"GOD SAVE LABOR"

In defense of the "inalienable right of labor to continued advance and aspiration," Mr. Gompers last year in his speech in the Union, emphasized the privileges guaranteed labor by the various fundamental documents of our government. Another point brought out was the question of strikes--which he defined merely as "cessation of work when there is no other way to obtain a hearing or justice. In this we see Mr. Gompers at his best.

His recent statements when he testified before the Lockwood Committee in New York hardly seem, compatible with the principles which he expressed last year. The phrase "God save labor from the courts" is not one which declares loyalty to the government nor does it show a desire to make use of the previleges granted to labor in accordance with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The second point noted from last year's speech is vitiated by the admission that the central unions have no control over the actions of the local labor organizations or their members in regard to walk-outs. When men refuse to obey the commands of their leaders or to accept the offerings of the employer, there seems no way left to offer justice to either side or preserve the advantages of collective bargaining.

We remember the manner in which Mr. Gompers admonished college men-- and through them the more highly educated business and professional men of the country--to keep out of the labor question and allow the unions to settle their own difficulties. With the courts also pushed aside we apparently must sit back and give labor free rein to direct not only its own affairs but to continue to interfere with those of everyone else.