co-operative spirit and to appeal to justice and to fair play rather than to trial by economic combat. In moral world force can settle nothing permanently. The conferences by which most disputes end would con tribute much more to the stability of industrial relations if they were held at the beginning rather than at the end of the controversy. The railway shopmen's strike has taken the form of a battle for the preservation of the union against the hostility ef powerful roads. Jtai w/~f^x *Hspr^' ^v-r^^/. K Washington.—In terms of ridicule, invective and defiance, President Gom pers talked for one and one-half hours to newspaper correspondents at A. F. of L. headquarters on the injunction against striking railroad shop men. "It is indeed strange," said the unionist, "that in a republic founded on the principle of freedom and jus tice, and a recognition of the rights of man, that the political party of Lincoln, Phillips, Beecher and Gar rison, under whose leadership slavery was abolished, should now be engaged n the restoration of compulsory la bor. I belong to no political party, nd I, therefore, do not speak as a partisan, but the whole procedure bears out Thomas Jefferson's warning of usurpation of power by the courts. And in this case it has been spurred on by the federal administration. "I do not wish to appear facetious but I note radio is about the only means of communication restrained in the injunction. I wonder if the ether is to be enjoined by the court." Referring to the restraining clause against taunting, President Gompers said: "It may be a new crime to taunt. However, I never heard it being a violation of the law. If men policy of extermination there can be only ultimate moral defeat. Since the beginning of the open shop campaign many employers have sought to take advantage of techni calities in order to set aside agree ments and substitute an arbitrary re gime for the method of joint agree ment in the settlement of labor ques tions. In not a few cases agreements have been set aside by employers on very slight pretext. Lack of Fundamental Integrity The present coal strike involved the violation of a pledge to enter into conference for the negotiation of a new agreement. In few, if any, of these cases can it be said that the blame falls exclusively on one side. But the tendency to regard an agree ment as sacred and binding when it is advantageous to do so, and to seek every means of repudiating it when the greatest economic advantage is to be secured by such a course, indi cates a lack of fundamental integrity which is all too prominent in the in dustrial world, and which augurs ill for the future. Another serious aspect of the labor situation is the growing hostility of organized labor to the courts. A large number of injunctions of the most contrary character against strike activities have been issued in the past year, which have been strong resented by labor as aimed at depriving the unions of their chief method of defense. The strike is in its nature so drastic a weapon and its grave possibilities are so far reaching that it is difficult to secure on the part of the public or of the courts a balanced judgment in time of crisis. Labor finds its position rendered in secure by the unpredictable attitude of the lower courts in particular con troversies. The protests of the labor unions against "government by in junction" which are often intemper ate and sometimes unjust, are not without ground and call for careful and sympathetic consideration. Blight of Twelve-Hour Day The nation still carries the moral burden of the 12-hour day in the steel industry, affecting large numbers of workers. The officials of the United States steel corporation have given the public reason to hope that a se rious effort will yet be made to eradi cate this acknowledged evil, as has already been accomplished by some of the independent companies. Appar ently it will require the continued mo ral pressure of the churches to com plete the reformation of the industry There are, however, distinct signs of hope and progress in the industrial situation in America. There are ear nest and courageous employers at work on constructive experiments. There are employers' organizations and labor unions that are conquering the old psychology of fear and force and are seeking more social ends by much more social means. The work ers' education movement and the new interest of labor unions in scientific research give much promise. The press, sharply «criticizec\ and often justly so, for partisanship in labor disputes, shows signs of greater fairness and discrimination and in some instances of moral leadership. The new role that is being played by the religious press in this connec tion is especially gratifying. And withal, the voice of the church is be ing heard with unquestionably greater respect and influence. M. t% r, "INDUSTRIAL ANGELS" IS TERM WORKERS MIGHT POSSIBLY BE PERMIT TED TO APPLY TO STRIKEBREAKERS UNDER INJUNCTION, BUT NOT SCABS, SAYS GOMPERS Shade of Lincoln Hovers Restlessly Over Nation as For mer Anti-Slavery Party Comes to Aid of Compulsory Labor r'*" cannot call the strikebreakers 'scabs' possibly they might be permitted to call them industrial angels. 'The word 'conspiracy' used in the injunction is one of those legalistic terms intended to confuse the situa tion. There has been no conspiracy on the part of the shop men. They merely counselled to prevent invasion of their rights and reduction of their wages. If it were not so tragic it would be farcical to say that 500,000 men had entered into a conspiracy." V A WS.S. mi uva*osn»MPitkb t»um «r C'NirED STATU V4JVERXMEMT President Gompers said that on the night before the conference report on the Cummins-Esch act was submitted to congress he read at a meeting of trade union officials and members of both houses of congress a telegram sent by a railroad lobbyist to a rail road executive. This message showed the difference between an anti-strike clause then contained in the bill and the conference report. The railway executive was advised that the con ference report was preferable from the railroad viewpoint, as the injunc tion method could be followed under it, while the anti-strike clause called for trial by jury, and convictions of labor officials by juries were declar ed to be difficult. 'Here we see it," declared Presi dent Gompers. "The railroad execu tives required no lawyer to bring this injunction against the shop men. United States Attorney General Daugherty became the attorney of the railroads. "This is an injunction in which every power is brought into play to coerce the men to surrender their rights with not a move made against the 94 railroads which have violated 104 decisions of the railroad labor board." STRIKERS SUSTAINED New York.—In a statement to the churches of the country the research department of the federal council of the churches of Christ in America uphold charges by striking shop men that "railroad equipment has been slowly deteriorating." "There has been an effort to dis credit reports to this effect," the statement added, 'but information given directly by the chairman of the interstate commerce commission to the president, and now supported by a detailed report submitted by the interstate commerce commission in response to a senate resolution indi cates the growing seriousness of the situation." Referring to the failure of efforts to settle the strike the statement de clared that the proposal of the rail way executives to reinstate the strik ers without seniority would have "heavily penalized the strikers." PEACE IN RAILWAY STRIKE Men Return to Work With Rank Held June 30 The long strike of the nation's railway shopmen was broken and practically ended on Wednesday of this week when executive heads representing about 60 Class A railroads meeting in Chicago agreed to accept the workmen's proposal to return to work providing their seniority rights, as held on July 1st, the date of the beginning of the strike, should prevail. Under the agreement reached Wednes day all men are to return to work in positions of the class they originally held June 30, and at the same point. As many of such men as possible are to be put to work immediately at the present rate of pay, and all such employes who have been on strike are to be put to work or under pay not later than 30 days from the date of signing the agreement. There are 202 Class A roads involved in the strike, 60 of these, or perhaps 65, were ready to accept peace and sign the agreement Wednesday. Since then other roads have signified their intention of accepting the Chicago verdict. It is believed that all railroads of the country with the possible exception of a very few die-hard union-smashing heads will accept the agreement within the next week or two. v IsJV.'' it 'IP *•& '.'v 'V ti A J' & 1 'w!