Washington standard. [volume], March 22, 1918, Page seven, Image 7

About Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921

Image provided by: Washington State Library; Olympia, WA

                
LABOR IS WITH GOVERNMENT
IN WAR, HUGHES REPORTS
INDUSTRIAL INSURANCE COMMISSIONER, "DRAFTED" BY FEDER
AL LABOR DEPARTMENT FOR LECTURE TOUR, REVIEWS CON
DITIONS AS HE FOUND THEM—"HARMONY AND TEAM WORK"
BEING ADOPTED BY BOTH SIDES MORE EVERY DAY, HE SAYS
—ADMINISTRATION RECOGNIZES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
PRINCIPLE—UNION LEADERS DISCOURAGE STRIKES.
H. L. Hughes, member of the in
dustrial insurance commission, who
was "drafted" by Secretary of Labor
William B. Wlison for a 30-day lec
ture trip on "The War and What It
Means to Labor," returned to his
duties on the commission the other
day.
Commissioner Hughes left Olym
pia January 30, for this work on a
leave of absence from his duties here,
granted by Governor Lister. He
went direct to Washington, P. C.,
and spent four days in the Labor De
pigment, conferring with Secretary
w v>n and others on various phases
>e war situation and the part
that labor is playing and is to play in
thp great war drama.
In these conferences were 11 other
men, prominent in the labor move
ment of the country, who had been
selected by the department to carry
a message from Secretary Wilson to
the workingmen in the shipbuilding
plants and other war Industries of
the nation. These 12 speakers were
all placed under the direction of
Honorable E. P. Marsh, member of
the president's mediation commis
sion, who now holds a position as
director of the speakers' bureau in
the department.
Ijabor (iives Loyal Support.
Commissioner Hughes was direct
ed to proceed to San Francisco and
vicinity. He arrived there February
12, and by covering frequently as
many as three meetings a day, he
succeeded In gettnig before most of
the laboring men of San Francisco,
South City, Oakland and Vallejo,
where the Mare Island navy yard is
situated, by March 1, after which he
returned home. He says that the
spirit of the men working in the big
shipbuilding plants in that section is
fine and that the work is going ahead
with a rush.
"Of course there are always some
I lew rough spots where so many thou
sands of men are to be found work
ing under varying conditions," he
says, "but these are as nothing to
J. A. GILBAUGH
Funeral Director
MOST MODERN UNDERTAKING ESTABLISHMENT AND j
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THE COUNTY.
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Perfect funeral services for $75.00, as follows:
Adult: Black broadcloth or colored cloth caskets, lined !
and trimmed to match, with outside box; also including em
balming. all personal services, and auto-hearse.
Other funerals as low as S2O, S4O and S6O.
Higher priced funerals in proportion.
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the great accomplishments of this
mighty army of labor that is patriot
ically bending its back to the hercu
lean task of giving support to the
men who are going into the trenches
in France.
"It fills one with pride to go into
one of these great shipbuilding plants
and witness the spirit of these toil
begrimed men of labor, rearing and
molding into shape the giant steel
leviathans of the deep that are to be
come the 'bridge of ships' that Gen-
era! Pershing has asked that the na
tion build to span the Atlantic to
carry men and supplies for the
mighty war task we have assumed in
Europe, that the world may be made
safe for humanity.
"Union labor prevails in all these
yards, and for almost the entire part
workman and employer are co-oper
ating for the greatest possible pro
duction. With such tremendous ex
pansion, however, coupled with all
the problems that go with such sud
den growth of activity, there are
bound to be some disputes—and they
are all small affairs, yet in this time
of such great need of active produc
tion, they loom all out of ordinary
proportion—but they are being
quickly settled.
"More and more each day both
sides are realizing the necessity of
harmony and team work; mutual
good feeling between employed and
employer is therefore rapidly taking
the lead in the zeal of each to do all
that can be done in the service of the
nation at this time. It was largely
for the purpose of promoting this
spirit of co-operation that the Labor
Department organized its bureau of
speakers.
Abandon Strike Weapon.
"These speakers are particularly
urging upon the men the importance
of abandoning the strike weapon at
this time, and to depend upon the
conciliators of the Labor Department
to right all wrongs that may come
up in the line of these employments.
The department points out that of
the hundreds and hundreds of strike
THE WASHINGTON STANDARD, OLYMPIA, WA«H., FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1918
matters that hare been submitted to
its conciliation department, nearly
all* have been successfully settled
with great advancements to labor.
"Also the department has taken
the position that it is a correct prin
ciple to recognize the right of collect
ive bargaining, and that as a result
of this labor has been tremendously
strengthened. The men are accept
ing this position of the Labor De
partment, and so are the employers
for the most part, and I am sure that
we are now to enjoy a new era of
good feeling in all our war Indus
tries.
Collective Bargaining Recognized.
"In this speaking tour we were not
to touch upon the question of the
closed shop versus the open shop, yet
union recognition to the point of ac
tual collective bargaining is some
thing that the government insists
upon as a necessary corollary to in
dustrial peace and efficient produc
tion. When in the history of the
world did any government go farther
than this to advance the interests
and rights of the workingman? You
may be sure that the workers appre
ciate this and that they are going to
give every ounce of devotion and en
ergy there is in their hearts and
bodies to provide loyal support to a
government that means so much for
the best interests of labor.
"How different under the autoc
racy of Germany, where the Hinden
berg bayonet prods starved and bur
dened labor back to its tasks in sup
port of kaiserism and all the repres
sion and despotism that typifies that
tyranny!
"It is plainly noticeable, too, that
in those plants where there is the
closest relationship between the man
agement and the organizations of the
men, there you find the plants secur
ing the cream of the skilled men of
the country and the work going for
ward free from industrial disputes.
It is all the same—working or fight
ing—for such a democracy, and
where such conditions prevail
there Is never any need to question
the loyalty of the men. the quality of
their service, or the spirit in which
they work.
"Such a country, with such condi
tions and such standards, is worth a
life time of devotion from any man,
and this devotion is being given with
out stint or reserve by every truei
American workingman—native born
or naturalized —who has any real
conception of his duties, rights and
opportunities; and I found few in
deed who have not this realization.
Cleaning Out the Slackers.
"Occasionally slackers and ene
mies have been found, and always
these have been doing incalculable
harm. But the strong arm of the
government, aided by the loyal work
men, will soon ferret out all of this
element and place them where they
will do no further harm.
"I was glad to note that the unions
in San Francisco were preferring
Charges against every member who
was heard to utter disloyal senti
ments. and where found guilty these
men were being expelled. During
my stay there, three members of the
Musicians' union were shot one af
ternoon by an alien enemy that the
union had expelled for disloyalty.
That deed, however, only acted as ft
stimulus to other unions to speed up
the cleaning out process. Now, if
some one among the non-union ele
ments of the country will only do as
much in the way of cleaning out the
traitors among the non-unionists, we
will soon have the country rid of this
gentry.
The National Capital in War Time*.
"The situation at the capital in
these days of national stress Is won
derfully interesting. The city Is so
full of people that it is exceedingly
difficult to get the most meager hotel
accommodations. Reservation had
been made for me In advance at the
old National hotel, a hotel that is ad
vertised as having been made famous
as the death place of Henry Clay. I
remembered, however, that history
records that Henry Clay lived to a
ripe old age, so decided to take a
chance on the place for the three
nights that I would be there.
Wilson a Strong Man.
"The work of the house of repre- 1
sentatives did not impress me very
greatly at close range, nor does It
seem to impress anyone much, judg-j
ing by the general expression of
opinion. In the senate there are!
some strong men and—others that
are not so strong. On the whole,
after locking over the national leg
islative body, one thanks God that we
have a strong man in the presidential I
chair.
"Prom the press, and from the 1
general expression of public opinion, |
one gets the impression that Wash
ington regards Wlison as easily the
leading figure in the great world war.,
The Allied nations all stand back to
give our president the first expres
sion in answer to the proposals of the
Central powers. At home he Is the
leader of national thought and na-j
tlonal initiative.
"The strong men that he has se
lected for the departments, and for
all war activities, are doing a won- \
derful constructive work, the bicker-!
ings of some small men in congress'
to the contrary notwithstanding, ij
was in Washington just after Senator
Chamberlain and Colonel Roosevelt •
had made their futile attempt to dis-:
credit the splendid work that has
been accomplished in organizing and
equipping our great army In such
short time. \ j
"Senator Chamberlain had just
been compelled to apologize to Sec
retary of War Baker for talking In
the senate about some things con
nected with the war department and
the raising of the army that he knew
nothing about when he made his
speech that raised such a storm
throughout the nation. People were
laughing and saying that Chamber
lain should have seen Secretary Baker
for these facts before he made his
speech and then it would not have
been necessary to make an apology
after.
"No harm was done, however, for
it enabled the secretary of war to
show to the country the bigness of
the work that had been done, and the
excellence in which it was done: and
at the same time it enabled him to
make a vigorous correction of the
few isolated errors that the opposi
tion had been able to emphasize into
what they seemed to hope would be
a national scandal.
Administration's tabor Policy Wins.
"The labor policy of the president
and his secretary of labor is of won
derful depth and significance. Here
he has established an industrial
democracy that makes our fight for
world democracy substantial and
real. There is to be no sham about
it; no kaiserism in industry—but the
real right of labor to industrial rec
ognition and expression. This has
brought to the support of the nation
the fervid loyalty of every leader in
the American labor movement, with
one possible exception—and that one
seems to stand out all the more protn
inently because of his lonesomeness.
He will come In time, or be removed
by his membership who are among
the truest and most loyal of Ameri
can workmen.
"At first this labor policy seemed
to get the bitter enmity of the big
employers, but the very correctness
of the president's position, aided by
the force of public opinion which has
awakened to the justice of labor's
necessities, is bringing these power
ful factors around to a graceful ac
ceptance of the new order of things.
"I predict that we are going to
enjoy immediately the most wonder
ful team work between the employers
and the workmen of the entire coun
try because of the splendid under
standing that is coming about
through the administration of Presi
dent Wilson and his administration.
Out of its war necessities, and under
the leadership of this far-seeing
mind, the nation is being born to a
new industrial consciousness.
"The American citizen—and espe
cially the wage working American
citizen —who, realizing the wonder
ful advancements that have been
made and that are possibilities of the
future, does not work and fight with
his every ounce of energy and mind
i for the successful outcome of this war
( and the winning of universal democ
racy, is Indeed a poor specimen of
man. But American manhood is
responding: will continue to respond
in increased ratio, and the year 1918.
I am sure, will be the greatest year
in American history.
"I am glad that I had an opportu
nity to take on a touch of the fire ami
enthusiasm that any red-blooded
human must get in a visit to the na
tional capital in these stirring times."
LOGGED OFT LAND
For sale on easy terms to actual
(•titers only. Small cash payment
down, balance In ten annual pay
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PRICE $5 AN ACRE AND VP.
WEYERHAEUSER TIMBER CO.
TAOOMA, WASHINGTON.
Hotel Lewis
Hot and Told Water
Rooms With Bath
Steam Heat, Elevator
One block north of Union
Depot
M (T\ A Pacific Ave., Taconia
IOMM Telephone: Main 2081
Cheapest Engine Made
PER HORSEPOWER
Use a full 6-h. p Associated'' as a feed or ensilage cutler
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Six-inch bore, 10-inch stroke, 40-inch diameter fly wheel,
weight 1,425 pounds.
P. J. O'BRIEN
Agent for JOHN DEERE Farm Implements of All Kinds.
THIRD AND COLUMBIA STS. PHONE 340
Use an Electric Flat Iron
It does away wlth«a hot, dirty stove.
It is ready to use in a minute and wherever there is an elec
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And it saves many steps from the ironing board to the stove.
'!■! 1 " 111 " -I
Olympia Light & Power Co.
| /IM/EAT OUR fIRESH
/ /\f REAKFAST FOOD*
llt Y
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PHONES 593-594. 207 EAST FOURTH STRKT.
PACI SBTBNT
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