The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1877-09-20
Wendell Phillips on the Labor Questions.

|
Mr.. Phillips is a man of ability. No one
Who has listened to or read his speeches
will deny that, or fail to acknowledge his
marvellous gifts us an orator. He is a
man of activity, too, and cannot content
| himself to sit idle when there is work to
be done, or problems to be worked out,
| in the interest of mankind. The great
, evil, to the battle with which Mr. Phillips
gave so many Of the best years Of life
| that of slavery is no more and he
seeks a new and fresh field, in which
there is waiting a very serious, even
threatening question, to the determine
ton of which the people Of this country
are called to give their serious attention.
We refer the labor question-to the rela-
tons which are to be established and
subsist between the man whose muscles
and brain are applied in all the industries
that aid in creating wealth, and the cap
italist, who by inheritance or accumula-
ton has become the possessor and con-
troler of wealth invested in the indus
tries This question, long foreseen and
dreaded, was forced into prominence by
the great strikes of the past summer, 50
| that even the most needless perceived
aud acknowledged the presence Of great
and growing issue-one that must be ap-
| prcclated and met, to avert its dangers.
1t is undoubtedly fortunate that the
leadership Of the labor movement, 50 far
as Massachusetts is concerned, is vested
| in one who possesses the brain of Wendell
Phillips. Having secured the confidence of
men who are prone to jump to conc!u-
SlOnS, and often very unreasonable ones,
he is one whose cool blood and clear head
can rcpress the wild schemes Of the over
Jealous, and teach them that property,
no less than labor, has its rights which
must be acknowledged and protected. AS
the Labor candidate for Governor of
| few years ago, and its recognized cham
! pion in the present, himself man of high
ton of commanding influence.
Mr.. Phillips has already begun his course
of instruction to the men with whom he is
associated by published letter, in which
| some OF the crude ideas 50 prevalent are
sought to he corrected. That which he
most emphasizes is the injunction that
| there must be no violence, either against
property or against those who choose to
labor for wages that satisfy them. an
the first place he says, ''the law is to be
obeyed and enforced in any event and at
any cost. There are wrongs which de-
mand and justify revolution. This is not
a case of that kind and, in present cir
cunstances, every resort to violence is
crime. No man has a right to prevent
any other man from working when, where
and for what wages he sees fit. No man
has right to destroy public or private
property or to derange business by sud
den refusal to work or plots to effect such
arrangement. All these acts are grave
offences against the public welfare, and
do only harm. They are to be prevented
or punished at all hazards
In taking and in a manner enforcing
this position by his personal influence,
Mr. Phillips may, and probably WILL rem
der a good public service. The tendency
has been for unreasoning and selfish
demagogues to magnify whatever griev-
ances existed, and to foster the mob spirit,
of which the country has had such alarm
ing specimens But these influences and
teachings, meritorious as they are, do not
after all furnish Il solution of the main
question at ISSUE that Of the proper COM
pcnsatlon due from capital to labor. And
here is the very kernel of the mattel-the
question of questions For its solution
Mr.. Phillips proposes what diplomatists
term mixed commission, or one in which
all interests at stake shall have rcpresen
tation. He suggests that the employer
and the employed meet in conference. Or
to state the matter in his own words
Corporations that employ a large number of
worknen should, from time to time, appoint a
committee to meet a committee Of workmen. Be
fore such joint committee should be laid open all
the details of the business. The price OF ma
terlal, loss of interest i'll process of manufacture
interests on dead capital repairs to keep the stock
good, &C. and the price at which the goods are
finally sold and in what quantity; all the facts
necessary to make up an opinion to what rate of
wages the company can afford to pay-of course
only Snch facts After mutual consultation such
committee should decide the amount of wages to
be paid. If they cannot agree an umpire should
be chosen to make the final decision, Such a
method has been occasionally resorted to in New
England and with good results But to secure
content and harmony this should be the regular es
tabished and recognized method. Such a course
has been followed in England in very large num-
Der of its manufactures and wherever it has been
adopted strikes have been for twenty years IN
known. Thomas Hughes, well known in litera-
ture, has been frequently chosen as an umpire
Christianity dictates and sound political economy |
endorses such procedure. How broad and sound |
must be, in years, the education gained by work |
lngmen acting on such committees and brought to |
the close, practical consideration of such large in
terests; acting too, under such grave responsible
tiles The effect has been very marked in Eng |
land. Mr. Mundelia member of the House of |
Commons, assured me he had known instances |
where the workmen on such proposed even great |
er reduction of wages than that named by the EN-
poyers declaring the result of their examna |
tion that the corporation could not safely pay as |
large wages it offered. This shows how acting |
under grave responsibility educates men, both |
morally and intellectually. Weak and embarrassed |
companies would never be obliged to make such
exhibit of their affairs Half dozen firms or |
corporations doing would fix the rate. The rest
would follow, and those companies unable to pay |
1t must show cause why they do not or go to the |
wall. And such result would be no harm to |
sound business concerns.
An exposure of their affairs, resources,
markets, manner of conducting business,
profits, &c. would appear to be objection
able to most business men. But Mr..
Phillips testites that the plan works
well in England, where business secrets
are much more jealousy guarded than
with us. 1t certainly would tend to be-
get that mutual confidence and good feel
mo which ic moct f]aciro lilo 1otxyoap ny,