August 14, 1920





RECORD   AND   GUfDE





209







Public Sentiment Ls Asserting Itself

Peace, according to authorized statements, has settled
over the Port of New York, and the men engaged in
hauHng freight to and from the docks and loading or un¬
loading it, have come to an arrangement with employers
and are back at work. The Citizens' Transportation Com¬
mittee, which formed an independent organization to keep
the Port of New York open for business, sees in the
week's developments a satisfactory result of their efforts.

Viewed in its broad aspects, this outcome of the long-
shoemen's strike must prove gratifying to the average
citizen, because all New Yorkers are more or less affected
by the free and orderly movement of freight in this port.
Ending of these disturbances to business over a period of
many months indicates once again that public sentiment
will not uphold labor disputes which take no account of
the public welfare.

When the Citizens' Transportation Committee was or¬
ganized those interested in it did not declare their object
to be the establishment of the "open shop" principle at
the nation's greatest port. Their action was based, rather,
on the determination that no group of men should be per¬
mitted to tie up the Port of New York. The committee
has succeeded in getting the port open once more, and ad¬
vocates of the "open shop" find encouragement in that
fact.

It cannot be doubted that the "open shop" idea has been
gaining headway all over the country as a result of the
scores and scores of strikes called during the last eighteen
months by ambitious labor leaders. This is clearly demon¬
strated by the replies to the questionnaire which the
Chamber of Cominerce of the United States recently sent
to its members. These replies show a strong sentiment
among business men for a law explicitly prohibiting strikes
by employes of all the public service corporations perform¬
ing service essential to the lives, health, security, comfort
and well-being of the public. In fact, such a law is favored
by 1,564 of the 1,661 business men who responded to the
Chamber of Commerce's question. As for the open shop.
the replies showed an overwhelming sentiment in favor of
it, 1,665 expressing themselves for it and only 4 opposing.

Recent developments in the political field furnish further
indication of the drift of public sentiment. Governor Al¬
len of Kansas, having shown his independence of the labor
politicians, was marked by them for slaughter when he
came up for re-nomination a few days ago. Governor
Allen's course in fathering his Industrial Court bill and in
insisting that coal be mined in the Kansas fields during the
strike last winter, prompted the labor leaders to put a
candidate in the field against him. This candidate had the
support of the radicals in union labor, the leaders of the
Non-Parti-san League, the I. W. W., the Socialists and the
Communists. Governor Allen was renominated by a
majority of 125.000. Representative .Sims, who fathered
the Plumb plan in Congress, and who had the support of
various elements interested in that and other radical
schemes, was defeated for re-nomination by the level¬
headed voters of his district.





That the public is long suffering is freely admitted, but
it also is well known that the public finds an effective way
of asserting itself when pressed too hard, as these recent
developments show.





Much Talk, But Little Progress

It was to be expected that, with the approach of October
1, public interest would become more than ever focused
on the housing shortage. The spring and summer months
have been strenuous enough both for landlords and tenants.
Those who have been hoping against hope that fall would
bring measurable relief are doomed to disappointment.
The housing shortage has not been relieved. In fact it is
more acute now than ever before, and there are no pros¬
pects of relief for the thousands of families looking for
living quarters to be available on October 1.

Keeping pace with the growing public interest in the
housing shortage, efforts to find a solution of the problem
are increasing with the passing weeks. The national as¬
pects of the situation are being studied by a committee of
the United States Senate, with Senator Willia.'n M. Calder,.
Cif New York, as its chairman. Senator Calder's committee
has been holding sessions in this city, very properly direct¬
ing its efforts to the gathering of broad views which may
supply suggestions to remedy the situation not onlv in the
metropolis, but throughout the country. In other words,.
Senator Calder and his associates are working to devise
nation-wide plans so sound basically as to remedy the
present housing shortage and to insure against a recur¬
rence of the present deplorable conditions throughout the
United States.

In a strictly local sense, Mayor Hylan and other city
officials are bringing forward various suggestions, some of
them extraordinary in their nature, but suggested to meet
an extraordinary situation. The continuing reluctance of
private capital to enter the housing field has made Mayor
Hylan more insistant in his advocacy of some plan to put
the city's credit back of the building of homes for the
80,000 or more New York families who cannot find living
Quarters. Advices to the Record and Guide from Albany
relative to the special session of the Legislature called by
Governor Smith indicated that he may urge upon that body
the placing of the State's credit back of housing enter¬
prises. It seems almost idle to predict what if any relief
will be afforded by either of these plans. It seems safe to
assume, however, that no immediate relief can be Ipoked
for through either city or state financing of liousing
projects.

Nothing has been done, nor has anything been suggested
from an official source, that would make the investment of
private cajjital in home building more attractive. LIntil that
is done little permanent relief can be looked for in the near
future. There is no magic remedy for the housing situa¬
tion, as the Sun pointed out in a recent editorial in which
it reached this logical conclusion:

"When a liberal day's work is given for a liberal day's
pay; when a landlord can be sure that his rents will not be