CONSERVATIVE LABOR

Throughout the meeting of the executive council of the American Federation of Labor last week, a pronounced trend toward conservatism was to be noticed. Mr. Tobin, Treasurer of the A. F. of L., scored the general strike. Mr. Morrison, Secretary of the A. F. of L., says that present standards of living and working conditions must be maintained, but he does not stand for the policy of fighting the tendency to lower wages that springs from natural causes. The council even went so far as to call Mr. Hoover to its session to obtain his advice.

This growth of conservatism, however, is not to be wondered at. It is the only policy that is open to labor when it has to meet conditions in which there are more men than jobs. Moreover, labor realizes that if it wishes to make headway with the Republican Congress, put in by an electorate that is manifesting an increasing spirit of conservatism, it must appeal to fairness and reason rather than wield the big stick.

Labor is following a policy of opportunism, then. It is going to adopt a program of conservatism, not because its ideas have changed, but because it must. Men must be kept employed even if wages have to be lowered. Strikes are disastrous in such circumstances. A restriction of immigration will be strenuously advocated.

Nevertheless, although the program was decided upon because it was strictly advantageous to the working class, it is a policy that is to the best interest of the country as a whole. If laborers work hard and steadily and if they accept lower wages which, with the changing economic conditions, means no change in standard, a long step will have been taken toward restoring this country to a peace regime.