IGHT-HOUR THEORY IN THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR 243 
imultaneously.” * Manifestly, either the facts or the economists 
1ave shut up the Executive Council in a productivity prison, and 
here is no suggestion of any magic way of getting out. No more 
roduct, no more wages. In fact, the whole drift of the produc- 
ivity’ analysis, so far as it has yet been developed, is to 
mphasize the difficulties that lie in the path of organizations in 
heir attempts to increase the pay or to improve the working con- 
itions of their members. But in order to meet the needs of the 
abor movement, it is not sufficient for theory to be in accord 
ith facts. It must also be of a sort to inspire faith in the 
possibility of doing impossible things by combined action. Such 
a theory the older eight-hour advocates had, and it did yeoman 
service in the difficult organization days of the eighties. It 
remains to be seen whether contemporary labor theorists will 
succeed in putting the productivity analysis into such shape as 
furnish a dynamic of equal power. 
Proceedings, 1921, p. 68. -