Democratic Obligations of Management and Labor in Total War

DOI10.1177/000271624222400115
Published date01 November 1942
Date01 November 1942
Subject MatterArticles
88
Democratic
Obligations
of
Management
and
Labor
in
Total
War
By
CARROLL
R.
DAUGHERTY
WHAT
may
reasonably
be
ex-
Pected
of
management
and
labor
in
a
democracy
during
a
time
of
total
war?
It
seems
to
me
that the
answer
to
this
question
largely
depends
(1)
on
one’s
concept
of
economic
democracy,
(2)
on
what
reasonably
may
be
ex-
pected
of
management
and
labor
in
a
democracy
during
peacetime,
and
(3)
on
the
important
differences
between
wartime
and
peacetime
conditions.
FUNDAMENTALS
OF
ECONOMIC
DEMOCRACY
At
the
risk
of
being
considered
an
easy
purveyor
of
economic-political
platitudes,
I
propose
to
outline
briefly
at
this
point
some
of
the
main
con-
ceptual
ideals
which
seem
to
underlie
our
economic
and
political
system.
Our
system
of
government
is
based
on
the
consent
of
those
who
are
gov-
erned.
Through
a
scheme
of
representa-
tion
the
will
of
a
majority
of
the
state’s
citizens
is
enforced
on
all
the
citizens,
and
the
interests
of
minorities
are
pro-
tected
by
specific
safeguards.
The
indi-
vidual
citizen
is
held
in
high
esteem,
and
he
is
integrated
into
the
social
struc-
ture
through
a
co-related
system
of
rights
and
responsibilities.
These
rights
and
responsibilities
are
set
forth
in
accordance
with
the
principle
of
the
greatest
good
for
the
greatest
number
of
citizens.
The
rights
are
conferred
on
citizens
by
the
state
(which
is
the
organized
expression
of
the
majority’s
will),
and
the
responsibilities
or
duties
are
required
and,
enforced
by
the
state.
The
state
or
government
itself
has
its
own
rights
and
responsibilities.
It
is
entitled
at
all
times
to
the
loyalty
of
all
citizens.
It
has
the
right
to
enforce
the
rules
which
have
been
devised
for
the
playing
of
the
economic-political
game.
Among
its
responsibilities
are
(1)
the
obligation
to
abide
by
and
make
effective
the
will
of
the
majority
of
its
citizens,
(2)
the
duty
to
protect
the
interests
of
minorities,
(3)
the
duty
to
establish
and
enforce
the
rules
of
eco-
nomic
and
political
conduct,
(4)
the
duty
to
change
these
rules
as
environ-
mental
conditions
change,
and
(5)
the
obligation
to
provide
adequate
outlets,
through
the
rules,
for
citizens’
basic
needs,
such
as
their
desires
for
power,
for
freedom,
and
for
security.
The
last-named
responsibility
needs
a
little
elaboration.
I
mean
that
a
democratic
government
is
obligated
to
establish
equality
of
opportunity
and
a
positive
freedom
for
its
citizens
to
pursue
occupational
advancement
and
enhancement
of
income
of
various
kinds.
And
it
is
also
obligated
to
provide
a
base
of
protection
and
security-a
sort
of
negative
freedom-from
oppression,
exploitation,
or
coercion
by
other
citi-
zens
or
groups
of
citizens
as
these
citizens
exercise
their
positive
freedom
to
enlarge
their
incomes.
The
rights
and
responsibilities
of
citi-
zens
in
our
democracy
are
in
a
sense
the
obverse
of
the
state’s.
They
are
entitled
to
the
positive
and
negative
freedoms
just
mentioned
above:
equality
of
op-
portunity
to
pursue
economic
welfare
and
gain,
and
freedom
from
coercion
or
exploitation
by
other
citizens.
They
are
obligated
to
abide
by
the
will
of
the
majority
and
to
obey
the
rules
of
the
game
which
the
majority’s
government
has
established.
They
are
obligated,
further,
to
respect
the
rights
of
minori-
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