Industrial conflict and the public good :|bthe creation, operation, and decline of the Kansas Court of Industrial Relations, 1920-1925.

Abstract

In reaction to a nationwide coal strike in 1919, Kansas Governor Henry J. Allen called a special session of the state legislature in January 1920 to pass the Kansas Court of Industrial Relations Act. This act created a tribunal to oversee labor relations within industries designated as essential to the public good, such as food, fuel, public utilities, clothing, and transportation. The act also prohibited strikes and lockouts within essential industries. In spite of opposition by the labor movement, the act passed with the overwhelming support of industry and the public. The Industrial Court operated for four years, but its first two years were the most significant. In 1920, the Court adjudicated twenty-eight cases between labor and industry. Most of those cases were brought by labor groups seeking increased wages, shorter working hours, or changes in conditions. During the 1921 legislative session, the Court was reorganized and two new judges were appointed. These new judges interpreted the Industrial Court Act differently, and limited the Court's actions to labor disputes where there was a direct threat to the public good. However, increasing opposition to the Court resulted in its downfall. Many in the labor movement and in industry saw any government control as unacceptable, and challenged the Court through strikes and legal action. Because of the Industrial Courts in ability to control labor and industry, the public began to see the Court as ineffective. In 1922, Jonathan Davis, an opponent of the Court, was elected governor, but he was unable to abolish the Court. However, in 1923, the US Supreme Court ruled several key points of the Industrial Court unconstitutional. This effectively ended the Court's operation, though it lingered until its repeal in1925.